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The purpose of this paper is to identify dimensions of competitiveness, factors affecting the competitiveness and building the framework of competitiveness for the Indian auto-component industry and further develop and validate a survey instrument based on the identified factors.

Dimensions of competitiveness and factors affecting it are extracted out after extensive literature review. A theoretical framework is developed using these factors. A survey instrument is developed based on the theoretical framework and validated through a pilot survey.

In total, 30 variables are found to be reliable in establishing the potential indicators of competitiveness. There are three significant contributions to the theory of competitiveness. It provides a theoretical framework of competitiveness to address the current market conditions of volatility. Second, it incorporates the dimensions like supply chain management, presence of global value chains and employee empowerment. Third, it clearly identifies the dimensions of competitiveness relevant in current context, like ethical behavior of firms, protection of intellectual property and innovation.

The proposed approach provides a good basis for assessing the competitive performance of the companies. This can help researchers and practitioners in deciding how to improve the competitiveness of a company.

The research proposes a theoretical framework for measuring the competitiveness of firms from a specific industry. This study indicates the factors affecting the competitiveness of Indian auto-component industry. The findings can be useful for both researchers and practitioners.

Auto‐components industry is a major subsector of automobile manufacturing sector and largest feeder industry that has put India on the global map for excellence and innovation. The purpose of this case study is undertaken to explore and understand the instruments adopted in designing and implementing the policies by Pune auto‐component small and medium enterprises (SMEs).

The study used published literature and field survey for investigating policies designed and implemented by the SMEs in Pune. Survey was planned for statistical homogeneity on the basis of geography, class of ownership and the period of enquiry. Triangulation between methods, respondents, records and documents, was used to increase accuracy between sources. Structured questionnaire response has been analyzed by logical and statistical techniques to arrive at conclusions. One‐way analysis of variance was employed for statistical analysis to corroborate the findings.

Pune SMEs have revealed the tri‐lateral instrument consisting of conceptualisation, formulation and outcome analysis as a basis for designing policies for business and further exposed bi‐lateral instrument, which uses grouping of core and complimentary approaches for effectively addressing the challenges in business, which extends to their accomplishment of continued existence and development.

This paper will add value to the knowledge base of entrepreneurship and SMEs especially in auto‐components sector. Apart from this it will aid industrialists, entrepreneurs, consultants, and managers in managing SMEs, making better and informed decisions regarding the adoption of a tri‐lateral approach.

The purpose of this study is to analyse different aspects of competitiveness relating to the Indian auto component sector, set within a globalised economy with its attendant pressures and constraints. It examines the strategies adopted for quality improvement, cost reduction, investment and competency development. It also aims to establish the relationship between strategies and the different dimensions of competitiveness.

A questionnaire was used to collect the research data: 75 valid responses were received. Statistical analysis of data acquired from the survey was carried out by a reliability test, t‐test and correlation analysis.

A growth‐supportive environment, raising funds from the market and a shortage of technical manpower are major constraining factors whereas cost, quality, and delivery time are the main pressures on the auto component sector. The auto component sector is flexible in developing strategies and those strategies relating to cost, quality; investment and competency development are significantly correlated with competitiveness.

This study could be further extended by considering other aspects of strategy development, such as human resource, vendor development, organization culture, etc.

Organisations should make the necessary investment to develop new competencies, and should address cost reduction and quality improvement. They should also benchmark themselves against industry standards to sustain competitiveness.

This study will help organizations in shaping competitive strategies and in deciding dimensions of performance measurement.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of Organisational Culture (OC) on total quality management (TQM) implementation in Indian small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the auto component sector. Specifically; it attempts to propose a model linking OC and TQM for this sector.

Survey method was used for data collection by targeting the whole population of 482 Indian auto component SMEs drawn from Auto Component Manufacturers Association members’ database. Out of 482, 150 completely filled questionnaires were taken for data analysis. Proposed relationships among identified dimensions of OC and TQM interventions have been validated through parameter estimation statistics and goodness-of-fit statistics using path analysis technique of structural equation modelling using AMOS 18.0.

Based on the results, a culture influenced TQM model has been developed. The model demonstrates a linkage between cultural dimensions and TQM interventions, thereby suggesting that OC characterised by “openness”, “confrontation”, “trust”, “authenticity”, “proaction”, “autonomy”, “collaboration” and “experimentation” has a significant and positive impact on TQM implementation.

