Ashok Leyland, the flagship of the Hinduja Group and the second largest commercial vehicle manufacturer in India, organised its 11th Supplier Summit in Chennai on April 22. With its futuristic theme titled ‘Conquer New Frontiers’, the Summit witnessed participation by over 300 supplier partners from across geographies. Ashok Leyland attempted to use this unique platform as an industry benchmark, helping bridge the distance between the company and its supplier partners and set goals for the next fiscal.
The leading proposition of this year’s theme was the Intelligent Exhaust Gas Recirculation (iEGR) technology. Pioneering the indigenous development and application of the iEGR technology, Ashok Leyland is the only domestic OEM to implement this technology successfully for its products above 130 hp. This technology was showcased along with its benefits and how it will affect the company and the supplier partners’ business.
Setting the tone of the Summit, Mr. Vinod K. Dasari, MD and CEO, Ashok Leyland, shared the future roadmap of the company and the integral role that Ashok Leyland’s partners have to play in conquering new frontiers. Showcasing newer markets covered last year and the need to expand the company’s footprint further, he highlighted his company’s presence in the domestic and international markets.
Giving an overview of the industry, Mr. R. Sivanesan, Senior Vice President, Quality, Sourcing and Supply Chain, further expanded on the theme of the summit. He shared the company’s learnings from last year – the trends that have potential – and also set the expectations from the supplier partners for the next fiscal year.
Setting the target for next year, Mr. Kamal Basha, Head – Sourcing and Supply Chain, further expanded on the expectations from supplier partners and also briefed them on the initiatives taken by Ashok Leyland for supplier capability improvement.
With Aftermarket being identified as a key pillar for the company’s growth, Mr. Sanjeev Kumar, Head – Aftermarket, explained his strategy and how his team has prepared to support them.
This session was followed by an open house where all points were discussed and targets were agreed upon.
Recognising and appreciating the work done by the supplier partners, a prize distribution ceremony followed the open house session. Over 20 best performing suppliers received awards in seven different categories – Quality, Cost Competitiveness, Delivery, Development, Aftermarket Support, Business Alignment and Best Debutant. For the first time in this Summit’s history, the highly coveted ‘Supplier Samrat’ title was awarded based on the supplier’s problem solving capability.
As part of the Summit, a one-of-its-kind Product Expo was also arranged. This massive display of Ashok Leyland’s range of products and services was organised at the Chennai Trade Centre where all the stakeholders of the company were invited. The expo was a testimony to the evolution of Ashok Leyland into a world-class manufacturer.
All the supplier partners were given an experience of this entire range and their contribution was specifically highlighted and appreciated. Seeing their contribution manifest into world-class products and services, the display at the expo was highly appreciated by the supplier partner community and all other stakeholders who visited the expo.