Presumably, the Industrial Revolution 4.0 has changed the manufacturing industry manifolds, however presently digital transformation is the major aggregator fundamentally overhauling the industries, worldwide. Technology has pragmatically blurred the age-old technologies, through a mix of emerging technologies’ (IoT, Cloud, and Edge Computing, 5G networks, AI, Big Data, and more), automated production set-up & tools, and thereby boosting production, improving quality, and reducing manufacturing downtime.

Even with the turbulence brought down by the COVID pandemic, and companies getting affected by significant labor and supply chain challenges,including the residual economic impacts, the manufacturing industry is doing pretty well, building back fast, on its shortcomings and sustainability factors. Be it manufacturing agrochemicals, food & packaging, machineries, biochemicals, pharmaceuticals, or more, the manufacturing industry in India has made significant developments in the space, back by the productive government initiatives and increasing investment in data-driven business tools by the manufacturing industry leaders. In terms of pharma manufacturing for FY2022, the industry has grown by 13-15 percent domestically, while in the emerging markets, the industry has registered a growth of 14- 16 percent. India's industrial production (IIP) grew the highest in a year at 19.6 percent in May 2022, mainly due to strong performance by manufacturing, power and mining sectors, according to the government data released previous month.

However, when talking about the gender inclusivity in the workforce amidst the manufacturing industry in India, it has long been dominated by men, and a trait of it belongs to many other counterparts of the world too. According to GE and Avtar studies, women barely constitute 12 percent in India's manufacturing sector, which employs 27.3 million people. Therefore, attracting, retaining and advancing women talent in manufacturing is the immediate need for business success. However, things are changing gradually and women are showing growth foraying largely in the manufacturing sector too. There are many emerging leaders in manufacturing who name at least one out four seats for themselves in the leadership roles.

In this issue of Women Entrepreneur magazine, a listing of "Top 10 Women Leaders in Manufacturing - 2022" is provided to readers to acknowledge the development and excellence of women in manufacturing. The listing is compiled after deliberation by a group of tech enthusiasts, researchers, CXOs, industry experts and the WOMEN entrepreneur magazine editorial board. The objective of this list is to inform our readers about the great strides made by manufacturing firms in terms of diversifying their employee base and welcoming more women through the ranks.