SIAM Automotive Sourcing Conclave focuses on building a resilient supply chain

By OEM Update Editorial November 24, 2023 12:09 pm IST

Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), the apex body of the automobile industry, hosted the Automotive Sourcing Conclave under the theme “Towards Building a Resilient Supply Chain.” The conclave addressed critical areas in the supply chain, including EV components, electronics and electricals, transmission systems, and metals.

The conclave witnessed active participation from several coveted speakers including senior government officials, Sourcing heads of Automobile companies, and experts from the automobile supply-chain.

Guest of Honour, Dr. Hanif Qureshi, Joint Secretary at the Ministry of Heavy Industries, Government of India, said, “SIAM and ACMA’s close collaboration with the Government of India, plays a pivotal role in shaping policies. The essence of these policies, particularly in the automotive industry, revolves around localisation, which is the heart of the Government’s approach. There is substantial potential for domestic value addition within the country. The growth trajectory is marked by advanced automotive components and R&D in this sector must be promoted.”

Guest of Honour, Anant Swarup, Joint Secretary at the Ministry of Heavy Industries and the Department of Commerce, Government of India, said, “There is a greater possibility for further increased localization in the Auto Industry and there is a potential to achieve this across OEMs.”

During the conclave, Guest of Honour, Mr. Anant Swarup also inaugurated a digital showcase of Localization Opportunities for the Vendors in Indian Auto Sector.

Vinod Aggarwal, President of SIAM and CEO & MD of VE Commercial Vehicles Ltd., delivered a special address. He said, “The process of localisation is poised to substantially reduce costs, generate more employment opportunities, and further enhance export. The conclave will help us to formulate a robust action plan, gaining insights on how we can localise and align our efforts with the Government of India’s objectives.”

Sunil Kakkar, Chairman of SIAM Aatmnirbhar Bharat Sourcing Group and Senior Executive Director at Maruti Suzuki India Ltd. set the tone for the conclave with a welcome address, by saying, “This is the best time to invest and scale localization for Indian Auto OEMs and Auto Components manufacturers.”

Special addresses were given by Vikrampati Singhania, Vice President, ACMA & MD & Director, J K Fenner India Ltd., and Sumanta Chaudhuri, Principal Advisor, International Trade Policy Division, CII on Impact of IPEF on Automotive Sourcing.

During session themed on “Trends in Automotive Transmission,” Sachin Kulkarni, Co-Chairman SIAM Aatmnirbhar Bharat Sourcing Group and Senior Executive Director at Skoda Auto Volkswagen India Pvt. Ltd., commenced the session with an insightful opening address by adding, “The demand for Automatic transmission is growing in India. SIAM, ACMA, and Indian Government need to form one team to work together to promote localization of Automatics in India,” which set the tone for a deep dive into the dynamics shaping the automotive transmission landscape.

In the session themed on “Specialized Metals and Raw Materials for Auto Sector” wherein Badrish Sinha, Co-Chairman SIAM Aatmnirbhar Bharat Sourcing Group and Vice-President – Purchasing, VE Commercial Vehicles, said, “Indian steel mills have the competency and efficiency to compete with global markets and by working closely with the steel mills we can reduce steel imports.”

Esteemed panelists including Sanjeev Maini, HOD, Metallurgical Engineering, Bureau of Indian Standards, Sanjay Agarwal, EVP and Business Head, Long Products, JSW Steels, Animesh Sinha, Chief of Marketing & Sales – Automotive – Tata Steel, R V Dalvi, Director-Technical, Sunflag Iron & Steel Company Ltd., and Kedar Rele, Managing Director, Umicore India, presented their thoughts and ideas on the topic.

During the Session themed on “Opportunities in EV Components, Electricals, and Electronics Supply Chain”, wherein Veeraraghavan R, Co-Chairman SIAM Aatmnirbhar Bharat Sourcing Group and Senior Vice President – Strategic Sourcing, Mahindra & Mahindra, said, “Considering the growing demand of electronics, this is a very critical area for us as an Industry to localise. We also need to secure our supply of semiconductors.”

Harendra Saksena, Chief Purchasing Officer, Ather Energy Private Ltd., added, “There is a huge market in 2-wheeler in India. EV adoption of 2-wheeler will go to 60% by 2030, which will create huge demand for electronics & Electricals in the segment.”

The session, moderated by Rahul Kapur, Partner, Grant Thornton Bharat LLP, saw active participation from distinguished panellists including Prashanth Doreswamy, President and CEO, Continental India, Archit Agarwal, Corporate Head for Sourcing, Minda Corporation, Amardeep Punhani, Senior Director R&D, Digital Design, NXP Corporation, and Prithvideep Singh, General Manager, CDIL Semiconductors.