The Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), the leading body of the auto industry, recently hosted the Automotive Sourcing Conclave, themed “Towards Building a Resilient Supply Chain.” This event brought into focus the essential aspects of supply chain management, covering topics such as EV components, electronics, electricals, transmission systems, and metals.
The SIAM Automotive Sourcing conclave saw participation from numerous esteemed speakers, including senior government officials and leading figures from automobile companies’ sourcing departments and supply-chain specialists. Dr. Hanif Qureshi, Joint Secretary at the Ministry of Heavy Industries, Government of India, serving as a Guest of Honour, highlighted SIAM and ACMA’s role in policy development. He emphasized the importance of localization in the automotive sector, calling attention to the potential for domestic value addition and the need to boost advanced automotive components and R&D.
Anant Swarup, also Joint Secretary at the Ministry of Heavy Industries and the Department of Commerce, Government of India, spoke about the potential for increased localization in the Auto Industry and the opportunity to achieve this across OEMs. An exciting highlight was Mr. Swarup’s inauguration of a digital showcase, focusing on Localization Opportunities in the Indian Auto Sector.
SIAM President and CEO & MD of VE Commercial Vehicles Ltd., Vinod Aggarwal, addressed the gathering, discussing the benefits of localization in reducing costs, generating employment, and enhancing export capabilities. Sunil Kakkar, Chairman of the SIAM Aatmnirbhar Bharat Sourcing Group and Senior Executive Director at Maruti Suzuki India Ltd., initiated the event with a welcoming address, emphasizing the ideal timing for investing and scaling localization in Indian Auto OEMs and component manufacturers.
The conclave featured specialized sessions, including one on “Trends in Automotive Transmission,” opened by Sachin Kulkarni, Co-Chairman of the SIAM Aatmnirbhar Bharat Sourcing Group and Senior Executive Director at Skoda Auto Volkswagen India Pvt. Ltd. He spoke about the increasing demand for Automatic transmission in India and the need for collaborative efforts to promote localization.
In the session focusing on “Specialized Metals and Raw Materials for Auto Sector,” Badrish Sinha, Co-Chairman of the SIAM Aatmnirbhar Bharat Sourcing Group and Vice-President – Purchasing at VE Commercial Vehicles, commented on the capability of Indian steel mills to compete globally and reduce steel imports. The session included insights from experts like Sanjeev Maini, Sanjay Agarwal, Animesh Sinha, R V Dalvi, and Kedar Rele.
The “Opportunities in EV Components, Electricals, and Electronics Supply Chain” session, led by Veeraraghavan R, Co-Chairman of the SIAM Aatmnirbhar Bharat Sourcing Group and Senior Vice President – Strategic Sourcing at Mahindra & Mahindra, focused on the critical need for localization in electronics and securing semiconductor supplies. Harendra Saksena of Ather Energy Private Ltd. added insights on the growing 2-wheeler market in India. Moderated by Rahul Kapur of Grant Thornton Bharat LLP, the session saw active contributions from panelists like Prashanth Doreswamy, Archit Agarwal, Amardeep Punhani, and Prithvideep Singh.
