中文B&R, ABB’s Machine Automation division, has appointed Pratip Samanta as its new regional managing director for Southern and Eastern Asia, effective July 1, 2026. The appointment comes at a moment when packaging machinery automation demand across the Asia-Pacific region is accelerating, driven by the same forces reshaping packaging production worldwide: shorter runs, faster changeovers, higher quality requirements, and the growing integration of AI and connectivity into production lines.
A Leader With Dual Industry DNA
Samanta brings over 21 years of leadership experience in Industrial Automation, IT Services, Digital Consulting, and Strategic Account Management. Most recently, he served as Global Client Partner at Tata Consultancy Services in Munich, where he drove strategic growth and large-scale digital transformation initiatives for global energy technology clients. He previously worked at ABB from 2008 to 2017 in several leadership roles across sales, consulting, and operational transformation, and brings additional expertise from his tenure at Siemens in Automation and Drives.
This blend of ABB and Siemens heritage, combined with recent experience at one of India’s largest IT services companies, gives Samanta an unusual profile for a regional managing director in the automation sector. He understands both the hardware side of industrial automation — drives, controllers, motion systems — and the software and digital transformation side that is increasingly where the value lies for packaging customers.
Samanta holds a Bachelor of Engineering from Vidyasagar University with a focus on Electrical Engineering and attended the TCS Emerging Leaders Program supported by Ohio State University and TATA Management Training Center. He succeeds Jhankar Dutta, who has left the company to pursue new career opportunities.
Why This Region Matters for Packaging Automation
Southern and Eastern Asia encompasses some of the world’s fastest-growing packaging markets. India’s packaging industry is expanding at double-digit rates, driven by rising consumer demand, e-commerce growth, and regulatory pressure on sustainability. Southeast Asian markets including Vietnam, Thailand, and Indonesia are experiencing similar growth trajectories, with multinational and domestic packaging converters investing in automation to meet rising quality and productivity standards.
For B&R, which specializes in machine automation solutions for packaging, printing, and converting industries, the regional appointment signals a strategic commitment to serving these markets with local leadership rather than remote management. Packaging automation decisions are increasingly made at the regional level, with local technical support and application expertise being critical differentiators in competitive bidding processes.
The Automation Trends Driving Demand
Several trends are converging to increase demand for sophisticated automation in the region. First, packaging converters are moving from mechanical to servo-driven systems, requiring motion control platforms that can handle high-speed, multi-axis coordination with sub-millisecond precision. B&R’s Automation Studio platform and ACOPOS servo drive portfolio are designed for exactly this type of application.
Second, the shift toward shorter runs and more frequent changeovers demands flexible machine architectures that can be reconfigured quickly without extensive manual adjustment. B&R’s approach to modular machine design, with standardized automation components that can be combined into different machine configurations, aligns with this trend.
Third, the integration of AI and connectivity into packaging machinery is creating demand for automation platforms that can support edge computing, real-time data analytics, and cloud connectivity alongside traditional motion and logic control. B&R’s partnership with ABB gives it access to ABB’s broader digital ecosystem, including cloud-based monitoring and predictive maintenance capabilities.
What the Appointment Signals
The appointment of a leader with deep experience in both automation hardware and digital transformation suggests that B&R is positioning itself to offer packaging customers not just faster machines, but smarter ones. The convergence of motion control, connectivity, and AI-assisted decision-making is reshaping what packaging automation means, and regional leaders who understand both sides of that equation will be essential for translating global technology platforms into local market solutions.
For packaging converters across Southern and Eastern Asia, Samanta’s appointment means increased local access to B&R’s automation expertise, backed by ABB’s global infrastructure. In a market where the difference between a good automation decision and a poor one can determine competitive survival, having experienced regional leadership matters more than press releases about technology roadmaps.
Source: The Packman — “B&R appoints Pratip Samanta as regional managing director for Southern and Eastern Asia”
