January 16, 2002
'17A'
CONFERENCE ON AUTOMOTIVE TECHNOLOGIES INAUGURATED
Shri Manohar Joshi, Minister for Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises has said that a technology wave for global leadership in the automobile industry is the urgent need of the hour. Industry and government must work together to identify product technologies of the future. Shri Joshi was speaking at the Sixth International Conference on World Class Manufacturing Technologies in the Automotive Industry here today. The Minister urged the industry to accelerate R&D efforts, especially in critical areas, like alternative fuels. He said a presence in the international market would be possible only through quality oriented technology.He said that for the next few years government and industry need to continue focussed efforts in the areas of emission and fuel efficiency as also safety requirements of automobiles. He reiterated the need for the industry to remain competitive in terms of both technology and costs. To remain in the business the industry needs to plan and generate innovative ideas associated with design quality and process control. R&D facilities will have to become inter-disciplinary and should include technical marketing and economic skills to develop new products and services. He also said that the government proposes to make an investment of Rs.750 crore during the Tenth Plan Period to improve R&D facilities in the automobile industry.
The two-day Conference is jointly organised by the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII), Automotive Component Manufacturers Association of India (ACMA) and Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM). S/Shri Hari S. Bhartia, Shri Jagdish Khattar, Shri Manohar Joshi, Shri Deep Kapuria, Shri Abhay Firodia, Shri Ramesh Jain also