India, July 22 -- For years, India's manufacturing story has centred around achieving scale and a perennial push to set up more factories to enable higher production and larger export volumes.

While the manufacturing push continues to grow as strongly as ever, a quieter shift within the industry is underway. Now, startups are increasingly focused on building tech that powers manufacturing itself.

With the Industry 4.0 revolution underway, India's manufacturing startups are endeavouring to drive innovation in industrial robotics, advanced materials, semiconductor design, energy-efficient cooling systems, and next-generation manufacturing processes.

The trend has become more visible in recent weeks, with an increasing number of investors...