FORGE · Factory Operations Readiness for Generative Excellence

A 7-phase AI transformation built for Indian SME manufacturers

FORGE takes raw material, applies heat and pressure, and shapes it into something far stronger than the original. That's what this framework does to a factory's operations over 24 months, SCOUT to SUSTAIN.

Currently in implementation with a small cohort. New intakes are invitation-only.

S 01 SCOUT T 02 STRUCTURE R 03 SPARK G 04 SCALE E 05 SYNC 06 STRENGTHEN 07 SUSTAIN Baseline AI-native Week 1 Month 12 Month 24+

For the busy owner

FORGE in 90 seconds

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What it is

A 24-month programme that moves your factory from a Tally + Excel + WhatsApp stack to AI-native operations. Built for Indian SME manufacturers, not retrofitted from a Silicon Valley playbook.

Why it exists

Microsoft, Gartner, McKinsey and Accenture all have AI readiness frameworks. None account for ₹5 to 50 lakh IT budgets, Tally as the backbone, Hindi on the shop floor, or family-business governance. FORGE starts where you are.

How it works

Seven phases, SCOUT to SUSTAIN. The first phase, a readiness score, is free and takes 5 minutes on WhatsApp. The remaining six phases run over 24 months with a named senior team and Friday demos.

Who it's for

Owners, next-gen leaders and operations heads of North Indian SME manufacturers in Panipat, RAI, Kundli and similar clusters. Typical revenue ₹5 Cr to ₹500 Cr. Textiles, engineering, auto components, food processing.

Typical investment

Across all seven phases: ₹35 lakh to ₹1.2 crore total over 24 months, paid in phase chunks. Up to 40% can be offset via CLCSS, ZED and IndiaAI schemes we navigate for you.

How to start

Take the free FORGE Readiness Score. If there's fit, we invite you to a 30-minute call. A small cohort is onboarded each quarter.

Why a proprietary framework

Every existing framework is built for somebody else's factory

Microsoft, Gartner, McKinsey, Accenture: all have AI readiness frameworks. None of them account for ₹5 to 50 lakh annual IT budgets, Tally as the accounting backbone, WhatsApp as the workplace, Hindi on the shop floor, family-business governance, or DPDP compliance. FORGE starts where you actually are.

7.28 Cr

Indian MSMEs

30% of GDP. 45% of exports. Fewer than 12% digitally mature.

97.3%

don't know about subsidies

CLCSS 15%, ZED up to 80%, IndiaAI compute at ₹65/hour. We navigate it for you.

₹250 Cr

DPDP penalty ceiling

Full enforcement from 2027. 18 months to be ready. FORGE bakes privacy-by-design in from phase 2.

19 yrs

of delivery discipline

The same team that ships for IKEA, ABC News and DaVita designed FORGE. Built to be finished, not started.

The FORGE Score

Five dimensions. One number that tells you where you actually stand.

01

Digital Foundation

ERP, data digitisation, connectivity, WhatsApp and mobile readiness.

02

Data & Process Maturity

Structured data availability, process documentation, quality of records, system integration.

03

People & Culture

Digital literacy, owner commitment, next-gen involvement, workforce comfort, change readiness.

04

Technology & Infrastructure

Cloud, edge computing, IoT density, power and connectivity, legacy retrofit potential.

05

Governance & Compliance

GST hygiene, DPDP preparedness, safety docs, regulatory calendar, ZED status.

Score

0–500 composite

Maps to five maturity levels: Raw, Cast, Shaped, Hardened, Tempered. Benchmarked against your industrial cluster.

Take the score →

FORGE Maturity Levels

Where you are. Where you're going.

Level 1
0–100
Raw
Paper-based. Minimal digital presence. No structured data.
Level 2
101–200
Cast
Basic digital tools (Tally, Excel). Fragmented data. Manual processes.
Level 3
201–300
Shaped
Integrated ERP. Clean data. 2–3 AI tools live. Emerging data culture.
Level 4
301–400
Hardened
Cross-functional AI. Predictive capabilities. Internal AI team. Governance in place.
Level 5
401–500
Tempered
AI-native operations. Autonomous agents. Continuous learning. New AI-enabled business models.

Our commitments to you

Five things that stay true for all 24 months

A two-year engagement deserves protection, not a leap of faith. These are written into every FORGE contract.

01

Phase-by-phase exit, no lock-in

Every phase is a bounded engagement with its own checklist. At the end of each phase, you can continue, pause, or walk away. No clawback, no penalty, no minimum commitment beyond the phase you're in.

02

You own everything from commit #1

Source code, credentials, cloud accounts, trained models, documentation, training materials. All in your name, on your infrastructure. No Aquevix lock-in clauses, no background IP claims.

03

Named senior team, not a rotation

The senior PM and engineers assigned to your engagement stay with you across all seven phases. Any rotation requires your written agreement. You never talk to an account manager who doesn't know the code.

04

Working software every Friday

A working demo every week of every active phase. Not slides, not status emails. Something you can click, use, or walk a supervisor through. If a Friday demo slips, it shows up in the next day's standup with a root cause.

05

Clean handover at every exit point

Whether you exit after Phase 2 or after Phase 7, we hand over: documentation, runbooks, access, a training session for your internal team, and a "how to keep this running without us" playbook. Built to be finished, not to be depended on.

Questions a careful buyer asks

We answer them on the first call.

Payment terms, arbitration clauses, DPDP data processing agreements, employee NDAs, vendor background checks. All transparent, all before you sign anything.

Book a 30-minute call →

Access · By invitation

FORGE is not a public product

A 24-month transformation deserves attention. We take a small cohort each quarter so every factory gets the attention it needs. If FORGE sounds like what you need, tell us about your factory and we'll take it from there.

Your move

Tell us what you're trying to do. We'll tell you if we can help.

First conversation is thirty minutes. No pitch deck. You leave with either a clear next step — or an honest "we're not the right team for this". Both are useful.

  • Response within one business day
  • Mutual NDA available on request
  • We'll say no if we're not a fit

19 years · 10M+ lines of code · 240+ mobile apps · IKEA · ABC News · DaVita · SBM Industries