ATMA Annual Convention 2018, the flagship event of the tyre industry in India, concluded with a call for closer collaboration between the tyre industry and its stakeholders, especially the auto OEMs, for unfolding the mega potential of the industry’s rich value chain.
As one of the largest conferences on the automotive calendar of India, the ATMA Convention brought together automotive and tyre industry leaders, top policy makers, Government officials, thought leaders and consultants. The deliberations helped chalk out the agenda for the future while discussing the current realities of the tyre industry.
In his welcome address, Mr. Satish Sharma, President – APMEA, Apollo Tyres, and ATMA Chairman, said: “Having played its well deserved role as a lead sector of manufacturing, the tyre industry in India is at the cusp of a significant growth. At a time when private investment cycle in India is yet to be revived, the Indian tyre industry has invested over Rs. 45,000 crores ($7 billion) in recent years.
He added: “FY18 has been a breakthrough year for the tyre industry. The Government has supported the tyre sector by way of imposing Anti Dumping Duty (ADD) on truck and bus radial tyres from China and by increasing the customs duty on tyres to 15% (from 10%) in the Union Budget”.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Suresh Prabhu, Union Minister of Commerce & Industry, said: “All stakeholders (producers and consumers of rubber) need to work together along with the Government to arrive at a policy that is conducive to the growth of the Indian rubber sector and meets the needs of both rubber growers and consumers. The tyre industry is the engine of mobility and is truly the soul of the auto sector. Growth in the tyre sector indicates a growing auto sector and in turn a growing economy.”
That the tyre industry is globally competitive and geared to take on the world came out clearly in the high profile panel discussion on the tyre industry participated in by Mr. Neeraj Kanwar, VCMD, Apollo Tyres, Dr. Raghupati Singhania, CMD, JK Tyre & Industries, and Mr. Arun Mammen, VCMD, MRF. In one voice, industry leaders showed their commitment for continuing manufacturing excellence and make a mark globally.
Mr. Rakesh Batra, Partner and National Leader Automotive, Ernst and Young made a theme presentation on Redefining Tyre Industry – OEM Partnership. In a panel discussion, four top executives of the tyre industry with years of experience of partnering with Auto-OEMs discussed the future of mobility and the respective roles of tyre and auto sectors. The panelists included Mr. Ajay Sevekari, Director, Bridgestone India, Mr. Minaz Hassam, CFO and MD, Continental India, Mr. V.K. Misra, Technical Director, JK Tyre, and Mr. Koshy Varghese, Executive VP, MRF Ltd.
While terming the Indian tyre industry as a mature and established industrial segment, the Chief Guest at the valedictory session, Mr. Amitabh Kant, CEO, NITI Aayog, exhorted the industry to take disruptions in the automotive sector in its stride and continue to remain focused on manufacturing excellence.
In his theme address on the tyre industry – Government Partnership, Mr. Anant Goenka, MD, CEAT, and Vice Chairman, ATMA, said the tyre industry and the Government have been working in sync with each other, and in the coming days the industry looks forward to much closer co-operation. He emphasized the need to accelerate the process of Natural Rubber Policy formulation for optimum growth of the rubber value chain and addressal of inverted duty structure.
An important highlight of the first ATMA Convention was the release of a series of reports and studies. A Tyre Industry Research Report titled “Turning the Wheels of Progress” was released by Mr. Suresh Prabhu. Prepared by the Thought Arbitrage Research Institute (TARI), headed by Mr. Kaushik Dutta, the report underlines tyre industry’s competitiveness, export achievements and the policy enablers which could accelerate the industry’s growth.
Mr. Amitabh Kant released a Study on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) by the tyre sector in India. A commemorative volume on the Indian tyre industry’s journey over the years was also released on the occasion.
Fleet management companies have been playing a key role in improving the competitiveness of the transportation sector. At the first Convention, ATMA launched Fleet Management Awards to recognize the excellence in the sector. Five awards were conferred in the fields of Drivers’ Training & HR Practices, Safety Initiatives, Adoption of Technology / Telematics, Adoption of Efficiency Measures and Corporate Social Responsibility.
Mr. Amitabh Kant presented the awards to the winners at a glittering ceremony.