Belgian Companies Expanding in India in 2026 are moving beyond simple exports and sales offices. The clearest trend is local capability: new factories, engineering teams, technology hubs, recycling infrastructure, healthcare equipment and manufacturing partnerships with Indian businesses.
For Indian buyers, professionals and businesses, this matters because these investments can improve local availability, shorten supply chains, create specialist jobs and bring more European technology into Indian production. The expansion is also spread across Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Telangana and Tamil Nadu rather than being limited to one city or sector.
Recent India–Belgium agreements and corporate announcements point to activity in food processing, software and AI, industrial automation, clean energy, ports, advanced healthcare and defence manufacturing. Not every announcement is a finished project, however. Some are confirmed investments or operating facilities, while others are MoUs or stated plans that remain subject to final agreements, approvals or execution.
The short answer: which Belgian companies are expanding in India?
The strongest confirmed 2026 signals include:
- AB InBev India has opened a manufacturing unit in Neemrana, Rajasthan, with investment above ₹150 crore.
- Agristo Masa has started production on a new French-fry line in Bijnor, Uttar Pradesh, after an additional investment of over ₹800 crore.
- Colruyt Group India plans to expand its Indian technology and services capabilities, including AI, cloud, data science, automation and cybersecurity.
- ForbesVyncke is expanding biomass and waste-to-energy manufacturing and engineering capacity in Pune.
- H&H Pharmaceuticals is developing a ₹200 crore manufacturing facility near Ahmedabad.
- Intersoft Electronics has established an Indian entity headquartered in Bengaluru for radar, aviation and defence-support technologies.
- John Cockerill India is increasing India’s role in its global metals business and has added advanced coating capability in Taloja.
- Gemcorp Recycling & Technologies is planning wider recycling infrastructure and AI-enabled sorting capacity through 2030.
The official Belgian government’s September 2026 corporate-announcement document records these and other company initiatives connected to the Belgian Prime Minister’s India visit. It also listed a new fast-track mechanism on investments and the institutionalisation of the India–Belgium Business Forum, indicating that commercial engagement is becoming more structured. Belgian Embassy in India
Major Belgian investments and expansion plans in India
| Company | Indian location / focus | 2026 development |
|---|---|---|
| AB InBev India | Neemrana, Rajasthan | New manufacturing unit; investment above ₹150 crore |
| Agristo Masa | Bijnor, Uttar Pradesh | New French-fry production line; additional investment above ₹800 crore |
| Colruyt Group India | Hyderabad and Coimbatore | Further investment planned in digital, AI, cloud and cybersecurity capabilities |
| ForbesVyncke | Pune, Maharashtra | Manufacturing, engineering and digital infrastructure expansion |
| H&H Pharmaceuticals | Bavla near Ahmedabad, Gujarat | New EU-GMP-oriented pharmaceutical manufacturing project |
| Intersoft Electronics | Bengaluru, Karnataka | New local entity for radar, RF testing and CNS systems |
| John Cockerill India | Taloja and national steel sector | Advanced roll-coating facility and global metals-business role |
| Gemcorp Recycling & Technologies | Multiple Indian locations | Expanded collection, processing and recycled-material capacity |
| Doms Automation | Pune, Maharashtra | New joint venture in robotics and industrial automation |
| Port of Antwerp-Bruges | Mumbai | Trade, port-sector collaboration and logistics development |
Manufacturing is the most visible expansion story
AB InBev strengthens its Rajasthan footprint
AB InBev India announced the opening of Rochees Breweries Limited in Neemrana, Rajasthan. The company says it has invested more than ₹150 crore in the unit, which is intended to serve growing demand across North and Central India.
The facility is expected to support supplies to Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh. AB InBev also says it procures barley locally from 1,000 Rajasthan farmers and expects the project to create more than 300 jobs. The company is evaluating further capacity expansion at the site.
For consumers, local brewing capacity can make regional supply more resilient. It does not automatically mean a specific beer will become cheaper, since state excise duties, distribution and retailer pricing vary widely across India.
Agristo Masa expands food processing in Uttar Pradesh
Belgian potato-products business Agristo Masa has started production on its new French-fry line in Bijnor. The expansion follows the 2025 foundation ceremony and carries an additional investment of more than ₹800 crore, according to the Belgian government’s 2026 company-announcements overview.
Agristo says the line will increase its ability to serve domestic and export demand. It expects the project to support partnerships with more than 3,000 potato farmers in Uttar Pradesh and create over 500 direct and indirect jobs.
