Long-term outlook bright despite short-term odds
The second edition of the Commercial Vehicle Megatrends India Conference organised by Automotive World in Chennai on February 26 and 27 was as intriguing, if not more, when compared to the first edition held in 2012. The conference brought to light the tremendous potential of the Indian commercial vehicle market, despite the current temporary setback faced by the industry. The conference attracted participation of leading stakeholders from India’s commercial vehicle industry who expressed their opinions and views on how the future of the industry would unfold in the coming years.
Senior executives from the Indian wings of leading global OEMs, including Daimler, Scania, MAN and Volvo, were present. The meet also attracted the likes of Ashok Leyland, VECV, Mahindra Navistar and AMW. There were also senior representatives from leading Tier-I suppliers in India, including WABCO, Knorr Bremse, Taco Hendrickson, BPW India, Ricardo, Continental, Voith and Norgren.
Apart from highlighting the key megatrends, the conference had sessions on important topics of interest like customer requirements and expectations, an OEM perspective, fleet management, safety and supply chain management. Discussion on fuel efficiency and emissions reduction lasted two complete sessions, indicating the importance of the issue when it comes to sustainable transportation and growth and development of the automotive industry as a whole.
The sessions touched on varied areas such as challenges faced by the stakeholders as a result of the current recessionary phase, technological advancements, including path-breaking innovations in various fields, enhancing efficiency in operations to increase profitability and the long-term prospects in the Indian market.
With questions aplenty from a keenly receptive audience, discussions with the speakers conveniently ran into the networking breaks which provided a good opportunity for the attendees to meet competitors, vendors and customers under one roof.
Overall the conference was a grand success, considering the kind of response it received from the industry and also the top brands which were associated with it as sponsors and partners.