Automotive Logistics is gearing up for its final conference of 2013 in Pune, India on 11-13th. Held at the Hyatt Regency hotel, it will be the seventh Automotive Logistics India conference and promises to end this year’s run of seven global conferences on a high.
This year’s theme is ‘India’s supply chain promise’ and will look at how logistics providers can meet customer expectations in a market with significant potential but one that has some significant obstacles to overcome when it comes to transport and logistics.
The Indian vehicle market has hit a snag this year, with SIAM, the Indian carmaker’s association, forecasting a decline of 4-5% in the fiscal year. It could be the second consecutive year that Indian vehicle sales have declined, casting doubt on prior forecasts that saw sales moving north of 6m units within this decade. The market has struggled with high inflation and interest rates, with the country’s poor infrastructure also a drag on the economy.
There have been positive signs for logistics operations in India, however. The country has seen investments in its ro-ro infrastructure, as carmakers such as Nissan and Hyundai increase exports. The Indian railway ministry has also recently made policy changes about private investment and design of wagons for moving vehicles by rail.
This year’s conference will explore these developments, including specific updates logistics management for India’s established and emerging players, including Hyundai, Mahindra & Mahindra, Tata, Ford and Volkswagen.
The programme of sessions will kick of with an overview of the state of the industry and include input from government representatives and infrastructure authorities, including Suhas Kumar, advisor on Freight Management at the Ministry of Railways, who will also be taking questions from delegates.
Sessions will also cover global purchasing and supply chain, with senior executives discussing India as a major manufacturing and sourcing region.
The dedicated finished vehicle sessions at this year’s conference will cover distribution and import/export strategies
Delegates will also discuss how to develop world-class packaging processes for India.
Amongst the confirmed speakers this year are: Carsten Goransch, director of Logistics for Volkswagen India; Anand Venkateswaran, senior general manager (Sales Logistics), Hyundai Motor IndiaPrem Verma, CEO, TLM Distribution Company; and Amlan Bose, vice president – Material Flow Engineering, Logistics Network and Exports Operations at Ford Asia Pacific and Africa.