This is a useful example of how Belgian companies in India are localising deeper than distribution. The business case includes agricultural sourcing, food processing, cold-chain requirements and institutional demand from restaurants and quick-service food chains.
H&H Pharmaceuticals targets export-oriented Indian production
Belgian pharmaceutical group H&H Pharmaceuticals has begun Project Laxmi, a planned manufacturing facility in Bavla near Ahmedabad. The company has indicated planned investment of approximately ₹200 crore.
The facility is designed around EU Good Manufacturing Practice requirements and is planned to include five production lines for oral solid dosage forms and liquid formulations, along with quality-control and R&D capability. Commissioning is targeted for the end of 2027, with production intended mainly for European and African export markets.
For India, the project reinforces the country’s role as a regulated pharmaceutical manufacturing base. The facility should not be treated as an immediate source of consumer medicines in India, because the stated output focus is export production.
India is becoming a technology and engineering base for Belgian groups
Colruyt Group India: AI, cloud and cybersecurity investment
Colruyt Group India has operated technology and services hubs in Hyderabad and Coimbatore since 2007. It says these centres employ more than 850 professionals working across retail technology, digital solutions, analytics and innovation.
The group has stated its intention to invest an additional €100–150 million over five years in advanced capabilities including AI, data science, automation, cloud technologies, cybersecurity and next-generation retail solutions. This is a multi-year corporate plan, not an announced Indian consumer product launch.
For Indian technology talent, the significance is clear: Belgium-based retail groups increasingly see India as a place to build core global capabilities, not only back-office support. The work can span software engineering, data platforms, cyber security, retail automation and product development.
Doms Automation begins a Pune joint venture
Belgium-based Gebroeders Doms BV and Indian entrepreneur Deepak Yadav have established Doms Automation Pvt. Ltd. in Pune. The new venture is focused on robotics, physical AI, industrial automation, software development, simulation, digitalisation and advanced engineering services.
Its early sector focus includes pharmaceuticals, speciality chemicals and advanced manufacturing. This is business-to-business technology rather than consumer electronics, but it can have indirect effects on product quality, factory automation and the local supplier ecosystem.
Intersoft Electronics sets up in Bengaluru
Intersoft Electronics, a Belgian specialist in radar technology, communication, navigation and surveillance systems, RF testing and manufacturing, has established Intersoft Electronics India in Bengaluru.
The company says the local entity will provide engineering, technical support and longer-term engagement with Indian partners in civil aviation and defence. Its offering includes radar-test and certification solutions, CNS performance-measurement systems and radar-modernisation technologies.
The key distinction for readers is that this is a specialist engineering expansion, not a consumer gadget brand entering the Indian smartphone or laptop market.
John Cockerill gives India a larger global role
John Cockerill India has strengthened its Indian manufacturing and engineering presence in the steel sector. In June 2026, it inaugurated an advanced rolls-coating facility in Taloja using thermal-spray technology developed with Belgian partner Advanced Coating SA.
More significantly, John Cockerill Group consolidated its global Metals business under John Cockerill India Limited in January 2026. This makes India the strategic headquarters for that business line serving global customers, according to the official corporate announcement.
The move demonstrates a different form of expansion: India is not just a destination for Belgian capital, but a base from which a Belgian industrial group can serve global markets.
Clean energy, recycling and infrastructure are gaining momentum
ForbesVyncke expands waste-to-energy capability in Pune
ForbesVyncke, a Belgian–Indian joint venture between Forbes Marshall and VYNCKE, has announced approximately €1 million in additional investment in India. The funding is intended to double manufacturing capacity at Chakan, Pune, expand the Design & Engineering Centre at Kasarwadi, and improve IT, digital and AI infrastructure.
Its work centres on biomass and waste-to-energy systems. The company says it has completed 200 projects in India as of 2026 and has launched modular energy solutions designed and engineered in India.
For factories looking to reduce fossil-fuel dependence or use biomass and industrial waste more effectively, such locally built systems can be more relevant than imported turnkey equipment.
Gemcorp plans larger circular-economy infrastructure
Gemcorp Recycling & Technologies, linked to Belgium-based Gemini Corporation, says it currently recovers around 50,000 tonnes of waste annually in India. Its expansion plan through 2030 includes more than 200 collection, baling and processing machines, plus recycling facilities using AI-enabled sorting, washing, extrusion and pelletising systems.
The target is recycling and collection capacity above 100,000 tonnes annually by 2030, along with expansion into circular paper and recycled-paper packaging.
