AutoSCM Summit 2022 concludes in Pune as industry prepares for uncertain 2023

Indian Transport & Logistics News organised the sixth edition of the premier automotive supply chain management conference AutoSCM Summit in Four Points by Sheraton Hotel, Pune on Tuesday, December 6, 2022.

The year 2023 and the economic headwinds were at the centre of the discussion which shared concerns about how the automobile supply chain would evolve. However, the stakeholders were generally optimistic about the way ahead noting the learnings the industry had in the two years of disruption and the solutions at hand. Particularly, the rise of electric vehicles was a subject across all panels due to the potential supply chain changes that it brings on to the table. The one-day conference also shed light on the trend of digitalisation in the automotive industry, especially with the transport management and blockchain solutions presented by tech companies.

Presented by Frankfurt Airport, the networking event had Dachser as Supporting Partner, Wiz Freight and Esquire Express as Associate Partners and C.H. Robinson as Gold Partner. The event attracted the best minds in the country and beyond to discuss and debate the evolution, pain points and future of the automotive supply chain industry. The attendees and speakers included Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), component manufacturers, logistics companies, freight forwarders, airports, airlines and electric vehicles (EV) stakeholders.

Themed "Reimagining Automotive Supply Chain: For an Age of Digitalisation and Disruption", the one-day conference had carefully curated panels and presentations to ensure maximum attendee engagement and attention. The panels were divided among topics to understand the demand vs supply, the evolution of the Just-In-Time (JIT) model, technology interventions and the emergence of electric vehicles.

Roland Weil, Vice President Sales - Cargo, Frankfurt Airport shared his concerns about what is in store for air cargo and the automotive sector in the next year which includes lower freight rates and increased capacity while delivering his opening remarks at AutoSCM Summit 2022.

"A320 conversions are rolling in. Every quarter two or three aircraft are going into North Atlantic and European routes. We are going to see Boeing 777 conversions coming into the market with 300 ERs ready for delivery by the end of next year. There are numerous production lines for that aircraft set up around the world. Considering the uplift capacity of the B777-300 ER converted freighters with 47 PMCs compared to 39 on a 747-400 or 800, that is an increase in capacity. The cost to operate such aircraft will be also much lower. The question is whether this will result in the retirement of B747s that are still flying. We will see how the market will respond to that increased capacity," he said.

Binu George, Sales Head, Indian Subcontinent, Dachser, was optimistic about the challenges ahead as he notes that there are many out-of-the-box solutions available even though he agrees with the disrupted nature of the supply chain of automotive.

"Last two years, the automotive supply chain has seen the worst kind of disruption and I don't think any bigger disruption will hit us. Because right now we have many solutions available. All we need is the right solution provider. The shipper or the consignee needs to understand who really performed in the last decade and particularly the last two years. Even though cost plays an important role in the supply chain, they need to understand what value addition they are having which includes digitalisation," he said.

Amit Borkar, Vice President - New Mobility, ARaymond pointed out that the disruption is a real opportunity for the industry and there are new players coming into the sector which includes new eclectic vehicles.

"Covid-19 pandemic-caused disruption is now a real opportunity for this industry. We have new players like OLA who are aggressively building their capabilities and are now causing disruptions of a new kind that can have a huge impact on the industry in the long run," he said.