Auto Industry Summit Tackles Practical Constraints to Growth

PUNE, India, November 18 - Key executives from India's carmakers are meeting in Pune in two weeks
time to address some of the hard practical issues which constrain the growth
of the country's automotive production capacity.

Constraints include the manufacturing technologies needed to improve
production efficiency, and the investment and skills needed to address
India's woeful logistics problems.

The carmakers include the principal domestic companies like Bajaj, Hero
Mahindra & Mahindra, Maruti and Tata, together with international majors
including Fiat, Ford, GM, Hyundai, Honda, Mercedes-Benz, Renault, Volvo and
VW.

They are meeting at two annual conferences organised by international
magazines Automotive Manufacturing Solutions (AMS) and Automotive Logistics.
The meetings are in Pune from 30 November - 4 December.

'Making the Indian auto industry more competitive at the global level is
the hallmark of this conference,' said Satkar Grewal of Maruti Suzuki after
one of last year's events. Added Pawankumar Chelamkuri of Daimler Hero
Commercial Vehicles: 'There is immense potential when a group of people
sharing the same problems can discuss them under one roof and resolve the
challenges faced.'

Speakers on the formal conference agendas include senior production
executives like MM Singh, executive director for production at Maruti Suzuki,
Tom Chackalackal, vice president of manufacturing at Ford India and Robert
Strain, director of logistics for Asia Pacific at GM.

They will be joined by Presidents/CEOs including Rajeev Kapoor of Fiat
India, Dr Wilfried Aulbur of Mercedes-Benz India and Jörg Müller of
Volkswagen India.

The conference programmes are made up of discussion sessions,
presentations, displays and networking, and include introductory receptions
and business dinners. Around 40 major international companies will show their
technologies and services across the two conferences. They range from ABB,
Lohr and Microsoft to Siemens, Uddeholm and Wallenius Wilhelmsen.

'There was great content and good participation,' said Rajesh Uppal,
chief general manager of Maruti Suzuki after last year's event. 'I'm looking
forward to next year.'

The full list of companies displaying their production technologies,
materials and processes at AMS India is: gold sponsors Microsoft, Siemens and
Uddeholm Assab; silver sponsors ABB, Geico, Sandvik Coromant, Schneider
Electric and Taikisha; bronze sponsors AIDA, Combat Group, Durr, DV
Automation, Haden, Hero, KG Hirotec, Rockwell, Stadco, TAL Manufacturing
Solutions and Trumpf; and exhibitors Castrol, Demag, Kuka Robotics, Oliver
Wyman and Total.

Specialists on show at the Automotive Logistics India conference will be:
gold sponsor Lohr and global sponsor Wallenius Wilhelmsen; and silver
sponsors BLG, Chep, CKDPack, Gati, Mercurio-Pallia, Montara, Mosolf,
Panalpina, Schoeller Arca and Transport Corporation of India.

More information and register to attend at:

Manufacturing: india.amsconferences.com/

Logistics: www.automotivelogisticsindia.com

All these activities are from Ultima Media Ltd, a provider of information
in print, online and at events dedicated to the global business-to-business
automotive industry. www.ultimamedia.com

Contacts:

Marketing Manager Elisabeth Quesseveur:
elisabeth.quesseveur@ultimamedia.com +44-208-987-0902

AMS Conference Chairman Simon Duval Smith:
simon.duvalsmith@ultimamedia.com +44-208-098-0955

Automotive Logistics Conference Chairman Louis Yiakoumi:
louis.yiakoumi@ultimamedia.com +44(0)208-987-0944

Contacts: Marketing Manager Elisabeth Quesseveur:, elisabeth.quesseveur at ultimamedia.com, +44-208-987-0902; AMS Conference Chairman Simon Duval Smith: simon.duvalsmith at ultimamedia.com +44-208-098-0955; Automotive Logistics Conference Chairman Louis Yiakoumi: louis.yiakoumi at ultimamedia.com, +44(0)208-987-0944