India, 31st July 2025: When Harsh Patel and Shakti Patel launched Aresa Industries from a modest unit in Ahmedabad, their goal wasn’t to disrupt Indian manufacturing, they simply wanted to build a sustainable business doing what fascinated them the most: automation.

One came from a mechanical engineering background, the other had worked in banking. But both were drawn to the power of next-generation technologies— automated entrance solutions, access control system, and sensor-based solutions that could help Indian factories, commercial buildings, and private properties work smarter. Over time, that curiosity evolved into a full-time business. Today, Aresa Industries generates an annual turnover of USD 250,000, serving a growing base of manufacturing clients across India.

Their model is lean and agile. Aresa Industries imports high-tech components from China, customizes them to meet local requirements, and provides custom automation solutions for Indian SMEs. From entrance solutions to building automation integration, the demand for their solution is rising.

However, the backend posed its own set of challenges. “We deal with high frequency of small-batch imports, which used to be highly time- consuming – managing documentation, payments, coordination,” says Shakti. To streamline these processes, the company now relies on digital tools such as the FedEx Import Tool (FiT) that helps them process import shipments faster and scale without adding overhead. “With FiT, what took us 20 minutes earlier now takes 2,” he says.

The founders are part of a growing wave of tech-driven MSMEs emerging across India, businesses that are blending engineering, software, and smart logistics to serve niche but fast-growing industrial segments. According to McKinsey’s Global Industrial Robotics Survey (2022), industrial companies are now allocating about 25% of their capital spending to automation, underscoring the shift toward tech-driven operations across markets, including SMEs.

The logistics ecosystem is evolving too. “It’s not just about moving packages anymore,” Shakti reflects. “Our logistics providers now understand our business, offer insights, and help us plan for the long term.”

For entrepreneurs like Harsh and Shakti, this blend of tech, trade, and trust is what makes the journey exciting. “We didn’t start just to earn, we wanted to learn. Automation is the future, we’re building our small piece of it every day, and with the right logistics advisor, we’re doing that faster.”