The study presents many practical implications, specifically for quality managers in Indian auto component SMEs. The study has developed a culture influenced TQM model which identifies dimensions of OC that promote TQM implementation. The study also identifies various interventions of TQM in their order of significance, which can be used by SMEs in mapping the critical links between OC and TQM through this model. Thus, findings of the present study will help SMEs in this sector to move up the value chain and sustain their global competitiveness.

The study provides a culture influenced TQM model which would assist managers in quality implementation in Indian auto component SMEs.

The automobile industry in India is one of the sunrise industries and is poised to enhance its contribution from 5 percent of GDP in 2006 to 10 percent by 2016. The auto component industry in India has grown hand in hand with the industry and is in the process of transforming itself from being a “Job order fulfiller” to being an “Integrated organization”. With the liberalization process having started in 1991, most auto component manufacturers in India have chosen the easy path of attempting to progress on operational or manufacturing capabilities. For advancing on technology capability dimension, they mostly relied on international collaborations. The purpose of this paper is to study the strategic technology management (STM) practices in select case organizations in the auto component industry in India.

The methodology employed for this study is a combination of literature survey, expert opinion, comparative case study and a flexible systems methodology, situation‐actor‐process‐learning‐action‐performance analysis. Longitudinal studies of technology development at the two case organizations have been done and the case analysis and synthesis has been developed based on valuable inputs and insights shared by key personnel in the case organizations.

The study finds that two different organizations have adopted different technology strategies. While both case organizations have strong linkage between business and technology strategy, the approach has been reasonably different for technology acquisition and development. The findings suggest that an effective STM can contribute to faster technology absorption and overall business performance. Organizations in India need to develop the in‐house capabilities along with suitable technology acquisitions, wherever required.

The two cases provide valuable insights into STM practices in two organizations and highlight the methodology adopted by the companies in their evolutions toward becoming world‐class integrated organizations. The learning can provide the way forward for capable firms in the auto component industry in India.

The purpose of this paper is to find out the different types of business networks formed by firms with the stakeholders present in a cluster, i.e. how firms in a cluster interact with the cluster stakeholders?

To answer the research question, this study uses an exploratory research design, which is carried out in two stages, Stage 1 involves use of primary data, which was collected through semi-structured personal face-to-face interview mode and Stage 2 involves survey research method where data was collected through a survey questionnaire. Data for interviews and questionnaires were collected from managers and owners of firms operating in the cluster at their offices.

The study has identified four types of business networks between a firm and its buyers, only one type of business network with the suppliers and educational institutes, finally two types of business networks with government agencies and local associations. However, with respect to network with other stakeholders such as research institutes and competitors, the study shows that the interaction between a firm and these stakeholders is not strong i.e. the linkages between them remain largely unfilled.

The study has been limited to only one cluster thus it might not be appropriate to generalise the findings. Further research in this area needs to be done by taking other clusters to generalise the findings.

The study has tried to answer the research gap of lack of literature on types of business networks formed by firms with the stakeholders present in an industrial cluster, and thus, contributed to the existing literature of business networks. The identified business networks provide a much deeper understanding of how firms connect with its buyers, its suppliers, government agencies and educational institutes operating in an auto-component cluster.

The purpose of the paper is to investigate the effect of TQM principles on organisational performance in Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Indian Auto Component Sector.

The paper is based on survey data collected from quality heads of 120 Auto component SMEs in India and uses correlation and regression analysis to test the relationships between quality management principles and organizational performance.

The study provides evidence that application of TQM principles such as ‘Process Approach’, ‘Mutually Beneficial Supplier Relationship’ and ‘Factual Approach to Decision-Making’ has a positive influence on the performance of Indian Auto component SMEs.

This study presents a number of managerial implications, specifically for quality managers in Indian Auto component SMEs. The focus of these organizations should be on strengthening the supply chain and operations. The quality managers need to align processes and resources based on factual approach to decision making for achieving higher organizational performance. Management of the organizations should also analyse why the soft aspects of TQM namely, Involvement of People, Customer Focus and Leadership are not contributing to the organizational performance in Indian Auto component SMEs.

