As India enters an era defined by unprecedented infrastructure expansion, MKK Metal Sections is positioning itself at the forefront of this transformation. In an exclusive interview with Tube & Pipe India, Directors Mr. Nishant Garg and Mrs. Srishti Garg, MKK Metal Sections Pvt. Ltd., share how MKK is redefining competitiveness through quality, data-driven intelligence, and innovation. From AI-enabled production to sustainability-led efficiency gains, and from policy-driven demand growth to deeper customer co-development, MKK embodies the evolution of the modern Indian manufacturer. They outline their vision for a smarter, stronger, and more future-ready tube and pipe ecosystem.
Tube & Pipe India: Define the current decade for the Indian tube & pipe industry.
Nishant Garg: “The Infrastructure Surge Decade,” rightly defines the current decade of the Indian tube and pipe industry. Demand is being fuelled no longer only as a commodity but also by massive investments in water systems, energy pipelines, metros and urban utility infrastructure projects. This is pushing the industry from commodity supply to mission-critical engineering. The direction the country is moving in, the next decade is going to be for precise, high-grade and high-strength tubes and pipes.
TPI: Where is India’s manufacturing edge emerging — cost, quality or innovation? And how are you positioned?
Srishti Garg: India’s edge isn’t either–or anymore, it’s the combination of quality + cost + pragmatic innovation.
At MKK, we are positioning to lead by- making quality our brand promise, not just compliance. Using innovation to improve performance and delivery, not just headlines. Achieving cost advantage through capability, not cost-cutting. We compete on quality, deliver on cost, and differentiate through innovation.
TPI: Beyond automation, how are you using data, AI or digital twins?
NG: Automation gave us speed, but data and AI are giving us intelligence. Today at MKK, we are using AI to predict downtime and optimise production. Digital twins to simulate product performance before manufacturing. A unified data backbone is helping us with real-time quality and faster decision-making. We are not just running machines; we are running insights.
“Automation gave us speed, but data and AI are giving us intelligence. Today at MKK, we are using AI to predict downtime and optimise production. Digital twins to simulate product performance before manufacturing.”
TPI: Sustainability is now a boardroom conversation. How are you balancing decarbonisation targets with profitability and competitiveness?
SG: As an Indian tube and pipe manufacturer, we see sustainability and profitability as complementary, not competing. Our approach focuses on energy efficiency, process optimisation, and responsible sourcing, which directly reduce costs while lowering emissions. Investments in renewable power, waste-heat recovery, and high-yield production technologies have improved both our carbon footprint and operational margins. At the same time, offering lighter, higher-strength, and longer-life products helps our customers meet their own sustainability goals, strengthening our competitiveness.
TPI: Government schemes like PLI and Gati Shakti are shaping supply chains. What tangible impact are you witnessing on the ground?
NG: The impact is very real. Demand visibility is clearer, project execution is faster, and logistics friction is reducing.
Gati Shakti has shortened lead times through better connectivity and multimodal infrastructure, while sector-specific PLI programmes are driving fresh capacity creation, which is directly boosting demand for tubes and pipes across utilities, construction and energy.
Policy is no longer just paperwork; it’s finally showing up as orders, timelines and smoother movement on the ground.
“Joint R&D delivers the highest value for us. When we co-engineer products with customers, we solve real application challenges-whether it’s durability, weight reduction, corrosion resistance or faster installation.”
TPI: Among technology partnerships, joint R&D, and co-branding with downstream users, which collaboration do you find most valuable, and why?
SG: Joint R&D delivers the highest value for us. When we co-engineer products with customers, we solve real application challenges-whether its durability, weight reduction, corrosion resistance or faster installation. That creates performance differentiation, not just marketing differentiation.
Co-development turns MKK from a supplier into a solutions partner, and that’s where we believe the most strategic relationships are built.
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TPI: If we revisit this conversation at the next edition of TPF, what milestone or transformation would you want to showcase?
NG: One year from now, we would like to showcase that we’ve moved from capacity expansion to capability expansion, which means we are not just producing more, but producing smarter, faster and more sustainably.
Our target is clear: a higher share of value-added products, shorter development cycles through digital twins, and measurable reductions in energy intensity per tonne.
The milestone we are aiming for is not bigger output but better output, delivered with lower carbon and higher innovation per kilogram of steel.
TPI: What’s the one belief or leadership principle guiding you through this phase of rapid industrial evolution?
SG: We believe in leading with clarity, even in situations of uncertainty. The pace of change in manufacturing is too fast for perfect information – but it’s not too fast for decisive direction. Our job is to give the organisation clarity of purpose and priorities, even when the path evolves. If we stay focused on quality, innovation and people, the outcomes take care of themselves. In a world of uncertainty, clarity is the real competitive advantage.
“One year from now, we would like to showcase that we’ve moved from capacity expansion to capability expansion, which means we are not just producing more, but producing smarter, faster and more sustainably.”
