Ratan Tata, Chairman, Tata Sons, is no more. Admitted to the Breach Candy hospital in Mumbai, the 86-year-old Tata Group patriarch passed away in the late hours of 9 October 2024 due to age-related ailments.

Spearheading the entry of Tata Motors into passenger vehicle manufacture rather than be a commercial vehicles manufacturer only, Tata took over the mantle of Tata Sons as the umbrella organisation of Tata Group of companies in 1991 from JRD Tata.

Chairman emeritus of the USD 130-billion salt-to-software group, Tata was always passionate about automobiles and aeroplanes as much as he was caring about animals. A skilled aviator who would fly a plane himself, Tata was also a philanthropist. 

Highlighting an ability to risk by acquiring business such as Corus Steel of UK, Jaguar Land Rover of UK (from Ford Motor Company) and develop products such as the Nano for the common people, Tata messaged on ‘X’ that the recent rumours circulating regarding his health should not be considered as he was undergoing check-ups for age-related medical conditions and was in good spirits

He was admitted to the hospital on 7 October 2024 with age-related medical conditions. He has left behind him robust organisations in the form of Tata Motors and others, which have set an example of how success is achieved and how benchmarks are set. 

Tata Motors began its journey in the late 80s in the passenger vehicle space with the Tata Estate, Sierra and later the Indica against the competition  that was superior in their abilities to make cars.  Tata drove Tata Motors from what looked like a failure to the success that it today enjoys in the passenger vehicle domain by building capabilities starting with the passnger vehicle factory within the company's Pune premises. 

While projects like the Nano peoples’ car were very close to his heart and an outcome of the ambition to provide the ‘middle-class’ families a safe mode of personal transport, Tata was quite passionate about cars himself.

While he was often seen driving a Honda City in Mumbai near ‘Bombay House’ (the Tata Group headquarters) and the NCPA where he launched the Indigo Marina estate based on the Indica platform, Tata loved loved fast cars and flying his own plane.

Born on 28 December 1937 to Naval Tata and Soonoo Commisariat, Tata was raised by his grandmother Navajbai Tata along with his younger brother Jimmy. He completed his degree in architecture in 1962 from Cornell University, New York. He did an advanced management programme at the Harvard Business School in 1975.

On the advice of JRD Tata, Tata turned down a job offer from IBM to join the family business and began his stint as an apprentice on the shop floor of Tata Steel, shovelling limestone and handling the blast furnace.

Taking charge of the National Radio & Electronics Company (Nelco) in the late 70s along with the Mumbai-based Empress Mills, Tata was the fourth generation in the dynasty.

Successfully steering the Tata Group out of the rough winds that it got into when some of the business such as Tata Telecom went down, Tata stepped down on 28 December 2012 on turning 75. He passed the reigns over to Cyrus Mistry as his successor.

As relations between Mistry and Tata soured, Tata moved ahead to take over the leadership of the Tata Group on 24 October 2014. He put N Chandrasekaran, who was then heading TCS, in the commanding position as the Tata Group chairman in January 2017.

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Honeywell has announced that its AI-powered Battery Manufacturing Excellence Platform (Battery MXP) is being integrated into the Alabama Mobility and Power (AMP) Center’s research lab at the University of Alabama. The platform is designed to automate battery production, improve cell yields and accelerate the startup of manufacturing facilities.

The AMP Center serves as a research hub for mobility and power technologies, including electric vehicle charging infrastructure and energy storage systems. The Honeywell platform will be used as the automation standard to train engineers and battery professionals in scaling production for industrial requirements.

Honeywell is also collaborating with FOM Technologies at the AMP Center to focus on the electrode production process. This phase of manufacturing is identified as a significant challenge in battery assembly; the partnership aims to use Battery MXP to automate this stage and improve the safety of cells for original equipment manufacturers (OEMs).

Key objectives of the integration include – workforce development, operational excellence and industry access.

The lab is scheduled to open in the second quarter of 2026. The deployment is intended to support the automotive industry while addressing energy requirements for data centres, grid stability, and regional electrification goals.

Mike Oatridge, Executive Director of the Alabama Mobility and Power Center, said, “The AMP Center was created to connect industry, academia, and state initiatives around the future of mobility and power. The deployment of Battery MXP supports Alabama’s automotive industry while advancing solutions for data center growth, grid stability, and the state’s long-term electrification and economic development goals.”

Russ Ford, President, Honeywell Process Automation Solutions, stated, “The rapid evolution of battery technology calls for a skilled workforce and advanced production capabilities at large scale, including comprehensive automation platforms powered by AI. AMP’s use of Battery MXP is poised to be a catalyst to empower the next generation of engineers in this important industry as it continues to grow.”

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JSW Motors, the new energy vehicle (NEV) arm of the JSW Group, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Tata Indian Institute of Skills (Tata IIS). The partnership establishes a technical talent pipeline for JSW Motors’ greenfield manufacturing plant currently under construction in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Maharashtra.

The collaboration focuses on a co-developed curriculum covering EV systems, automation, welding, CNC operations, battery systems and manufacturing. JSW Motors maintains rights over curriculum validation and hiring to align with plant ramp-up schedules.