This paper identifies the key quality management principles that can influence organizational performance in SMEs in the Indian Auto component sector whereas most existing studies have focussed only on Tier-1 organization in this sector. Unlike previous studies on this subject, the present study highlights the significant impact of predominantly hard factors of TQM such as ‘Process Approach’ and ‘Factual Approach to Decision-Making’ with only one soft factor of TQM namely, ‘Mutually Beneficial Supplier Relationship’ being significant.

This paper aims to analyze whether the domestic policy reforms in India would suffice, or there is a need to conform to stricter international standards as well. The paper is arranged along the following lines. First, the paper offers a brief review of the cooperation in the field of harmonization of vehicle regulations which is provided by the so-called WP.29 Forum. Second, the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) standards and their membership along with Indian participation in the forum are presented. Third, reforms in India through the “Make in India” (MII) initiative and its trade in the auto-component segment are analyzed. Fourth, the possible non-tariff barriers (NTBs) on imports of auto-components in select partner countries is computed and presented. Fifth, the penetration pattern of partner countries in India’s automotive sector export value chain is analyzed. Finally, based on the observations, key policy conclusions are drawn both from global and Indian perspectives.

This paper blends expertise in law and economics and enables readers to have a finer understanding of the automotive sector which is one of the most internationalized product groups in world trade, characterized by not only cross-border movement of final products, but also of intermediate products like auto-parts and components as well as major global investment and relocation decisions. This paper focuses on India for four crucial reasons, which makes India both a key player (and potential disruptor) at global level and the rather complex approach chosen by the country vis-a-vis many regulations (including UNECE and WTO), reflecting its tendency to rely on domestic consolidation through measures such as the 2014 MII initiative.

The data analysis in the current paper indicates that after conforming to the UNECE 1998 standard, India’s relative trade with these countries has increased both in terms of auto-components and automobile products. Moreover, the value contribution from these partner countries in India’s exports is rising. On the other hand, the relative share of the UNECE 1958 countries in India’s trade basket has declined and a mixed trend is noticed for the common contracting parties (CPs). In addition, the share of the countries without accession to any of the UNECE agreements in India’s trade has shown an upward trend. The observation indicates that the divergence in automotive product standards might crucially influence India’s trade flows. It seems that in the short run, an orientation for exporting to UNECE 1998 partners and non-members emerges as a dominant strategy, underlining a specialization in medium-quality segment. Nevertheless, the long-term robustness of such a move deserves closer analysis, particularly by focusing on whether India may need to join the UNECE 1958 agreement to sustain its export growth. Before joining UNECE 1998, the sector has enjoyed protection through high tariff barriers. Given the differing perspective on opening-up, automobile sector earlier emerged as an obstacle in conclusion of EU–India Bilateral Trade and Investment Agreement (BTIA), which is being negotiated since 2007. However, after entry into an regional trade agreement (RTA), tariff preference in itself may not provide a country the requisite market access. The recent standard-setting exercises in ASEAN, a group with which India is deepening trade integration since 2010, may be considered as a case in point.

The analysis so far indicates that absence of participation in UNECE 1958 standard may restrict future options for India. Presently, Indian vehicle exports are reaching UNECE 1998 member countries (e.g., Ford India sending Ecosport to USA). It is also directed towards African and Latin American countries, presently not part of any agreement. However, the ASEAN countries, currently partnering India through free trade agreement (FTA), are increasingly moving towards UNECE 1958 standards. India’s sectoral trade surplus with ASEAN countries over 2009-2013 to 2014-2018 has declined from US$548.44mn to US$529.53mn, respectively. The potential challenges in reaching ASEAN and other UNECE 1958 member countries, in turn, may influence the relocation decisions of global auto majors in India, defeating the core purpose of MII initiative.

