CEng. Shreekant Patil addresses regional MSMEs on AI adoption, Industry 5.0, ZED certification and export readiness at HP WeRise Fourm, Nashik
NASHIK, MAHARASHTRA — August 13, 2026 — CEng. Shreekant Patil, Startup India Mentor, Consultant and Advisor, was the lead speaker at the HP WeRise Forum held at Fourpoints by Sheraton, Nashik, on August 13, 2026, from 7 PM to 9 PM. The session, themed "AI-Powered Growth: From AI Adoption to Enterprise Transformation — Nashik Edition," brought together MSME owners, entrepreneurs and industry leaders to discuss how artificial intelligence and Industry 4.0/5.0 practices can accelerate the growth of Nashik's manufacturing and export ecosystem.
CEng. Shreekant Patil was introduced by Mr. Anil Chopra, Senior Vice President at Cybermedia Research (CMR). At the close of the forum, he was felicitated by Mr. Raghavendra Jeevannavar, Head of Channel Business and Mid-Market (India and SAARC).
CEng. Shreekant Patil opened by explaining why Nashik is well positioned to become a genuine AI-adoption model region rather than remaining in the shadow of IT hubs such as Pune and Bengaluru. He pointed to the district's industrial base — auto components, engineering, wine, agro-processing, and defence and aerospace ancillary units — anchored by legacy strengths from HAL, Mahindra, ABB, Siemens and Bosch supply chains. He noted that while this legacy is strong, many Nashik MSMEs still rely on manual processes and disconnected shop floors, leaving a clear opportunity for digital upgrade.
He explained that domestic and export buyers increasingly demand data-backed quality and delivery assurance, and that competitors adopting AI-driven efficiency will out-price and out-deliver those who do not. He walked through practical use cases including smart inventory and demand prediction, predictive maintenance, visual inspection, customer intelligence, invoice automation and recruitment automation, telling attendees: "MSMEs don't need to build AI — they need to adopt it."
Tracing the shift from Industry 4.0 to Industry 5.0, Patil described the latter as AI working alongside human expertise — emphasising resilience, sustainability and worker-centric automation rather than pure labour replacement. He reassured the audience that AI adoption does not require a "big bang" approach; it can be incremental, ROI-driven and scalable even for units with 20 to 50 employees.
CEng. Shreekant Patil positioned Zero Defect Zero Effect (ZED) certification as a practical bridge for MSMEs beginning their digital transformation journey, noting that pursuing ZED Bronze, Silver or Gold naturally pushes units toward automation, energy efficiency and defect tracking. ZED-certified units, he said, gain preference in government tenders, better access to credit and stronger buyer trust.
Highlighting Nashik's potential as a District Export Hub, CEng. Shreekant Patil referenced the government-backed District as Export Hub (DAEH) initiative, which promotes export-ready products in categories such as grapes and wine, onions and agro-products, auto components, and engineering goods. He noted that international buyers now expect certification, traceability and consistent quality — outcomes that schemes like BIS, ZED and technology upgradation subsidies help MSMEs achieve, and stressed that local units do not need to fund this transformation alone, since the support architecture already exists.
On security, CEng. Shreekant Patil outlined four priorities for IT leaders: securing endpoints with AI-driven threat detection, protecting data and privacy in line with the Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act, embedding responsible AI governance, and enabling workforce productivity through secure AI assistants. He stressed that organisations succeed at scaling AI only when security, governance and trust are built into every initiative from the outset.
In a session aligned with the vision of Viksit Bharat and Atmanirbhar Bharat, Patil mapped out government support available at every stage of an enterprise's journey — from new unit establishment (PMEGP/CMEGP/Startup schemes) and workforce skilling (NAPS/NATS/PMKVY/Skill India), to technology upgradation (CLCSS/RAMP/MSE-CDP/MSME GIFT/LEAN), certification (ZED/TRACE), manufacturing and export incentives (PLI/RoDTEP/IES/EPCG), and support for first-time exporters (Niryat Disha/Niryat Protsahan).
About CEng. Shreekant Patil
CEng. Shreekant Patil is a Startup India Mentor, consultant and advisor who works closely with Nashik's MSMEs and SMEs to help them adapt to AI, Industry 4.0/5.0 and other emerging technologies. He actively encourages regional manufacturers to tap into available government subsidies and technology-upgradation schemes to modernise their operations. Through his mentorship, he urges companies to build export readiness for international markets, positioning them as contributors to India's Viksit Bharat and Atmanirbhar Bharat vision.
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