Auto Industry Summit Tackles Practical Constraints to Growth

PUNE, India, November 18 -- Key executives from India's carmakers are meeting in Pune in two weeks time to address some of the hard practical issues which constrain the growth of the country's automotive production capacity.

Constraints include the manufacturing technologies needed to improve production efficiency, and the investment and skills needed to address India's woeful logistics problems.

The carmakers include the principal domestic companies like Bajaj, Hero Mahindra & Mahindra, Maruti and Tata, together with international majors including Fiat, Ford, GM, Hyundai, Honda, Mercedes-Benz, Renault, Volvo and VW.

They are meeting at two annual conferences organised by international magazines Automotive Manufacturing Solutions (AMS) and Automotive Logistics. The meetings are in Pune from 30 November - 4 December.

'Making the Indian auto industry more competitive at the global level is the hallmark of this conference,' said Satkar Grewal of Maruti Suzuki after one of last year's events. Added Pawankumar Chelamkuri of Daimler Hero Commercial Vehicles: 'There is immense potential when a group of people sharing the same problems can discuss them under one roof and resolve the challenges faced.'

Speakers on the formal conference agendas include senior production executives like MM Singh, executive director for production at Maruti Suzuki, Tom Chackalackal, vice president of manufacturing at Ford India and Robert Strain, director of logistics for Asia Pacific at GM.

They will be joined by Presidents/CEOs including Rajeev Kapoor of Fiat India, Dr Wilfried Aulbur of Mercedes-Benz India and Jörg Müller of Volkswagen India.

The conference programmes are made up of discussion sessions, presentations, displays and networking, and include introductory receptions and business dinners. Around 40 major international companies will show their technologies and services across the two conferences. They range from ABB, Lohr and Microsoft to Siemens, Uddeholm and Wallenius Wilhelmsen.

'There was great content and good participation,' said Rajesh Uppal, chief general manager of Maruti Suzuki after last year's event. 'I'm looking forward to next year.'

The full list of companies displaying their production technologies, materials and processes at AMS India is: gold sponsors Microsoft, Siemens and Uddeholm Assab; silver sponsors ABB, Geico, Sandvik Coromant, Schneider Electric and Taikisha; bronze sponsors AIDA, Combat Group, Durr, DV Automation, Haden, Hero, KG Hirotec, Rockwell, Stadco, TAL Manufacturing Solutions and Trumpf; and exhibitors Castrol, Demag, Kuka Robotics, Oliver Wyman and Total.

Specialists on show at the Automotive Logistics India conference will be: gold sponsor Lohr and global sponsor Wallenius Wilhelmsen; and silver sponsors BLG, Chep, CKDPack, Gati, Mercurio-Pallia, Montara, Mosolf, Panalpina, Schoeller Arca and Transport Corporation of India.

More information and register to attend at:

Manufacturing: http://india.amsconferences.com/

Logistics: http://www.automotivelogisticsindia.com All these activities are from Ultima Media Ltd, a provider of information in print, online and at events dedicated to the global business-to-business automotive industry. http://www.ultimamedia.com

Contacts:

Marketing Manager Elisabeth Quesseveur: elisabeth.quesseveur@ultimamedia.com +44-208-987-0902

AMS Conference Chairman Simon Duval Smith: simon.duvalsmith@ultimamedia.com +44-208-098-0955

Automotive Logistics Conference Chairman Louis Yiakoumi: louis.yiakoumi@ultimamedia.com +44(0)208-987-0944

Contacts: Marketing Manager Elisabeth Quesseveur:, elisabeth.quesseveur@ultimamedia.com, +44-208-987-0902; AMS Conference Chairman Simon Duval Smith: simon.duvalsmith@ultimamedia.com +44-208-098-0955; Automotive Logistics Conference Chairman Louis Yiakoumi: louis.yiakoumi@ultimamedia.com, +44(0)208-987-0944