Given the scenario, a number of policy choices for India emerge. First, joining UNECE 1958 may not be a short-run option for India, but after evaluating the evolving trade pattern, in the long run, the country may consider adopting certain core 1958 standards, in line with its economic interests. Such a move may facilitate greater export flows from India to UNECE 1958 countries. The experience of Indonesia and Vietnam, who have conformed to select UNECE 1958 standards in spite of not being formally part of any agreement, deserves mention in this regard. Second, it is observed that India’s trade balance (TB) is not improving for several Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) member countries, in spite of obtaining tariff preferences through an existing trade bloc. Part of the poor performance has been explained by Indian exporters often using the most favoured nation route rather than the preferential route, to avoid the associated compliance-related complexities. The standards and mutual recognition agreements (MRAs) conformance provisions in ASEAN–India FTA are also found to be weaker vis-à-vis the comparable provisions for other ASEAN-centric bilateral RTAs with other RCEP members. This underlines the need for both rules of origin (ROO) reforms and agreement on MRAs, which may enhance the trade potential in general and in automotive sector in particular. In the short run, India should therefore attempt to enhance exports to the UNECE 1998 members and CPs, given the commonality in standards. However, in the long run, there is a need to explore harmonization with certain core 1958 standards, to promote exports in general and even within its RTAs in particular.

The automotive sector is one of the most internationalized product groups in world trade. It is known that harmonization of product standards with partner countries can facilitate bilateral trade flows. Presently, three agreements exist for harmonization of automotive standards relating to passenger and vehicle safety under the aegis of UNECE – UNECE 1958, UNECE 1997 and UNECE 1998. Through a series of reforms and launch of the MII initiative in 2014, India has deepened its presence in world automotive sector trade and aspires to play a bigger role in coming days. Moreover, India is a WTO member and has joined the UNECE 1998 standard in 2006, which means that several important conventions regulate and bind the country. The current paper intends to analyze whether the domestic policy reforms in India would suffice in promoting the exports from this sector, or there is a need to conform to stricter international standards. The data analysis reveals that India’s relative trade orientation is deepening towards the UNECE 1998 members and countries not part of any UNECE agreements. On the other hand, the relative trade share of the UNECE 1958 countries in India’s trade basket has declined and a mixed trend is noticed for the common CPs. The analysis indicates that the divergence in automotive product standards might crucially influence India’s trade flows in general and participation in international production networks in particular. The paper argues that in the long run, India needs to consider adherence to certain UNECE 1958 standards as well as speeding up the pending domestic reforms.

This study aims to identify the approaches and strategies adopted by Pune auto-component small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to achieve excellence with an in-depth literature review and deep observation. SMEs’ contribution is acknowledged worldwide. Auto-component SMEs, a major sub-sector and largest feeder of automobile manufacturing, have placed India on the global map for excellence and innovation. Like the corporate, SMEs have also started adopting integrated approaches and strategies to face the competitive world, yet incidences of unproductive SMEs are rising. Business breakdown is attributed to capital deficiency and incompetent usage. Amidst this, Pune auto-component SMEs are thriving well.

This paper presents an in-depth literature review and deep observation.

Findings include identifying the approaches and strategies adopted by Pune auto-component SMEs to achieve excellence.

This paper identified the approaches and strategies for achieving excellence and the basis of innovation in SMEs.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the status of lean manufacturing in Indian automotive sector, component manufacturing industries in terms of lean adoption, benefits, motivation, and challenges of implementing lean manufacturing practices.

The research objectives were achieved by conducting a qualitative multicase study approach. Fourteen Indian automotive component manufacturing small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) were chosen based on their different product offerings as well as differing approaches to the introduction and implementation of lean initiatives. Data were collected through in-depth, semistructured interviews supported by shop-floor observations.

The findings from the present study suggest that some of the participating automotive component manufacturing SMEs have a relatively good understanding of lean concepts and philosophy. However, there is room for further improvement for most SMEs. Major top five lean practices being implemented were found to be cellular manufacturing, total productive maintenance, 5S, work standardization, and quality management practices. Also, leadership and organizational culture were found to be crucial factors for the success of lean manufacturing.

The fact that the data collected for the research study is based on subjective business evidence obtained from company representatives comprises the main limitation of the present study. So, the results should be considered with caution, as far as the lean adoption in Indian automotive component manufacturing sector is concerned.

Based on the present study, suggestions can be made regarding the successful adoption of lean principles, not only for the participating SMEs but also for the whole of the automotive component manufacturing sector. More specifically, by determining the strength and weakness of automotive component manufacturing SME's effort to adopt lean, suitable managerial initiatives can be undertaken by these companies as well as the whole sector to fully adopt lean and derive the respective benefits.

This paper explores the status of lean adoption in Indian automotive component manufacturing SMEs. Considering the unique characteristics of the automotive component manufacturing industry, the present research would be helpful for making strategies to implement lean in automotive component manufacturing industry setups.