Toward a “Golden Decade”
Strengthening Business Capabilities in India

Due to explosive economic growth, India has been attracting attention from around the world. Shimadzu Corporation is engaged in strengthening sales and manufacturing capabilities in India. This article describes Shimadzu’s business activities in India.

Entering a Golden Decade in India

India is a large country with about eight times the land area of Japan and a population of over 1.4 billion people. It boasts one of the largest markets in the world, with the real GDP growth rate remaining between 6 and 7 % in recent years. Due to the increasing population, growth is expected to continue in middle-income earners and investments in technology. Therefore, major economic growth is anticipated.*

Of the many major industries in the world, it is the pharmaceutical industry that most projects a sense of presence. Originally, many pharmaceutical companies started to deliver inexpensive medicines to poor segments of society. Today, India has established itself as an important location for manufacturing generic drugs. There are more pharmaceutical manufacturing plants with FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration) approval than in any other country, including in the United States. A large number of analytical instruments are used in pharmaceutical manufacturing processes in order to satisfy strict inspection and quality control requirements. Due to increasing populations and living standards, there has been a rapid increase in needs, such as quality inspections of foods and agricultural products or environmental measurements of air or water quality. Furthermore, in urban environments, there are increasing demands for advanced medical equipment, mainly by private sector healthcare institutions.

*Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan “Japan-India Relations (Basic Data)”  (as of June 13, 2025)

Three Challenges for Strengthening Business Capabilities

Shimadzu has been conducting sales activities via distributors in India for over 50 years. For over 20 years, since the 2000s when a Shimadzu Group sales subsidiary was established, Shimadzu has been building relationships with customers in India. Today, Shimadzu is implementing three measures for strengthening sales and manufacturing capabilities in India.

1. New Office Opened in Mumbai
In April this year, Shimadzu opened a new office in Mumbai, the largest commercial city in India. Located near the Mumbai International Airport, the office offers good accessibility to areas within and outside India. It includes a hall that can seat over 100 people, which is more than doubles the capacity of the previous facility. Offering state-of-the-art mass spectrometers and other analytical instruments, it also includes a training room for teaching customers how to operate Shimadzu instruments and a laboratory with a space for product demonstrations.

Shimadzu India Private Limited’s new office

2. Establishing “SIP” as a New Company
Shimadzu established a sales subsidiary for medical systems in 2001 and a sales subsidiary for analytical and measuring instruments in 2005 that have been conducting sales and providing services. These two sales subsidiaries will now be integrated as Shimadzu India Private Limited (SIP). Combining the two organizations into one will strengthen mainly governance capabilities and expand the med-tech (medical technology) business operations.

3. New Plant Built in Bengaluru
Shimadzu Manufacturing India Private Limited (SMI) was established as a new manufacturing location, and a new plant is being built in Bengaluru of Southwestern India. It is scheduled to be operational by the spring of 2027. Bengaluru, a city with a population of 12 million known for its high-tech industry and concentration of startup companies, is referred to as the Silicon Valley of India. Also, home to many IT engineers, the city is expected to provide a good local source of human resources. The plan is to manufacture liquid chromatograph and mass spectrometer products at the new plant. For the time being, it will supply products for the domestic market in India, but future exports to Asia, Africa, and the Middle East are also being planned.

Illustration of completed SMI building

Building the Future Together with Local Partners

A variety of events are being held in India to celebrate the opening of the new office and Shimadzu’s 150th anniversary. On June 17, local partners and others involved were invited to a tour of the new office and a gala celebration party. With the Consul General of Japan in Mumbai and about 180 or more attending, the event was filled with excitement.

The tour of SIP’s new office was led by personnel in charge of the laboratory area on the fourth floor, and the office area on the fifth floor, which was followed by an exchange of views about several topics. The gala celebration party included a live instrumental performance and a traditional Indian dance performance to show Shimadzu’s appreciation for customers, employees, and partners. SIP Managing Director Manabu Sakamoto, said, “I would like to express my sincere appreciation to all the people of India who have supported us through this process. Offering our solutions will contribute to the further advancement of society in India.” In addition, the Shimadzu Corporation’s 150th Anniversary Animation was presented, which filled the hall with enthusiastic applause.

Touring the new office of SIP

Gala party attendees were entertained with traditional Indian dance