Hyundai and Ford remain brand ambassadors for TN
By R. Natarajan, Managing Editor & Publisher
CII’s Tamil Nadu State Annual Day which was held recently clearly proves that the state which was the vanguard for industrialization for several decades now requires rebranding to regain its past glory. Almost all the businessmen in the state feel, but for the recent political crisis, Tamil Nadu remains one of the major destinations for investments due to its inherent strengths available in the form of skilled labor, infrastructure facilities, etc. Hence, it is time for the Government to take a more serious and pro-active approach to make the state a front-runner again.
Inaugurating the day-long conference, Mr. Suresh Prabhu, Minister for Railways, Government of India, said Tamil Nadu has all the ingredients to become the most developed state in India. Its major advantages are its geographical location, inspiration from the past, entrepreneurship and its people. Adding that with Tamil being one of the most ancient languages and that its history can help Tamil Nadu to grow further, Mr. Prabhu indicated that he is keen to work with the state under its Vision 2030 Plan.
In her special address, Ms. Shilpa Prabhakar Satish, who has recently taken over as Executive Vice Chairperson, Tamil Nadu Industrial Guidance & Export Promotion Bureau, said that Tamil Nadu is working hard towards various reforms for improving the ease of doing business. According to NCAER study reports, the state ranks No.3 in the country and is the best in handling labor reforms. The Tamil Nadu Industrial Guidance Bureau has been set up for the first time for providing assistance for the investors and as a strong state of bureaucracy, its people are the most resilient in the country and will help the state to go forward, she added.
According to Mr. Seiji Baba, Consul General, Consulate General of Japan, there is an improving connectivity among Asian nations and that India is the most promising destination for the Japanese companies.
Mr. B.C. Datta, Vice President, Hyundai India Motor Ltd., while sharing his views on Hyundai’s investment experience in Tamil Nadu, said, when Hyundai Motor Corporation wanted to go outside Korea for the first time, India was its preferred choice. Hence, in 1996, Hyundai decided to put up its plant outside Korea in Tamil Nadu. With 17 per cent market share, Hyundai Motor India Ltd., has become the second largest car maker exporting to 92 countries from its Chennai plant. Overall, Tamil Nadu is the home state for many Korean companies and HMIL has become a role model for many others including its competitors. He complimented the State Government for offering lots of support including tax incentives which have made Hyundai become a very successful exporter of cars. The manufacturer will be investing around Rs. 5,000 crores over the next 2-3 years to ramp up production as well as boost exports. The company has recently completed 20 years of existence in India with the distinction of retaining Shah Rukh Khan as a brand Ambassador for a very long period.
Mr. Balasundaram Radhakrishnan, Site Plant Manager, Ford India Private Ltd., in his views, said Tamil Nadu is a proud destination for Ford which was established in 1995. The production of Ford vehicles have gone up from 30,000 to 1,50,000 units in a year of which 70 per cent are exported to 97 countries including Europe, South Africa, etc. and for the company it is truly a good experience to have set up its base in the state.
The others speakers who shared their experience and views on Tamil Nadu included Mr. S. Mahalingam, Past Chairman, CII (SR), Mr. T. Kannan, Managing Director, Thiagarajar Mills Ltd., Mr. Lakshmi Narayanan, Vice Chairman, Cognizant Technology Solutions, Mr. Raju Venkataraman, Founder Chairman, Medall Healthcare (P) Ltd., Mr. Parvez Alam, Chief Operating Officer, UCAL-JAP Systems Ltd., Dr. S. Gurushankar, Chairman, Meenakshi Mission Hospital, Mr. G.V. Anand Bhushan, Partner, Head – Chennai Office, Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas, Mr. N. Ramachandran, Managing Director, Mel Systems, Mr. V. Vijay Kumar, Chief Representative, Netherlands Business Support Office, Chennai, Mr. John Fleming, Commercial Consul, Consulate General of the United States of America, etc.
Also the speeches of Mr. Ramesh Kymal, Chairman, CII Tamil Nadu State, Mr. Ramesh Datla, Chairman, CII Southern Region, Mr. Vikram Kirloskar, Deputy Chairman, CII Southern Region, and Mr. P. Ravichandran, Vice Chairman, CII Tamil Nadu, during the inaugural session provided interesting insights.