In order to meet India’s goal of producing $500 billion worth of electronics by 2030, the India Cellular and Electronics Association (ICEA) demanded on Monday that industrial electronics be given top priority.

Manufacturing products that will automate our cities, factories, and transportation systems is the key to the future of India’s electronics sector, according to a statement.

According to the statement, ICEA is collaborating with industry leaders and the government through its Steering Committee on Industrial Electronics and Infrastructure to create a strategy roadmap and a policy specifically for industrial electronics.

In order to establish India as a world leader in industrial electronics, the steering committee—which consists of executives from Delta Electronics, Infineon Technologies, Festo, Fanuc, and other companies—will create a market research that addresses ecosystem development, regulatory frameworks, and technology access.

“The industrial electronics sector needs to be acknowledged as a strategic national priority. It is the central nervous system and brain of any sophisticated production system. India cannot claim to be a true manufacturing leader until it leads in industrial automation, stated Pankaj Mohindroo, chairman of the ICEA.

Mohindroo went on to say that industrial electronics offers enormous potential for high-skilled jobs, especially in fields like robotics, automation software, embedded systems, and AI-integrated systems.

To expand this industry and become a global center for industrial electronics design and manufacture, India must make investments in talent pipelines, R&D, and incentives.

The technological foundation of contemporary manufacturing infrastructure is made up of industrial electronics, which power robotics, intelligent grids, automated systems, smart factories, and transportation and logistics networks that are prepared for the future, according to Manish Walia, vice president of Delta Electronics. All manufacturing verticals and sectors are driven by industrial electronics, which is a horizontal rather than a vertical in and of itself.

In order to enhance India’s access to cutting-edge industrial automation technologies and further the country’s objectives of independence, export competitiveness, and job creation, Amber Enterprises India has acquired a majority share in Israel-based Unitronics Ltd.

The agreement would accelerate the country’s shift to smart factories and digitally-driven production processes, according to Jasbir Singh, Executive Chairman and CEO of Amber Group, which will improve India’s industrial automation.