All articles by ramesh
-
Feature
Indian car carriers caught in the middle of GST accounting ‘nightmare’
Following the rollout of the long-awaited Goods and Services Tax (GST) six months ago, automotive carriers in India are struggling to resolve different customer requirements about how the tax is actually applied to their services.Under the GST, car hauliers can use either a Forward Credit Mechanism (FCM) or a Reverse ...
-
Feature
India’s CCA goes to high court over enforcement of new truck regulations
India’s Car Carrier Association has lodged a petition of complaint with the high court in Jaipur over the way new truck regulations are being enforced in Rajasthan.The problems relate to the enforcement of the Central Motor Vehicle Rules (CMVR) regulation that was introduced in October 2016 with the support of ...
-
Feature
Indian car carriers secure revised rate rises after January protest
India’s car carriers have succeeded once again in negotiating higher rates with the majority of the country’s leading vehicle manufacturers for the transport of vehicles on car transporters conforming to the new 18.75-metre maximum trailer length.Rates for the movement of vehicles on such transporters have increased by 22-23%, a substantial ...
-
Feature
Indian carriers fight penalties and OEM indifference
Vipul Nanda, president of India's Car Carriers AssociationJust when you thought the question of car transporter lengths in India was sorted out, it may be time to think again.Following its draft legislation providing for a maximum length for finished vehicle carriers of 18.75 metres earlier this year, India’s Ministry ...
-
Feature
No longer outlaws
New rules governing Indian car carrier sizes are set to standardise a sector that has been confusing and contradictory for over a decadeAt last, a resolution is in sight to the long-running problem over the maximum vehicle dimensions that apply to the car transporter sector in India. After years of ...
-
Feature
India confirms new maximum length for finished vehicle transporters
The Indian government has confirmed that a new national 18.75 metre maximum length limit will be applied to trucks carrying finished vehicles from April 1st next year.From that date, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has finally decreed, no automotive manufacturers will be allowed to load finished vehicles into ...
-
Feature
Packed with promise
A case study on the ambition and limitations shaping returnable packaging provider Goodpack’s growth in IndiaWhen Mahindra Sanyo Special Steel procured an order in 2010 from FAG for supply of 60 tonnes of rings per month from India to Hungary, dispatch was the critical issue. The buyer made it clear ...
-
Feature
NYK and APM bet on Gujarati ro-ro hub
A new, dedicated ro-ro terminal at Pipavev could become a major west coast export hub for India - but it depends on a number of factors, not least what will happen at the port of MumbaiWhile not without its hiccups, India’s vehicle exports have been on the rise, with some ...
-
Feature
Certainty in sight for Indian carrier lengths?
Most of the Indian passenger vehicle and two-wheeler carrier fleet is technically illegal, thanks to out-dated regulations, conflicting state laws, and a growing gap between industry practice and the law. However, the government may be close to deciding a new standard. The Indian trucking sector, including carriers for passenger ...
-
Feature
Hauling a heavy heart
It has not been an easy couple of years for India’s trailer fabricators, with poor volume and stiff competition. Even as the country seems to be moving towards a standard length, the industry is in need of more focus on quality, as well as efficient and safe designs.The news that ...
-
Feature
Assembling a stable supply structure
Fiat India’s assistant vice-president of corporate purchasing, Sudhir Chikhle, talks to Ramesh Kumar about supplier standards, the obstacles to JIT delivery and greater localised sourcing near its Pune factoryDespite an erratic and sluggish market over the past three years, India still holds considerable promise for Fiat Chrysler. The carmaker has ...
-
Feature
Indian hopes return, problems remain
Automotive sales and confidence are returning, with Indian logistics executives seeing brighter days ahead. While many are looking to the Modi government for reforms, some companies most important improvements may still be internal.Excitement has pervaded the Indian landscape since the May national elections that swept Narendra Modi and his National ...
-
Feature
Looking back: putting customers first in Indian vehicle logistics
Achal Paliwal (left), until recently head of exports and logistics at Honda Cars India, sat down for a pint or two with our India correspondent to discuss a career in vehicle logistics and the evolution of two Japanese companies in India with very different approaches.When long-serving executives step down from ...
-
Feature
Reasons for optimism at APL Vascor – Indian rail reforms
Bill Villalon (pictured), senior vice-president of global automotive for APL Logistics, as well as chairman of the APL Logistics Vascor joint venture in India, talks about his companies strategy for success in introducing advanced rail services in India. Ramesh Kumar: What brought APL Logistics and Vascor together in India? Bill ...
-
Feature
On track for change – Indian rail reforms
In this story... From road to railMaruti goes it all aloneTaking early advantageWaiting for the inevitable Reforms allowing private operators to manage their own rail fleets look set to have a big impact on how Indian carmakers transport their vehicles. Worry lines are clearly discernible on the face of G. ...
-
Feature
Minda's journey from desi to dominance
From humble beginnings to a sprawling automotive network, Indian tier one Minda had to learn supply chain quality along the way.Automotive manufacturers used to build much of their supplies and equipment under their own roof in India. The number of blue and white-collar workers at Premier Automobile, makers of Fiat ...
-
Feature
Maruti Suzuki on raising the Indian supply chain
Competition can do wonders for a business. When rivals outdo a company, it is often forced to explore possibilities that were previously unknown to it. This is something Sudam Maitra, former senior managing executive officer for supply chain at Maruti Suzuki, realised early in a purchasing career that has spanned three decades
-
Feature
Raising the Indian supply chain: MACE wants to "bring on the bad boys!"
Stories in this section: Maruti Suzuki on raising the Indian supply chainQ&A with Sudam Maitra“Bring the bad boys” might sound like an unusual statement from Raghunath Balkrishna Madhekar, senior advisor at the Maruti Centre of Excellence (MACE). But when Madhekar speaks, people listen. It was Madhekar, who has worked at ...
-
Feature
Raising the Indian supply chain: Q&A with Sudam Maitra
Sudam Maitra (pictured) talks to Ramesh Kumar about using third party logistics providers and mapping the tier supply chainRamesh Kumar: You’re planning a new manufacturing facility in Gujarat. Will you entice suppliers to set up factory-side facilities?Sudam Maitra: It will be a mix-and-match. Today, we have a lot of suppliers ...
-
Feature
Track and trace in India: monitoring progress
Collaboration in modern supply chains requires better visibility, but in India there are almost as many views on how to achieve this as there are vehicles in transit. Stories in this section:Glovis's 'control ’ logisticsFiat on control roomsIn this story...Value-adding visibilityCloud suspicionsWho will pay for tracking?Had the Japanese not invented ...