Tata IIS was selected based on its training infrastructure and experience in OEM engagement. The programme utilises application-based training designed for the requirements of electric vehicle production.

The initiative is part of a broader roadmap to create an EV-ready ecosystem including suppliers, vendors and dealer networks. JSW Motors eventually intends to establish an in-house training academy focused on mobility technologies and manufacturing.

Rupam Singh, Chief Human Resources Officer, JSW Motors, said, “At JSW Motors, skilling is not an HR function, it is a business imperative. As we build our manufacturing operations, we need people who are ready from Day One. The Tata IIS partnership gives us structured capability, relevant curriculum, and the execution rigour aligned to our timelines. This is a deliberate bridge as we work towards building our own world-class training academy.”

Venguswamy Ramaswamy, CEO Designate, Tata Indian Institute of Skills, said, “At Tata IIS, our mission is to solve the nation’s skill challenges by creating a next generation workforce that is not just job-ready, but future-ready. This partnership with JSW Motors is a significant step toward that goal. By designing bespoke programs in Advanced Manufacturing, we are equipping India's youth with the high-precision skills required to drive the next generation of automotive excellence and ensuring a robust, consistent talent pipeline for our industry partners.”

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IR Power, a Scottish energy technology firm owned by MWNW Group, has introduced a standardised system designed to capture and reuse electricity wasted during industrial machine deceleration. The solution utilises a rental model where manufacturers pay through verified energy savings rather than upfront capital expenditure.

Industrial machines, such as automotive presses, conveyor systems and mixers, generate electricity when slowing down. In standard operations, this energy is typically dissipated as heat. IR Power’s technology claims that it captures this power and feeds it back into the factory grid for immediate reuse.

The system operates similarly to regenerative braking in electric vehicles. On machine clusters with frequent cycles, such as automotive press lines, the technology recaptures 10-20 percent of total electricity consumption. At current UK energy prices, this represents annual savings of GBP 50,000-100,000 per cluster.

Key features of the IR Power system include:

• Standardised Design: Three product sizes replace custom engineering, reducing technical complexity.
• Plug-and-Play Installation: Systems connect to existing equipment within hours without requiring modifications to the machines or production downtime.
• Equipment Agnostic: The technology integrates with hardware from any manufacturer, allowing for site-wide energy recovery networks.
• Fail-Safe Operation: Excess energy is routed to existing waste resistors if system capacity is exceeded, preventing manual restarts or shutdowns.

The launch comes as industrial electricity prices have risen to GBP 100-150/MWh. IR Power has adopted a zero-risk rental model to address adoption barriers. Under this framework, monthly fees are based on measured savings; if the system does not perform, the customer is not charged.

The company is initiating commercial deployments in Q1 2026, with a focus on tier-one automotive and construction materials manufacturing.

Richard Bradshaw, Founder and Managing Director, IR Power, said, "For years, energy recovery systems existed but didn't deploy at scale because they cost too much and put all the risk on customers. We've inverted that model completely. Our customers pay zero upfront – no capital expenditure, just operating expense. Installation takes hours with no production downtime. And here's the key: if our system doesn't save them money, we don't get paid; we take all the performance risk. The equipment lasts 15-20 years, so customers get over a decade of pure savings. The technology works – it always has. Our job was removing every barrier that prevented adoption: the cost, the complexity, the risk, and the disruption."

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Zelio E-Mobility, a manufacturer of electric two-wheelers and three-wheelers, has announced the opening of a new manufacturing facility in Cuttack, Odisha. The plant is intended to support demand in Odisha and West Bengal while positioning the company for growth in southern India.

The commissioning of the Odisha facility, combined with optimisations at the existing Hisar plant in Haryana, has increased the company's total annual production capacity from 72,000 units to 180,000 units.

The Cuttack plant adds a capacity of 60,000 units per annum. Simultaneously, the Hisar facility has seen its capacity enhanced from 72,000 to 120,000 units through the installation of machinery and extended conveyor systems.

By locating production closer to the eastern markets, the company aims to reduce delivery timelines and logistics costs. Currently, shipping products from Haryana to the eastern region takes approximately one week.

The facility required an investment of under INR 30 million and is now operational. It is expected to create between 60 and 100 jobs for local individuals in production and operations. The company is currently in discussions with the Odisha government regarding incentives and support programmes.

Zelio E-Mobility clocked INR 1.34 billion in revenue in H1 FY2026, with net profit of INR 118.7 million. Recently, the EV company raised funds through SME IPO and has INR 360 million of unutilised funds, which it has earmarked for the current expansion.  It aims to have over 337 dealerships across more than 20 states.

Kunal Arya, Managing Director, Zelio E-Mobility, said, “Eastern India has emerged as one of our strongest growth regions, with customers showing exceptional trust in our products. Setting up the Cuttack facility brings us closer to our riders and dealers, enabling faster deliveries, lower logistics costs and improved serviceability. Notably, this expansion marks an important step in strengthening India’s EV ecosystem and creating long-term value for our customers and partners.”

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