India, Sept. 19 -- A gap in India's electronics factories sparked an unlikely second innings for Pune-based retired professionals Shrikrushna Kakde and Govardhan Gondchawar, who founded SlightGen Solutions LLP in 2025 in Pune to build a homegrown robotic soldering system.

A recurring problem faced by electronics manufacturers set the two professionals, Shrikrushna, an engineer, and Govardhan, a graduate, thinking. Most high-quality robotic soldering systems available in India were imported from Japan, China or Korea.

"While premium machines were prohibitively expensive for many micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), cheaper alternatives often fell short on reliability, flexibility and after-sales support," Shrikrushna says.

This ...