ACMA honours the movers and shakers of India's component industry in CY2020

As it does each year, the Automotive Component Manufacturers Association of India (ACMA), the apex body of the auto component industry in India, has recognised and honoured the top-performing suppliers in the domestic market for the year 2020.

In his opening remarks at the awards function, held virtually, Vinnie Mehta, Director General, ACMA, said: “The ACMA Awards have been there for the past 55 years. This is the first time that everything was done digitally. Right from the nomination to the end, everything was digital. The awards were given in five different categories – Excellence in Export, New Product Design and Development, Manufacturing, HR and HSE (Healthy, Safety & Environment) – and also divided into small, medium, large and very large categories.”

He added, “Today’s event is a celebration of our industry’s indomitable spirit of resilience, grit and determination to remain relevant and grow, and it is a celebration of excellence in performance. Our awards process is continuously refined to truly reflect the changing needs of our industry, as well as evolutions in manufacturing practices.”

What is remarkable and speaks for the resilience of the Indian automotive component industry is the fact that, despite the manifold challenges in a Covid-impacted year, the enthusiasm of the suppliers was not diminished. All of 305 applications were received, vying for the prestigious awards compared to 161 for the 2019 ACMA Awards.

Applauding the spirit of the supplier fraternity, Deepak Jain, President, ACMA, said: “Despite the challenges, we received one of the highest numbers of applications ever. This speaks volumes about the optimism of our industry. I salute this ‘never-give-up’ spirit and congratulate the award winners and applicants.  The vision of an Atmanirbhar Bharat enshrined in the recently announced Union Budget, coupled with the ‘Sankalp’ of ‘Nation-First’ will be the bedrock to propel us forward as we redefine our economy in a post-pandemic world.”

There were more plaudits coming the component industry’s way. Kenichi Ayukawa, President, SIAM and MD-CEO, Maruti Suzuki India, commented: “Over the past year, you all worked hard to keep the value chain running with quality and safety. All the rapid adoption reflects the resolve, agility and openness of the automotive industry. While we are seeing recovery in some segments, the situation continues to be challenging on the business front. To overcome this, component makers and OEMs need to work closer than ever before.”

Nitin Gadkari, Minister for Road Transport & Highways & Minister for Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises, said: “The auto sector has created employment for over 5 million people and has the potential to have 25 million skilled manpower in the near future. It is a key driver of the Indian economy & a top contributor amongst the manufacturing sectors. My request to all of you is, we need to stop imports of auto components. We must make quality alternatives so that we can fulfil the demand in the Indian market at a reasonable cost.” The auto component industry is considered as one of the shining sectors, and one of the 12 champion sectors to achieve the goal of AtmanirbharBharat and Make In India. FY2021-22 is expected to be the year of rebound for the automotive industry with strong growth projections for all segments. The industry is also expected to have double-digit growth.”

Congratulations to all the ACMA Awards winners and also the applicants for pushing the component envelope. Here’s looking at the winners – the movers and shakers of the Indian automotive component industry