PR Ramakrishnan (pictured) has retired from his role as general manager of supply chain management at Honda Cars India after almost 10 years in the company.
Honda Cars India has not officially confirmed it but Automotive Logistics understands his replacement to be Udit Kumar, who moves from his role as divisional head of manufacturing, planning and supply chain at the carmaker.
Kumar will now lead Honda strategy for the supply of around 200,000 vehicles a year in India across a network of 300 dealers from its two plants in Greater Noida and Tapukara. In his previous role, he was responsible for production planning, supply chain and packing operations for domestic and export business. Kumar was also responsible for manufacturing administration.
Ramakrishnan leaves Honda with more than 32 years’ experience in the automotive sector working across sales and logistics operations. After 17 years in core sales operations at TVS Motor, the motorcycle and moped manufacturer, he moved to head logistics. He joined Honda in September 2007 and has held a variety of roles in areas such as sales planning, exports and outbound supply chain.
Earlier this year, Ramakrishnan spoke to Finished Vehicle Logistics magazine about how Honda is dealing with higher customer expectations in India’s changing regulatory landscape.
He said the brand’s customer base was expecting more in terms of delivery quality, including nothing less than “factory fresh” vehicles delivered without damage and in good time. Achieving this level of service, he said, would rely on efficient and quality-driven vehicle logistics – something Udit Kumar will now be looking to secure.
