Selling machine tools in India: a guide for Japanese, Korean and Taiwanese manufacturers
India is one of the largest machine tool markets in the world, and East Asian builders are already some of its biggest suppliers. This guide covers how big the market is, how Japanese, Korean and Taiwanese companies show up in it, and what to sort out before you commit.
The market in numbers
IMTMA's 2023-24 annual report, citing Gardner Intelligence's World Machine Tool Survey 2023, ranks India 9th in the world in machine tool production and 6th in consumption. For 2023-24 IMTMA estimated Indian production at about 13,571 crore rupees (around US$1.6 billion), and trade press reporting IMTMA's AGM put consumption at about US$3.3 billion, up around 11% year on year. That gap between what India consumes and what it makes is why imported machines have a place in the market. Japan's machine tool builders' association (JMTBA) reports India-bound orders of 51.1 billion yen in 2023, nearly triple the level of a decade earlier and about 5% of its members' overseas orders; from January to October 2024 orders to India rose 32% year on year to 53.6 billion yen, making India Japan's fourth-largest machine tool destination after the US, China and Germany. Taiwan's machinery industry association (TAMI) reports Taiwan's general machinery exports to India at US$686 million in 2024, up 14.6%.
How East Asian manufacturers already show up
Japan is no longer only exporting to India; it is manufacturing there. Tsugami opened a 300 crore rupee assembly plant and foundry at Oragadam near Chennai in December 2025, with capacity for 3,000 machines a year and over 90% local content, supplying contract manufacturers for Apple and Samsung. Brother Industries started a machine tool plant at the Japan Industrial Township in Tumakuru near Bengaluru in December 2024, and Shibaura Machine opened an injection moulding machine facility in 2024. Korean builders sell through Indian operations: DN Solutions runs an Indian subsidiary, and Hyundai WIA has a machine tool division office in Chennai. Taiwanese builders including Goodway, YCM, FFG, Tongtai and Hiwin sell through Indian distributors and exhibit at Indian shows. IMTMA lists Japan, Korea and Taiwan country pavilions (alongside China and others) for IMTEX 2027, 21 to 27 January 2027 in Bengaluru. One caution from the Japanese experience: Nikkei reports imports of Chinese machines into India grew 22% in fiscal 2023 against 5% for Japanese machines, so price pressure is real and service and applications support are what differentiate.
What to decide before you commit
Channel: a subsidiary, local assembly, or distributors - Japanese makers show all three can work. Coverage: India is not one territory, so match partners to the regions and industries where your machines fit. Service: Indian buyers compare you against Indian, European and Chinese suppliers, and after-sales response often decides the order. Local support: someone who can answer in the buyer's time zone and follow up after the show.
A practical first-year path
For a first entry, visit IMTEX or a regional show, shortlist partners from face-to-face meetings, run a small first engagement to test two or three accounts, then decide on exhibiting or a larger commitment. For companies already shipping from home plants, the usual next step is service coverage in the southern and western industrial belts before any local assembly decision. Treat the first 12 months as market learning, not a revenue target.
What Grit does
We help Japanese, Korean, Taiwanese and other international manufacturers plan an India entry: buyer and application mapping, distributor and partner search, meeting planning around IMTEX, and local follow-up. Before you sign anyone, read our distributor evaluation checklist, and see the IMTEX 2027 guide and IMTEX visitor guide. Write to ashutosh@grittechnology.in or WhatsApp +91 96501 48909.
Common questions
Do Japan, Korea and Taiwan have pavilions at IMTEX?+
Yes. The organiser lists Japan, Korea and Taiwan country pavilions for IMTEX 2027, 21 to 27 January 2027 in Bengaluru.
Do Japanese companies really manufacture machine tools in India?+
Yes. Tsugami opened a Chennai assembly plant and foundry in December 2025, Brother Industries started a plant near Bengaluru in December 2024, and Shibaura Machine opened a facility in 2024.
Do we need an Indian entity to start?+
No. A first engagement can run through a local partner or consultant before any entity is set up.
Related
Let's find your route into India.
Tell Ashutosh what you make, who you want to reach and where you need local support.
- WhatsApp & phone
- +91 96501 48909
- ashutosh@grittechnology.in
- Location
- Delhi, India