Critical Manufacturing and UST partner to accelerate smart factory adoption in India

By Staff Report August 27, 2026 2:16 pm IST

Critical Manufacturing has partnered with UST to enhance manufacturing operations in Southeast Asia and India through advanced production technologies.

Critical Manufacturing has announced a strategic partnership with UST to support manufacturers across Southeast Asia and India as they adopt advanced production technologies and modernise manufacturing operations.

Under the partnership, UST will serve as a strategic implementation and engineering partner for Critical Manufacturing’s Industrial Operations Platform. The collaboration combines Critical Manufacturing’s manufacturing software with UST’s capabilities in AI, digital engineering, and manufacturing transformation. The partnership comes as investment in high-tech manufacturing accelerates across the region. Manufacturers are increasingly looking to modernise production environments, connect factory systems, improve operational visibility, and adopt intelligent manufacturing capabilities.

The companies will focus particularly on semiconductor and electronics manufacturing environments, helping customers move toward more connected and data-driven production operations. UST brings decades of experience in engineering, digital manufacturing and technology transformation, supported by local delivery teams across Southeast Asia and India. Its regional teams will work with Critical Manufacturing to provide consulting, implementation and engineering services.

UST is expected to support manufacturers throughout their transformation journey. Including Manufacturing Execution System (MES) capabilities and the optimisation and expansion of existing production environments. The partnership is intended to help customers modernise production operations, connect factory systems, improve operational visibility, accelerate MES deployment, optimise manufacturing environments, improve operational performance and increase the value of manufacturing technology investments.

According to Weng Keong Lan, Managing Director of Critical Manufacturing Malaysia, “As high-tech manufacturers continue to modernise and expand their operations, having the right implementation expertise is just as important as having the right technology. UST’s engineering capabilities, industry experience, and regional presence make them a valuable partner as we continue expanding our ecosystem and supporting customers throughout their digital transformation.” 

Amar Chhajer, vice president, SEA, at UST, mentions, “Manufacturers across Southeast Asia and India are investing heavily in modernising their production environments, but technology alone isn’t enough to realise value. By combining Critical Manufacturing’s Industrial Operations Platform with UST’s AI, engineering and manufacturing expertise, we’re helping clients accelerate time-to-value, improve efficiency, and build more connected, intelligent factories.” 

The partnership also supports Critical Manufacturing’s longer-term growth ambitions in India, where continued public and private investment is creating opportunities for advanced manufacturing software and experienced implementation partners. Rather than limiting MES deployment to traditional factory software implementations, the two companies aim to help manufacturers establish connected, data-driven production environments that improve current operational performance while creating a foundation for future AI-driven manufacturing. Critical Manufacturing and UST plan to expand their local capabilities through certification and technical expertise. The companies intend to use these capabilities to help customers accelerate innovation, strengthen operational resilience and achieve greater long-term value from their manufacturing technology investments.