Data, AI & Automation Consulting : India
For manufacturing and FMCG organisations in Pune, Chennai, Ahmedabad, and the NCR belt that have Power BI installed but no reliable data foundation underneath it.
We build the Microsoft Fabric and SAP integration layer that makes your analytics investment actually work - then layer operational AI and automation on top.
Why India Operations Leaders Come to MDI
Four data problems that stall Indian manufacturing organisations
The Power BI ceiling
Dashboards built on top of Excel exports and SharePoint files look fine in a demo. In production, they break under load, go stale within hours, and require a data analyst to rebuild them every month-end. Indian IT teams have invested in Power BI licences but not in the data foundation that makes Power BI actually reliable.
SAP sitting in a silo
Mid-market manufacturers on SAP ByDesign - and large conglomerates mid-rollout on S/4HANA - face the same problem: the ERP holds the operational record but nothing downstream can query it cleanly. Exports are manual, refresh cycles are slow, and any cross-functional report requires an analyst to stitch three files together.
Data team capacity consumed by reporting
In most Indian manufacturing organisations we speak to, the analytics or IT team spends 60–70% of its capacity producing recurring reports rather than building anything new. The backlog of "real" analytics work - forecasting, root cause analysis, cost visibility - never gets done because the monthly reporting cycle is unrelenting.
India-GCC supply chain visibility gaps
Many Indian manufacturers - particularly in food, packaging, and pharma - supply into GCC markets. The supply chain spans two regulatory environments, two sets of ERP systems, and often two separate reporting processes. Getting end-to-end visibility from production in Pune or Ahmedabad to distribution in Dubai is a genuine data engineering challenge that most teams handle with WhatsApp and spreadsheets.
The MDI Operating Model
Unify → Predict → Act
Every engagement follows the same sequence. You cannot predict reliably on fragmented data, and you cannot automate on unreliable predictions. The order matters.
Unify
Connect your ERP, WMS, and sales systems into a single governed data layer. SAP ByDesign and S/4HANA integrations. One source of truth. Clean master data.
Predict
Build the analytics and forecasting layer. Demand forecasting. Inventory optimisation. Production efficiency. Operational KPIs that reflect your business, not a generic template.
Act
Automate the repetitive operational decisions. Replenishment signals. Quality alerts. Month-end reporting. Power Automate and Power Apps built on top of governed data.
What MDI Delivers
Specific. Scoped. Measurable.
Microsoft Fabric data platform
Design and build a governed lakehouse on Microsoft Fabric - connecting SAP ByDesign, SAP S/4HANA, Dynamics, or custom ERP systems into a single analytical layer. OneLake as the foundation. Delta Lake for versioned, queryable storage. Direct Lake for Power BI without the import overhead.
SAP integration without disruption
Extracting data from SAP ByDesign and S/4HANA into a modern analytics layer without touching the production ERP. REST API extraction where available, OData feeds where supported, structured file export pipelines where necessary. Data lands clean, typed, and governed - not in a CSV folder someone has to process manually.
Power BI on a real foundation
Rebuild your Power BI layer on top of a proper semantic model rather than direct-to-Excel connections. This means consistent measures, governed KPIs, role-level security for plant managers vs. group finance, and refresh schedules that actually work without someone babysitting the gateway.
Manufacturing and supply chain analytics
Production efficiency, inventory turns, procurement spend analytics, and demand forecasting built for the operational realities of Indian manufacturing - multi-plant, multi-SKU, and often multi-entity. Not generic dashboards. Analytics built around how your operations actually work.
Industries
Industrial sectors we work with across India
Our focus is industrial operations - not retail, not fintech, not generic enterprise IT. Every engagement is with an organisation that makes, moves, or distributes physical goods.
- ›Discrete manufacturing (auto components, industrial equipment)
- ›FMCG and food processing
- ›Packaging and converting
- ›Pharmaceuticals and life sciences
- ›Chemicals and specialty materials
- ›Supply chain and 3PL
Technology Stack
Client Reference
MDI has delivered data platform and analytics work for global life sciences organisations including Novartis and Johnson & Johnson supply chain programmes - building the data foundation for operational and regulatory reporting across multi-country manufacturing networks.
Ready to fix your data foundation?
Book a 30-minute call. No slides. No pitch deck. Tell us what you are working with - your systems, your team, your reporting gaps - and we will tell you plainly what is achievable and what the right starting point is.