Auto SCM SUMMIT 2018 maps out road ahead for an efficient and seamless supply chain
December 7, 2018: Automotive manufacturers, supply chain stakeholders and regulatory authorities came together on one platform to discuss the ‘changing landscape of automotive industry and the role of logistics’, at the Auto SCM Summit 2018 held in Chakan, Pune, the premier auto manufacturing hub in India.
December 7, 2018: Automotive manufacturers, supply chain stakeholders and regulatory authorities came together on one platform to discuss the ‘changing landscape of automotive industry and the role of logistics’, at the Auto SCM Summit 2018 held in Chakan, Pune, the premier auto manufacturing hub in India.
The international airports and airlines revealed that they are contemplating operating freighters from the airport in Pune, as there is demand from the automotive and other segment.
Frankfurt airport, Europe’s largest cargo hub, has been the main sponsor for all the three editions of AUTO SCM Summit in a row. Roland Weil, VP-Sales, Frankfurt airport said, “There is a lot of automotive business in and around Frankfurt. We are looking at improving connections to India. Frankfurt has nonstop connections to 5 Indian airports.”
Placing his bet on SpiceXpress, the dedicated cargo service of SpiceJet, Pradeep Srivastav, senior vice president- cargo sales, SpiceJet said, “We are here to address the just-in-time requirements of automotive industry. We plan to have 22 freighters.”
In his inaugural address Subhash Agrawal, Commissioner of customs, Jawaharlal Nehru Customs House, JNPT urged automotive industry players to go for Direct Port Delivery (DPD) scheme, Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) status, and eSanchit to save costs and speed up the processes.
Concurring his view, Rajesh Ramarao, deputy commissioner, Pune Customs, emphasised, “AEO programme, international collaboration with other custom authorities and bringing all agencies under one umbrella to work through single window, are the three pronged approach that customs in pushing for, to ensure ease of doing business.”
Commenting on potential of inland waterways and a modal shift from roadways, Huned Gandhi MD, Dachser India, stated, "In India, 8 percent cargo is moved by Inland Waterways. Automotive segment has taken the lead here again. It is important to establish reliability by building infrastructure like jetties, and start scheduled vessels between two Indian cities.”
Prasoon Singh, deputy GM, procurement & logistics, VE Commercial Vehicles, said, “As technologies are evolving the automobile engineering capabilities of our indigenous companies is also evolving. However, we'll see lot of imports coming in by way of new technologies from Europe & Far East.”
Highlighting the security and technological aspect of shipping products on road, Deepak Pandita, Assistant GM, Leadec Industrial Services, said, "Most of the auto parts that travel through Indian roads go in carton boxes that lead to damages. We at Leadec provide returnable packaging solutions for safety of auto components. The returnable packing solution includes, inventory tracking and monitoring of packaging equipment and its maintenance.”
While addressing the panel on aftermarket, Sudhir Gupta, partner, Blue Ocean Global, said, “technology alone cannot solve the problem of counterfeit auto components. Availability of quality components is essential.”
Talking about the impact of GST, Umesh Shinde, GM, commercial, Shilpa Machinery said, "Initially, Tier 2 tier 3 automotive suppliers faced challenges with GST. Implementing this change in ERP was a challenge. Eventually, we understood how GST has made life easy.”
The event concluded that technology and collaboration is key to achieving a successful automobile supply chain.