ET SME summit in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar showcases region’s strengths as global auto hub

The ET Make in India SME Regional Summit, held in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar on February 12, 2026, highlighted the strength of the Marathwada region and its potential for developing globally competitive micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) from the city. The event, which brought together industry stakeholders, policymakers, and MSMEs from the region, showcased the region’s strengths as a global automobile hub and its rapid emergence as an EV centre. It also underscored the region’s deep talent pool, perseverance, and growing industrial capabilities.
The summit at Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar began with an insightful address by Maharashtra Cabinet Minister Atul Moreshwar Save, who acknowledged industry associations for their role in attracting investments. “Companies like Ather, Toyota, and Piramal are setting up facilities in the DMIC region. The city is set to emerge as a major EV hub with the help of CM [Devendra] Fadnavis,” he said.

The city is emerging as a major export hub, he said. “SMEs should seize this opportunity, as ancillary units and helping industries will grow here. Strong local vendors will play a crucial role,” he added.


Next up was a special address by Sarnikar Yogesh, GM - DIC Jalna, Additional charge: Aurangabad. He highlighted challenges faced by MSMEs in the region. “MSMEs struggle with access to credit, capacity building and regulatory clearances. We have built a strong institutional backbone for the district’s development, ensuring that the government schemes are implemented effectively,” he said.

He noted that while Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar may have seen a slow start in industrial development, CM Fadnavis made it clear that the next major industrial hubs in Maharashtra will be the Jalna region and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar.

A presentation by C.S. Arya, Manager, IDBI Bank, followed, highlighting the organisation’s initiatives, outreach and tools empowering MSMEs at the ET Make in India SME Regional Summit.

After the presentation, experts and industry leaders came together for an exciting panel discussion on ‘Atmanirbhar MSMEs: Strengthening India’s industrial corridors from the ground up.’

Arjun Gaikwad, President, MASSIA, said that Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar’s industrial growth is the result of joint efforts by all stakeholders. “MSMEs have led this change over the past 40 years, and the city could see investments of around Rs 5 lakh crore ahead,” he said.

Anuj Kumar Sharma, Senior Branch Manager, NSIC, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, agreed with Gaikward and said that industrial growth in the region is the result of joint efforts by all stakeholders. “MSMEs have led this change over the past 40 years, and the city could see investments of around Rs 5 lakh crore ahead,” he said.

Talking about the city, Chetan Raut, Director, Rajmudra Prakashan, said that since long, it has had a strong product-development culture. “Bajaj’s entry in 1984 gave it global reach. Now auto components made here are exported to nearly 80 countries, with a large base of first-generation auto-ancillary entrepreneurs,” he said.

Register here for the Vadodara session

Echoing similar sentiments, Utsav Machhar, President, Chamber of Marathwada Industries & Agriculture (CMIA), said that the strategic vision of political leadership matters a lot when it comes to executing large-scale projects in Aurangabad. “I think they have done a great job in this region,” he said.

Next, Sameer Kenia, Sales Manager, Canon India, gave a presentation titled “Making Business Simple with Canon.”

The last session of the evening was a business success story which featured Pritish Chatterjee, Co-founder & Managing Director, Savera Group. Detailing his journey as an entrepreneur, Chatterjee spoke about the aspects that remain significant. “From my journey, I can say that being persistent, taking risks, and continuing to experiment through the ups and downs of your growth journey remains critical for businesses,” he said.

Growth requires strong backward and forward integration, he said. “That is why Savera Group has emerged as one of India’s largest suppliers to IKEA,” he added.

This concluded the ET Make in India SME regional Summit in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, highlighting how MSMEs even from smaller hubs can work together to make a big impact. The summit served as a key platform for bringing industry experts together and offering networking opportunities to a host of small businesses in the city.

The ET Make in India SME Regional Summit, a series of 20 nationwide on-ground events, aims to unravel emerging opportunities, address critical challenges and promote meaningful knowledge-sharing and networking to unlock growth for the MSME sector.

The event in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar was conducted by Economictimes.com with IDBI Bank as the Banking & Lending Partner, Canon India as the Tech Enabler, and Vodafone Idea as the Digital Transformation Partner.

The programme is supported by the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises. The series now heads to Vadodara on February 20 for another round of conversations, discussions, and learning in the ET SME Make in India pan-India series.