It’s the accepted wisdom that no country can touch China in desirability of a manufacturing location. There are few fields in which the “middle kingdom” does not excel. But did you know that the second largest maker of blank DVDs/CDs and related media is a company located just outside India’s capital city? It’s called Moser-Baer, in Noida.
In automobiles, auto parts, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, medical components, and many other fields India today has a very strong showing. So I was not totally surprised that India ranked #2 on the Global Manufacturing Competitiveness Index with a score of 8.15, compared to China’s 10. The USA is at 5.84, Brazil at 5.41 and Russia at 2.58 by comparison. The Index, compiled for compet.org, also projects what happen by 2015. where China will still lead. But India’s score will improve to 9.01 according to the study.
To western executives, this means that if you are concerned about the future of global expansion in Asia, you may consider an integrated design/manufacture operation in India, more readily than you might have a few years ago.
Last updated: December 26th, 2025