This is particularly relevant to Indian consumer-tech and appliance markets. Better domestic recycling infrastructure can support more traceable recovery of plastics and materials from packaging, electronics supply chains and consumer goods, though consumers should still rely on authorised e-waste channels for phones, laptops and batteries.
Defence and healthcare partnerships are expanding, but should be read carefully
Belgian and Indian organisations announced several defence-related MoUs in September 2026. These include cooperation involving Exail and Larsen & Toubro for mine-countermeasure capabilities, FN Herstal and Kalyani Strategic Systems to explore local manufacturing, and Lachaussée and Tembo Classic Engineering for proposed ammunition-manufacturing systems.
These are strategically important, but an MoU is not the same as a commissioned factory or confirmed product rollout. For example, Lachaussée and Tembo’s indicated project value is €50 million, with phased system delivery planned for 2028–29, subject to definitive agreements and regulatory approvals.
In healthcare, Belgian particle-accelerator company IBA SA and Max Healthcare are collaborating on an 18 MeV, 300 microamp high-power cyclotron scheduled for inauguration in September 2026. The organisations are also discussing potential proton-therapy capability. This could support advanced oncology infrastructure, but patients should wait for individual hospital announcements on service availability and eligibility.
Why India is attracting Belgian companies in 2026
Three factors explain the momentum.
First, India offers scale across manufacturing, digital talent, healthcare, infrastructure and consumer demand. Second, localisation can reduce supply-chain risk and improve response time for regional customers. Third, Belgium’s strengths in industrial technology, specialised manufacturing, logistics, chemicals, healthcare and food processing complement India’s engineering capacity and manufacturing ecosystem.
Logistics is central to that relationship. Port of Antwerp-Bruges handled 6.3 million tonnes of goods to or from India in 2025 and has maintained a Mumbai presence since 2006. The port has described India as a strategic growth market and is exploring investment, training and port-sector opportunities. Port of Antwerp-Bruges
What Indian buyers and businesses should watch next
For consumers, the near-term impact is likely to be clearest in packaged food availability, healthcare infrastructure, recycling systems and employment in technology hubs. It is less likely to mean an immediate flood of Belgian-branded smartphones, laptops or consumer accessories.
For businesses, the opportunity is broader:
- Indian manufacturers can look for technology-transfer and local-production partnerships.
- Technology professionals can monitor hiring at Hyderabad, Coimbatore, Pune and Bengaluru operations.
- Suppliers can benefit where Belgian firms seek local engineering, fabrication, software and service partners.
- Sustainability-focused businesses can track waste-to-energy, recycling and circular-packaging projects.
The most practical approach is to distinguish between a completed investment, an operational launch, a stated multi-year plan and a preliminary MoU. That avoids treating every bilateral announcement as an immediate commercial reality.
FAQ
Which Belgian companies are investing in India in 2026?
Notable names include AB InBev, Agristo Masa, Colruyt Group, ForbesVyncke, H&H Pharmaceuticals, Intersoft Electronics, John Cockerill, Gemcorp Recycling & Technologies, Doms Automation and Port of Antwerp-Bruges.
What is the biggest Belgian investment announced in India in 2026?
Among the clearly stated rupee figures, Agristo Masa’s new French-fry production line in Bijnor involves an additional investment of more than ₹800 crore. AB InBev’s Neemrana manufacturing unit involves investment above ₹150 crore, while H&H Pharmaceuticals has indicated around ₹200 crore for its Gujarat facility.
Are Belgian smartphone brands launching in India in 2026?
The verified 2026 announcements are mainly about industrial technology, food processing, recycling, healthcare, logistics, manufacturing and defence cooperation. They do not establish a major Belgian smartphone-brand launch in India.
Is Colruyt Group India hiring for technology roles?
Colruyt Group India has stated plans to deepen AI, data science, automation, cloud, cybersecurity and retail-technology capabilities over the next five years. Interested candidates should check the company’s official careers channels for active roles and location-specific eligibility.
Will these investments make Belgian products cheaper in India?
Not necessarily. Local manufacturing can improve supply reliability and reduce some logistics costs, but final prices depend on taxes, state regulations, raw materials, distribution margins, market competition and retailer policies.
Are the India–Belgium defence announcements confirmed manufacturing projects?
Some announcements are MoUs or exploration agreements rather than fully commissioned plants. Their progress depends on definitive commercial agreements, technology-transfer terms, government permissions and other regulatory approvals.
