AMCHAM-Cornell-Catallysts Knowledge Breakfast – 18th December 2015

On 18th December 2015, AmCham conducted a thought session on Redefining Innovation with Dr. Soumitra Dutta, Eleventh Dean and Professor of management and organizations in the Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management at Cornell University.

The panelist presented a great insight followed by a good discussion. It was a good thought for all participants.

Meeting with Mr. Ajay Shankar, Chairman, Expert Committee on Regulatory Approvals – 18th December 2015

Mr. Ajay Shankar, Chairman, Expert Committee on Regulatory Approvals, invited commercial representatives of key missions and country specific chambers, including AmCham, for an interaction on 18th December 2015. On behalf of AmCham, Ms. Madhvi Kataria along with Mr. Samit Ray, Director – Government Affairs, United Technologies Corporation, participated in the meeting.

The participants raised issues relating to infrastructure, availability of land, delay in approvals, security and quality testing, etc. Mr. Ajay Shankar said that he was aware of most of these issues and would be including them in the report that he will be submitting to DIPP.

AMCHAM ICT Committee Meeting – 17th December 2015

The AmCham ICT Committee meeting under the chairmanship of Mr. Amit Sharma, Executive Vice President, President Asia, ATC Tower Company of India Pvt. Ltd., along with Co-Chairmen, Mr. Naveen Tandon, Director – IEA, AT&T Communication Services India Private Limited; and Mr. Vivek Vasishtha, Country Leader – Government and Regulatory Affairs, IBM India Pvt. Ltd., was held through a conference call on 17th December 2015.

The meeting discussed issues relating to IoT policy, M2M guidelines, encryption policy, effective public procurement, BIS safety testing, security testing, cloud policy, and data localisation. It was decided that AmCham would send representations on these issues to the concerned government authorities.

Meeting with Mr. Rajiv Aggarwal, Joint Secretary, Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion, Government of India – 16th December 2015

Mr. Ajay Singha and Ms. Madhvi Kataria called on Mr. Rajiv Aggarwal, Joint Secretary, DIPP, GOI, on 16th December 2015 in his office to express AmCham’s interest in participating in the Make in India Week to be held from 13th to 18th February 2016 in Mumbai.

Mr. Aggarwal said that he was looking after the session on design along with India Design Forum. AmCham suggested that this session could be enlarged to include innovation and R&D.

Presentation and Interactive Discussion on Industrial & Logistics Sevices, SCM Competencies – 16th December 2015

On 16th December 2015, the AmCham Supply Chain and Logistics Committee organized a presentation and interactive discussion on industrial and logistics services, SCM competencies at the E.I. DuPont India Pvt. Ltd office, Mumbai. The event, which was well attended by members of the committee and SCL leaders of member companies, aimed to be an informative and interactive session.

Mr. Nikhil Kush, Chairperson – Supply Chain & Logistics Committee, Amcham and South Asia Supply Chain Leader- E.I. DuPont India Pvt. Ltd. opened the event by welcoming the participants present. Mr. Kush aptly shared a brief note on the efforts of the SCL committee to be a platform that brings together supply chain professionals to address issues and challenges in the field.

The event’s first speaker, Mr. Soumyakant Dwivedi, Head Supply Chain-Becton Dickinson India Pvt. Ltd., shared a presentation on the core competencies in supply chain management. The presentation was based on practices at Becton Dickinson, which is a leading global medical technology company. Mr Dwivedi stressed on the importance of creating a system that is simple, effective, efficient and safe while keeping in mind the customer’s needs in today’s rapidly changing environment. The need to build a core competency model to nurture future growth and skill development was the focus of the presentation. This core competency model through its assessment, review, training and sustainability when implemented will create self awareness, promote continuous improvement, learning agility, a cross functional mindset among a highly motivated and capable workforce.

Mr. Dennis Yeo, Managing Director, Asia – Industrial and Logistics Services – CBRE Pvt. Ltd. took the afternoon forward with his presentation on the market outlook 2016 in the logistics sector with a focus of real estate. Mr. Yeo began by sharing the APAC economic overview, a 2016 forecast of real GDP growth, the Nielson Consumer Confidence Survey of Q3 2015 and a consumer price index. He stated that the key trends in logistics 2016 and the coming years are:

E-Commerce – the key demand driver for modern logistics facilities
Consolidation and cost-savings amid supply choices
Conversion – redevelopment of old factories/warehouses

Mr. Yeo discussed revitalization and rezoning of old industrial properties. The discussion also touched upon the GST reform which is expected to spur large scale consolidation, warehouse network re-engineering and demand for regional logistics facilities.

The event concluded with Mr. Kush giving the vote of thanks to the speakers who through their presentations engaged the room in an interactive sharing of ideas and insights. Mr. Kush expressed his gratitude to the committee members and participants from the various AmCham member companies for attending in good number and contributing once again to help build the momentum for future supply chain events.