The eighth edition of one of the largest automotive aftermarket trade expos in the country, Auto Serve 2018, organised by CII, was held in Chennai from November 23 – 25.
The three-day exhibition & conference hosted over 100 international and local aftermarket product exhibitors who showcased their latest products and solutions. As usual, this year’s expo covered a wide range of garage equipment, cleaning systems, paint booths, repair and maintenance tools, fuels and lubes, automotive parts, components, air conditioning and other systems for all segments of vehicles.
inaugural of CII Auto Serve 2018. The others are (from left) Mr. Sathish Raman, Regional Director, CII Southern Region,
Mr. Jeremy Pilmore-Bedford, Deputy High Commissioner, British Deputy High Commission, Mr. R. Dinesh, Chairman, Auto
Serve 2018, and JMD, T.V. Sundaram Iyengar & Sons, Mr. Sriram Viji, Member, National Executive Committee, ACMA, and
Deputy Managing Director, Brakes India, and Mr. S. Muralidharan, President, Lucas Indian Service
Reputed brands with strong aftermarket presence such as TVS Automobile Solutions, Lucas Indian Service, Brakes India, Karcher, Timken, HPCL, IndianOil, Amco Batteries, Radial Trading Centre, were some of the prominent exhibitors at the show.
Also part of the event was a one-day conference on the theme ‘Synergizing Mobility for Sustainable Future’, which brought together various stakeholders from the automotive aftermarket segment who were keen to learn and understand the dynamics in the value chain, global developments and emerging technologies in the field of telematics, intelligent transportation system and lots more.
Addressing the gathering at the inaugural function, Mr. K. Pandiarajan, Minister for Tamil Official Language, Tamil Culture & Archaeology, Government of Tamil Nadu, said: “One of the most important sectors with a competitive advantage in India is the aftermarket automotive sector. Tamil Nadu is the one of the best-connected states in terms of quality of roads and Infrastructure. About 42% of the automobiles and 48% of the auto components in the country are made in Tamil Nadu. The state government is ‘pro-industry’ in terms of taxation, registration, ease of doing business and supporting facilities to the automotive aftermarket sector. The industry should work closely with the government which has a strong interest in the automotive aftermarket as it is one of the largest employment generating sectors in the state.”
The Minister went on to add: “Building aftermarket brands in the industry is the need of the hour. We need to have a world-class aftermarket industry in India which should transcend boundaries and create outlets in every part of the world.”
The Minister, along with other dignitaries on the dais, released a report on ‘Transformational Shifts in Mobility and its Impact on Aftermarket.’
In his welcome speech, Mr. R. Dinesh, Chairman, Auto Serve 2018 and Joint Managing Director, T.V. Sundaram Iyengar & Sons, said: “The automotive aftermarket sector provides four times the employment offered by manufacturing; many of the manufacturing companies survive on the profitability derived from aftermarket.”
“There are around five lakh garages in the country which give employment to nearly seventy-five lakh people and it is important that their skills are upgraded to secure their future. This year’s Auto Serve has representation from 10 countries including UK, USA, Germany, Japan and China who are supporting us in translating our vision into action”, added Mr. Dinesh.
In his address, Mr. Sriram Viji, Member, National Executive Committee, ACMA and Deputy Managing Director, Brakes India, said: “The Indian auto component industry has a turnover of $51.5 billion with a growth rate of close to 18% annually. With around 40% of the automotive aftermarket being represented by the unorganized sector, there is an urgent need to evolve the manufacturing and distribution chain.”