Whilst India’s electric vehicle revolution grabs headlines with flashy launches and soaring sales figures, a quieter transformation is unfolding in factory floors across the country. Metal cold-roll forming—a high-speed manufacturing process that shapes steel coils into precision-engineered profiles—has become the invisible backbone supporting India’s ambitious push toward manufacturing self-reliance. As EV production crossed 1.1 million units in the first half of FY 2025-26, this technology isn’t merely keeping pace; it’s fundamentally enabling the structural integrity, weight reduction, and manufacturing scale that modern electric mobility demands. From lightweight battery enclosures to solar mounting frames and modular construction components, cold-roll forming is silently reshaping how India produces the critical structural elements keeping the nation’s industrial ambitions rolling forward at unprecedented speed.
Why Cold-Roll Forming Is Revolutionising EV Manufacturing
Cold-roll forming enables continuous high-speed shaping of metal coils into long, dimensionally stable profiles with superior mechanical strength, making it exceptionally well-suited for electric vehicle production where precision and consistency aren’t negotiable. The technology delivers structural integrity whilst simultaneously reducing component weight—a critical requirement for EVs where every kilogramme directly impacts battery efficiency and driving range. Battery enclosures, chassis components, and drivetrain parts manufactured through cold-roll forming achieve micron-level repeatability, ensuring safety standards are met consistently across high-volume production runs.
India’s engineering goods exports stood at $59.4 billion during April-September 2025, indicating strong global demand for precision-engineered metal components. This export performance demonstrates that Indian manufacturers aren’t just serving domestic needs—they’re competing globally with quality. The process inherently reduces waste by optimising coil utilisation, minimising welds, and shortening fabrication stages, leading to lower scrap generation and significant energy savings. “Sustainability is inherent in sheet-metal cold-roll forming, with fewer process stages consuming less energy,” notes Dhirendra Sankhla, Director of Bengaluru-based Mother India Forming. Global adoption of sheet-metal cold roll-formed profiles is projected to grow at 7-8% compound annual growth rate through 2030, driven by renewable energy expansion and EV manufacturing.
The economics are compelling. Battery electric vehicle production in India is set to nearly triple to 377,000 units in 2025 from 130,000 in 2024, creating unprecedented demand for precision components that traditional fabrication methods struggle to deliver efficiently. Cold-roll forming meets these high-volume demands whilst maintaining the tight tolerances essential for modern automotive assembly lines, effectively bridging the gap between ambition and execution.
Beyond Vehicles: Infrastructure and Renewable Energy Applications
Whilst electric vehicles dominate the narrative, cold-roll forming’s impact extends far beyond automotive applications into India’s broader industrial and infrastructure landscape. India has about 30 gigawatts of annual lithium-ion cell production capacity forecast by 2030, requiring massive supporting infrastructure for manufacturing facilities, all of which depend on precision metal components.
Construction and industrial equipment manufacturers increasingly rely on roll-formed profiles for building frames, elevator systems, mezzanines, and warehouse structures. These applications benefit enormously from the precision and uniformity cold-roll forming provides, allowing faster assembly with dramatically reduced rework. The modular nature of roll-formed components means standardised parts can be deployed rapidly and scaled as needed, driving cost savings and flexibility across manufacturing chains.
Renewable energy installations represent particularly fertile ground. India added 12.4 gigawatts of solar capacity between April and September 2025, heightening demand for lightweight, corrosion-resistant metal profiles serving as mounting frames and supporting structures. “Sheet-metal cold roll forming is becoming vital for large-scale production in renewable energy, EVs, construction equipment, elevators, and industrial machinery,” affirms Sankhla. India’s structural steel fabrication is expected to rise at 7.8% compound annual growth rate, slightly exceeding global growth at 7.5%, positioning the country as a key player in the global steel forming landscape.
Companies want one partner who guarantees precision, quality, and speed, not ten vendors for one component, explains Santosh Venkatasubbaiah, Director of Sales and Marketing at Mother India Forming. This integrated approach addresses industry concerns about fragmented supply chains, inconsistent tolerances, and unpredictable delivery schedules—pain points that have historically hampered Indian manufacturing competitiveness. The company operates two state-of-the-art plants in Bengaluru equipped with fifteen roll-forming machines, CNC bending systems, robotic laser cutting, robotic welding, and dedicated research and development centres, demonstrating the sophistication now required to compete globally.
Overcoming Challenges: Technology, Skills, and Sustainability
Despite its advantages, fully realising cold-roll forming’s potential in India requires continued investment, innovation, and strategic workforce development. India’s domestic production capacity meets only about twenty per cent of demand for lithium-ion batteries as of 2023, highlighting the broader component supply challenges facing the industry. Meeting tight tolerances consistently requires cutting-edge equipment and a trained workforce capable of operating advanced machinery.
The Union Budget 2025 announced customs duty exemption on 35 capital goods for EV battery manufacturing and support for domestic manufacturing of motors, controllers, and other components. These policy measures directly support manufacturers investing in advanced cold-roll forming machinery and automation systems. However, technology upgradation alone isn’t sufficient—developing specialised skills around cold-roll forming technology remains essential for operational excellence and maintenance, aligning with India’s broader skilling missions.
Sustainability considerations extend beyond the inherent waste reduction cold-roll forming provides. There’s substantial scope to enhance sustainability further by integrating recycled metals and cleaner energy sources in manufacturing operations. “By converting steel volume into precision-formed components, India is no longer just a steel producer—it is a solutions provider for the world,” observes Dhirendra Sankhla, addressing how India can mitigate high tariff impacts in global markets by exporting high-value cold-rolled steel components facing lower duties than raw materials.
The circular economy presents particular opportunities. As cold-roll forming processes inherently generate less scrap than traditional fabrication methods, manufacturers can further optimise material flows by sourcing recycled steel and implementing closed-loop systems. Production-linked incentives for domestic manufacturing of automotive components and batteries jumped over seven hundred per cent, signalling strategic government support for local value addition. This creates a favourable environment for manufacturers willing to invest in both advanced equipment and sustainable practices.
Industry forecasts paint an optimistic picture. “India is entering a phase where precision, reliability, and scale in component manufacturing are no longer differentiators but fundamental expectations,” notes Sankhla. Cold-roll forming allows manufacturers to meet these requirements consistently across renewable energy, mobility, construction equipment, elevator systems, and industrial machinery. The technology’s versatility across sectors provides resilience against market fluctuations in any single industry.
The transformation isn’t merely about adopting new machinery—it represents a fundamental shift in how Indian manufacturing approaches precision, quality, and global competitiveness. “Every tube, every profile we deliver is crafted to perform exactly as intended. India is no longer just a steel supplier—it is shaping the future of steel forming worldwide,” Venkatasubbaiah concludes. This confidence reflects a broader industrial maturation where Indian manufacturers increasingly compete not on cost alone but on precision, reliability, and technological sophistication.
As India’s electric mobility ecosystem expands and modular infrastructure becomes standard across construction and renewable energy sectors, metal cold-roll forming ensures industrial ambitions convert into tangible reality. The technology delivers the precision, sustainability, and scalability that twenty-first-century manufacturing demands. With battery electric vehicle production forecast to reach approximately 1.33 million units by 2030 and renewable capacity additions maintaining momentum, cold-roll forming will remain fundamental to India’s industrial transformation. The revolution might be quiet, but its impact on India’s manufacturing competitiveness and clean energy transition is anything but subtle—it’s the foundation upon which India’s modern industrial future is being precisely engineered, one profile at a time.