FADA President's Message February 2004 Post Auto Summit 2004 - Time to Consolidate Gains Deshnidhi Kasliwal Auto Summit 2004, the mega event of FADA has concluded. It is time for all of us to reflect and carry forward the message of the Summit. I believe the Auto Summit offered a platform for fruitful discussions and sharing of experiences. The Summit also provided ample food for thought to automobile dealers, in particular, and helped in getting an insight into the road ahead for all of us through interaction with Government authorities, industry leaders, consultants and professionals. It was really an educative experience. The Summit, no doubt, presented an encouraging picture for the Indian Automotive Industry. The industry is on an upswing. After five painful years of restructuring and industrial engineering, Indian manufacturing has emerged stronger. It has almost everything to make its presence felt in the global market. Road infrastructure development is going full throttle and economic fundamentals are strong. An overall growth trend in the economy goes to prove that India is shining and the Indian industry is shining too. All this should naturally cheer up the automobile dealers, for, their fate is intertwined with the industry. However, the message for automobile dealers that emerged from the deliberations was that the dealers must sit up and take note of the fast changing scenario in which the competition will intensify further and the customer expectations will keep on rising. We, therefore, cannot afford to continue with old management techniques and tools and must respond to the changing needs of the society. There was a unanimous view that customer satisfaction will indeed be the single most important factor in building lifetime relationships, creating customer loyalties, spreading positive word of mouth and leading to growth for both the dealer and the manufacturer. Thus, the entire basis of competition having shifted from product to service relying heavily on total customer experience, automotive dealers must create a strong services brand of their own. The challenge of globalisation is a blessing in disguise, as various sectors and auto sector, in particular, have shown. We, the automobile dealers, therefore, must start looking beyond our domestic boundaries, to set up dealerships abroad. This however, will involve cutomising our offerings and services to the local market needs. The Auto Summit has in fact, thrown open a number of thought provoking ideas and highlighted the challenges and opportunities ahead in auto retail trade. It is our turn now to concentrate on consolidation of relationships and explore new vistas, as, automobile dealers cannot afford to depend on sale margins alone in the present scenario. FADA, as an organization of automobile dealers, is making an earnest endeavour to enlist the support of various stakeholders and contributing its mite in building and consolidating relationships for the promotion of automotive business as a whole. We can learn a lot and enrich our experiences by having regular interaction within the automobile dealer fraternity and with other stakeholders. Better way to tackle the challenges is to build partnerships. While on the subject, I would like to inform that FADA is working at a very fast pace in areas of direct interest to its members. Of the major activities which FADA is right now focusing on is Group 20 programme aimed at improving the viability of automobile dealers. We have already appointed a professional consultant to assist the Group 20 in data collection and compilation and to act as a nodal point for various activities of the Group. We have also launched B2B section in FADA's website for transaction of obsolete inventory lying with FAD A members. Tie-up with vendors including lube oil companies, hotels and airlines, whereby there will be special rates in the case of FADA members for the supplies/services provided by these companies, is also being taken up with a sense of urgency. I would urge my fellow dealers to take an active interest and participate in the activities of FADA. Your suggestions for further improving and strengthening the activities are welcome. With best wishes, Yours sincerely, Deshnidhi Kasliwal President