Charting India's automotive logistics future amidst disruption, innovation

Pune hosted Auto SCM Summit 2024, where industry leaders gathered to navigate the complexities of India's automotive supply chain. Key themes included inventory planning, geopolitical disruptions, technological advancements, and the transition to sustainable transportation.

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The eighth edition of the annual conference and networking event Auto SCM Summit, presented by Indian Transport & Logistics News was concluded on December 5, 2024, at the Sheraton Grand Hotel in Pune. Industry leaders convened to address the pressing logistics challenges facing India's automotive sector including inventory planning, geopolitical disruptions, role of technology, and the shift toward sustainable transportation solutions. Experts also explored strategies to enhance supply chain resilience, leverage digital innovations, and embrace greener fuels.

Inventory planning: Using Al to handle disruptions

The annual automotive logistics conference kicked off with a panel discussion on the logistics challenges faced by the Indian automotive industry and the potential solutions to address them. The panel delved into the key issues impacting the sector, with the audience poll revealing inventory planning as the biggest logistics challenge, followed by dependency on imports, geopolitical disruptions, and freight rates.

Sanjay Suranglikar, Senior General Manager - Central Purchase of TATA AutoComp Systems, provided insights into the company's approach to addressing the logistics challenges faced by the Indian automotive industry. He highlighted the key challenge of managing the supply chain amidst various restrictions and dependencies on imports, particularly from China. "There are a lot of constraints in our supply chain, like anti-dumping duties and Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) restrictions. So, we have to take care of all of this while there is a dependence on raw material from China,” he said.

To counter these challenges, Suranglikar emphasised the importance of diversifying the vendor base. “We have expanded our vendor base to other Asian countries,” he explained.