India emerges as a global hub at Auto SCM Summit 2025

India is fast cementing its place as a global automotive manufacturing and export powerhouse, driven by rapid localisation, focused supplier development and an improving logistics ecosystem. Companies are strengthening partnerships, investing in capability building and aligning sourcing strategies to tap into India’s growing role in global supply chains.

At this backdrop, the 9th edition of the Auto SCM Summit 2025 convened on 8 December, 2025 in Chennai, with the theme “Gears of Global Growth: Steering through Uncertainty, Shaping Resilient Automotive Supply Chains.” The summit brought together OEMs, component manufacturers, logistics companies, policymakers, and global supply chain experts. Manufacturers and logistics leaders at the summit warned that while export opportunities are expanding, trade volatility and capacity gaps require urgent capability building and better demand planning.

Joachim von Winning, Director – Cargo Partnerships, Frankfurt Airport, opened the summit by underlining Indo-German trade ties. “India and Germany share a firm trade bond. Automotive is an important part of this. We are sharing trade, trust and technology,” he said, framing India as an increasingly central node in global supply chains.

The first panel examined India’s shift from a regional supplier to a global manufacturing hub. Shyamsundar N, Area General Manager – South & East India, CMA CGM India, said: “We are witnessing India evolving from a regional supplier to a global manufacturing hub for automobiles. We are seeing a trend of global manufacturing companies shifting their production to India.”

Girish DM, Vice President – Truck Purchasing, Volvo Group India, stressed that localisation is about capability, not only cost. “We have a clear localisation strategy for the next few years. We will be engaging with a lot of Indian manufacturers and suppliers. The Make in India strategy of the Indian government is helping the suppliers, manufacturers and us a lot,” he said. Volvo is combining global suppliers operating in India with leading domestic players to strengthen value chains.

Sahil Seshadri, Head – Global Sourcing (India & Southeast Asia), Knorr-Bremse Systems for Commercial Vehicles India, said supplier engagement and development are central to the sourcing strategy. “Cost advantage of localisation is not the only priority, but also capacity development and capacity strengthening. We are here to build the suppliers up, and constant communication with them is the key,” he said, describing a structured “trust but verify” approach to gap analysis and risk management.

ZF Commercial Vehicles is positioning India as an innovation hub. Ponraj Pandian, Head – Materials Management, ZF Commercial Vehicles, said early collaboration with R&D encourages Indian suppliers to take on high-precision global mandates. “We strongly believe in promoting Indian suppliers to our global teams,” he added.

Speakers flagged immediate export headwinds. Shikhar Biswas, Head – Logistics & Supply Chain,International Operations , Farm Equipment Sector, Mahindra & Mahindra, said demand planning is the biggest challenge. “The US is the biggest market for our exports from India, and we have been badly hit since last month, as the US President announced new tariffs for exports from India,” he said, underlining the need for agile planning and market diversification.

Anand Mimani, CEO – EV & New Energy Business, Blue Energy Motors, highlighted India’s strategic advantages and export potential. “India is a very strategically positioned country. It could create a world of its own. We could become an export hub for automotive components. We have to plan better,” he said.

State support also featured. Shanmugapriya Murugananth, Senior Manager – Investment Promotion (Automotive), Guidance Tamil Nadu, said the state is a proactive partner: “Particularly during tariff war-like situations, the government becomes the safety net. We are here to support manufacturers and exporters to build the automotive manufacturing ecosystem here in the state.”

Visibility, data integration and sustainability emerged as next-wave priorities. Agnelo D’Lima, Chief Sales & Marketing Officer (CSMO), Jeena & Company, highlighted digital control towers for end-to-end logistics visibility. Naveen Prakash, co-founder & director of Global Logistics Solutions India, called out structural inefficiencies in trucking and urged data consolidation to enable sustainable trucking adoption.

Sustainability is now a leadership mandate. Michael Moebius, President & Chief Procurement & Supply Chain Officer, Daimler India Commercial Vehicles, said procurement and supply chain teams must lead by example. “Supply chain is the backbone of the economy. If something breaks down in logistics, it impacts the entire economy,” he said during a fireside chat.

The Auto SCM Summit 2025 reinforced a clear verdict: India’s rise in the automotive supply chain is capability-driven, innovation-focused and globally integrated. With deeper localisation, concerted supplier development and stronger ecosystem support, India is actively shaping—not just joining—the next chapter of global automotive manufacturing and logistics.