Cummins India – Aditi Sharma, HSE, manufacturing and quality leader

The pandemic has had a major impact on the industry, including automotive. Amongst all the negativities, the need for India to be self-reliant in manufacturing is one of the key positive aspects.

Cummins priority was to protect the health and safety of its people. They even used technological intervention to ensure social distancing.

They helped Cummins globally by exporting more and optimising costs in the best way possible. Today, they supply to 128 countries and exporting more engine components made in India.

The auto sector was in a slowdown last 12-18 months beginning with GST to shared mobility, Axle-load reforms, the BS-IV to BS-VI transition, liquidity crunch and so on. The lockdown has had a multiplier effect.

While the festive season brought back some fervor in specific segments, the overall economic scenario would determine the industry’s performance going forward. The auto component and vehicle industries are closely working together for ‘deep-localization’ and import substitution, which will result in higher value addition by manufacturers, create demand and enhance productivity. While the supply side has been well addressed, in order to further revitalize the auto and auto component industry, there is an urgent need to create vehicular demand as also give thrust to exports.