The Indian Institute of Materials Management (IIMM) is a well-known entity in the field of material management with branches all over India. It has been conducting an annual event known as Spectrum which, as a cross-industry platform, has been gaining momentum year after year. For the Spectrum 2016 conference held in Chennai, the topic was ‘Make in India’ Supply Chain for Global Competitiveness. Its main objective was securing a wider recognition and promoting Material Management in Industry across the country and raising the professional standards with strict adherence to the IIMM code of conduct and ethics.
In his welcome address, Mr. T.A.B. Barathi, Chairman, Spectrum 2016 Conference, and Vice President – Supply Chain, Wheels India Ltd., said the event provide an ample opportunity for the professionals in Supply Chain Management (SCM) to discuss various topical issues and find solutions.
In his special address, Mr. O.P. Longia, National President, IIMM, observed that the Prime Minister’s ‘Make in India’ program represents a major vision for the growth of the country with the backing of strong skills and technology. There is also the need to keep quality in mind, and IIMM is aiming at professionalism at the national level.
As far as Tamil Nadu is concerned, he said, the State has huge potential for SCM professionals as it has got 11 lakh MSME units with a turnover of Rs. 21,500 crores. IIMM has a wide network of 45 branches, 20 chapters with 10,000 members, and a wide spectrum of professionals engaged in various facets of material management and responsible for planning, sourcing, control and distribution of materials and services, and thereby developing innovative approaches in SCM.
He also complimented the Chennai Chapter of IIMM for receiving the Best Branch Award from NASSCOM.
In his inaugural address, Mr. Raju Venkataraman, Managing Director & CEO, MEDALL Healthcare Pvt. Ltd., said today 30-40 per cent of the business is controlled by SCM / Material Management Professionals. SCM is no longer a deskjob creating inventory, and there must be an innovative and think-beyond technology, advancement, cost aspects also.
SCM has its role in every field – be in automobile parts, prototypes, connectivity from designing to delivery and everything falling under this category, he added.
In his keynote address, Prof. G. Srinivasan of IIT Madras, said building supply chain for the future comes under manufacturing, well-supported by Internet of things, 3D printing, additive manufacturing, cloud computing, smart IT, etc.
In his presentation on the Rise of Distributed Marketing, Mr. R. Sridhar, Senior Vice President – Strategic Sourcing Unit, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd., said that India is the second largest two-wheeler market and the fifth largest car market in the world. Hence there is huge demand in the automobile sector for SCM professionals, with the ratio of 18 cars per 1,000 population.
The two-day conference witnessed presentation of by industry experts on topics related to SCM which has become a useful take-away for the delegates who attended it in large numbers.