Though the automobile industry in India has become more vibrant and successful with the entry of multinational vehicle manufacturers ever since the launch of the liberalisation and globalisation drive in 1991, Tata Motors Ltd., the flagship of the Tata Group, has proved beyond doubt that indigenised technology is no longer inferior to the global one. Its reliance on indigenous technology has not only paid a good dividend for Tata Motors in India but also rendered its brand popular at the global level.
This was stated by Mr. Arun Maira, Member, Planning Commission, Government of India, at a function organised by the Madras Chamber of Commerce & Industry in Chennai in connection with the release of the study report “Manufacturing in Tamil Nadu – a Regulatory Roadmap”.
Mr. Maira said he has been very proud of being associated with the Tata Group through which he has learned many good practices. Tata Motors’ CV plant was set up within a shorter time as compared to such projects in Japan and Europe. Today, Tata Motors has emerged one of the world’s leading commercial vehicle manufacturers exporting its vehicles with indigenous technology to several countries across the globe. The company has also set a benchmark for many overseas firms which has set up its operations in India, he added.
Mr. Arun Maira was a member of the Tata Administrative Service and worked in several senior positions in the Tata Group in India and abroad for 25 years, including as Executive Director on the Board of Tata Motors from 1981 to 1989. He worked with Arthur D. Little Inc., the international management consultancy in the US from 1989 to 1999, and as consultant with overseas firms on issues of growth strategies and transformational change. He returned to India in 2000 and joined the Boston Consulting Group as its Chairman. He was appointed as a Member of the Planning Commission in July 2009.
Mr. Arun Maira is also Chairman of the Quality Council of India and Chancellor of the Central University of Himachal Pradesh. He has served the National Council of the Confederation of Indian Industry for many years and chaired several of its national committees. He has also served on the boards of several large corporations, as well as social work organizations and educational institutions in India and abroad.