India can replace China for US manufacturers, says Georgia chamber leader ahead of Atlanta trade fair
Synopsis
As US manufacturers scramble to move supply chains out of China, a senior Georgia Indo-American Chamber of Commerce leader says India is the only South Asian country with the scale and capability to fill the gap — and is backing that claim with the Atlanta India Trade Fair 2026, bringing 35-plus Indian manufacturers face-to-face with more than 600 American buyers on 18–20 November.
Key Takeaways
Raj of the Georgia Indo-American Chamber of Commerce says India is the only South Asian country that can rival China in manufacturing size and capability.
The Atlanta India Trade Fair 2026 runs from 18 to 20 November at the Georgia International Convention Center , College Park.
The fair expects more than 35 Indian manufacturers and over 600 buyers , and is the chamber's first fair 'purely focused on manufacturers from India.' Georgia offers incentives of $5,000 to $7,500 per new employee for five years to attract manufacturing investment.
India produces approximately 1.5 million engineers per year , which Raj cited as a key competitive advantage over other alternatives to China.
India is the only country in the South Asia region capable of matching China in size and manufacturing capacity as US companies accelerate their search for alternatives, a senior leader of the Georgia Indo-American Chamber of Commerce said ahead of a major trade fair for Indian manufacturers scheduled in Atlanta later this month.
India's Case as a China Alternative
S.K. Raj, a board member and past president of the chamber, said Washington is actively encouraging manufacturers that currently outsource to China to look elsewhere, as Beijing has become 'strategically a problem' for the United States. He pointed to India's structural advantages: English as the primary language of business, a large and young workforce, and the production of approximately 1.5 million engineers every year.
'If you look at the region, South Asia region, there is no other country that can compete with the Chinese in terms of size and capability than India,' Raj said in an interview. 'So for all these reasons, all the manufacturers in the US, because of all the tariffs and other things, they're looking at India as a potential alternative.'
Atlanta India Trade Fair 2026
The chamber is hosting the Atlanta India Trade Fair 2026 from 18 to 20 November at the Georgia International Convention Center in College Park, adjacent to the city's airport. Raj, who serves as event director, described it as the first trade fair the chamber has organised 'purely focused on manufacturers from India.' According to the organisers, the event expects more than 35 manufacturers and over 600 buyers.
The fair grew out of earlier bilateral exchanges in which the chamber hosted a delegation of about 50 senior executives from more than 40 Indian companies, and subsequently sent a delegation of 25 members to India.
Push for Indian Factories in the US
Beyond trade, the chamber is urging Indian manufacturers to establish factories on American soil. Raj noted that Indian exports still face tariff barriers, and that local production would give Indian businesses a significant edge. 'If you set up a shop here in the US and then you make it in the USA, you have tremendous advantage because a local market will be very, very receptive,' he said.
He acknowledged the perception of high US manufacturing costs but pushed back on it, citing a Georgia state incentive of $5,000 to $7,500 per new employee for five years. He did, however, note a practical challenge: an Indian sweeper manufacturer he referenced required about 150 workers in India to produce the equivalent output of roughly 35 workers in the US, illustrating the productivity differential.
Support Ecosystem for Indian Investors
Raj said the chamber's volunteers assist Indian investors at no cost, working through partnerships with the Georgia Department of Economic Development, the Small Business Development Center, and the Governor's Office. This institutional backing, he argued, significantly reduces the entry barriers for Indian companies exploring a US manufacturing presence.
This comes amid a broader global realignment of supply chains, with US companies increasingly seeking to diversify away from Chinese manufacturing hubs in the wake of escalating tariffs and geopolitical tensions. India's positioning as the primary beneficiary of this shift is gaining momentum, and events like the Atlanta India Trade Fair represent a concrete step in translating that strategic opportunity into business outcomes.
Point of View
But the sweeper-maker anecdote buried in Raj's remarks is the more telling data point: Indian factories need roughly four times the workforce to match US output, which means the productivity gap is real and large. The chamber's argument leans heavily on state incentives and tariff pain — both of which are policy variables that can change. India's durable advantage lies in engineering talent and scale, but converting that into a sustained manufacturing shift requires more than trade fairs; it requires regulatory speed, logistics infrastructure, and ease of doing business that India is still building. The Atlanta event is a signal, not a solution.
NationPress
2 Nov 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Atlanta India Trade Fair 2026?
The Atlanta India Trade Fair 2026 is a trade event organised by the Georgia Indo-American Chamber of Commerce, running from 18 to 20 November 2026 at the Georgia International Convention Center in College Park, Atlanta. It is the chamber's first fair exclusively focused on manufacturers from India, expecting over 35 exhibitors and more than 600 buyers.
Why are US manufacturers looking at India as an alternative to China?
US manufacturers are seeking alternatives to China due to escalating tariffs and growing geopolitical tensions that have made China 'strategically a problem,' according to S.K. Raj of the Georgia Indo-American Chamber of Commerce. India is seen as the primary candidate given its comparable scale, large English-speaking engineering workforce, and annual output of approximately 1.5 million engineers.
What incentives does Georgia offer to attract Indian manufacturers?
The state of Georgia offers an incentive of $5,000 to $7,500 per new employee for five years to companies that set up manufacturing operations locally. The Georgia Indo-American Chamber of Commerce also provides free advisory support to Indian investors through ties with the Georgia Department of Economic Development, the Small Business Development Center, and the Governor's Office.
Who is S.K. Raj and what is his role at the trade fair?
S.K. Raj is a board member and past president of the Georgia Indo-American Chamber of Commerce, and serves as the event director for the Atlanta India Trade Fair 2026. He has been a key figure in earlier trade exchanges between the chamber and Indian industry delegations.
What are the challenges for Indian manufacturers looking to set up in the US?
A key challenge is the productivity differential: Raj noted that one Indian manufacturer required about 150 workers in India to match the output of approximately 35 workers in the US. Indian exporters also still face US tariffs, which is why the chamber is encouraging direct US-based manufacturing rather than exports alone.
