Hyderabad: Mishra Dhatu Nigam Limited (MIDHANI), a leading Defence Public Sector Undertaking under the Ministry of Defence, Government of India, successfully organized its annual Customer Meet 2025 in Hyderabad. Themed “Indigenization of Strategic Materials: Design, Material, Product, Quality – Building Resilience Together,” the event brought together key stakeholders from the defence, aerospace, and strategic materials sectors.
The day-long conclave served as a collaborative platform to advance self-reliance in critical materials through innovation, customer engagement, and industry-academia partnerships.
Leaders Unite to Champion Indigenous Capability
The event was inaugurated in the presence of U Raja Babu, Distinguished Scientist and Director General (Missiles & Strategic Systems), DRDO, who attended as Chief Guest. Esteemed guests of honour included Cmde A Madhava Rao, CMD, BDL; Anurag Kumar, CMD, ECIL; and Dr JR Joshi, CEO, BrahMos Aerospace.
In his keynote address, Dr Sanjay Kumar Jha, CMD of MIDHANI, highlighted the company’s core contributions to India’s strategic strength. He underlined MIDHANI’s achievements in advanced metallurgy, its critical support to India’s defence and space programmes, and a strong push toward import substitution.
Key Highlights: Technical Catalogue & Knowledge Exchange
One of the event’s key milestones was the release of MIDHANI’s latest Technical Catalogue, which showcases the company’s evolving material science capabilities, product offerings, and its roadmap for future strategic material development.
The conclave also featured a technical session, with presentations from scientists and experts from MIDHANI, HAL, VSSC, and BARC, focusing on indigenous technological breakthroughs and collaborative case studies aimed at building a robust strategic material ecosystem.
Panel Discussion on Aatmanirbhar Materials Ecosystem
A high-level panel discussion titled “Atmanirbhar in Strategic Materials” brought together eminent industry and academic voices. Moderated by Prof. B.S. Murthy, Director of IIT Hyderabad, the panel featured:
- Dr K Balasubramanian, Director, NFTDC
- Dr JR Joshi, CEO, BrahMos Aerospace
- PV Raja Ram, Director (Production), BDL
- Dr Govind, Deputy Director, VSSC
- VN Anil Kumar, GM, HAL (F&F)
- Dr K Gopinath, Associate Director, DMRL
The panel delved into strategies for reducing import dependence, establishing resilient indigenous supply chains, and fostering long-term innovation in materials engineering.
Concluding With a Commitment to Self-Reliance
The event began with a ceremonial lamp lighting and welcome address by T Muthukumar, Director (Production & Marketing), MIDHANI. The meet concluded on a high note, reaffirming the PSU’s role in realizing the national vision of Aatmanirbhar Bharat through excellence in strategic materials and defence-grade metallurgy.
