Communiqué November 2009 | 1 - CII

competitivenesstowards excellenceEffective Inventory ManagementA kick off awareness session was held on 27 Octoberin Jodhpur to share the benefits of the programme.Marketing Strategy for SMEsA one day interactive workshop on ‘Marketing Strategy& Brand Communications for SMEs on 27 Octoberin New Delhi discussed the basics of marketing andsubsequently addressed specific issues of prime concernto the participating companies. The workshop wasconducted by faculty from IMT, Ghaziabad.Manufacturing Excellence MissionTraining on Effective Inventory Management, LudhianaA training programme on Effective Inventory Managementon 13 October in Ludhiana highlighted how inventorycould become one the two biggest assets on thecompany’s balance sheet, if managed effectively.7 QC Tools- Essentials of Lean ManufacturingThe training programme on 7 QC Tools - Essentialsof Lean Manufacturing on 26 October in Gurgaonupdated participants about one of important elementsof Lean Manufacturing: 7 QC Tools (popularly knownas problem-solving tools). Seven QC tools are used toanalyze the production process, identify major problems,control fluctuations of product quality, and providesolutions to avoid future defects. Statistical literacy isnecessary to effectively use these tools to improveinternal competitiveness.Cluster Programme for Energy EfficiencyThe Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE), Government ofIndia, in coordination with the CII LM Thapar Centre forCompetitiveness for SMEs has taken up an initiative toenhance the energy efficiency of limestone manufacturingunits across Jodhpur, Rajasthan through the BEE – CIIJodhpur Limestone SME Cluster Programme.Around 79 units in this cluster are engaged inmanufacturing limestone in the Jodhpur region ofRajasthan. The Centre will conduct energy audits andtechnology gap assessment studies for 30 of theseunits. For the remaining units, a preliminary energy auditassessing the overall energy use iand technology gapassessment will be conducted.Manufacturing Excellence Mission for World Class ManufacturingA CII-LM Thapar Center for Competitiveness ManufacturingExcellence Mission visited Hyundai Motors India Ltd,WABCO TVS, Rane India Ltd and Lucas TVS in Chennaion 27-28 October. The plant visits enabled the missionmembers to understand the best and innovative practicesof these companies to be more cost effective.Communication & Presentation SkillsToday professionals across the board need to improvetheir impromptu verbal communication skills to meet thechallenges of change. To hone these skills, the CII LMThapar Centre for Competitiveness for SMEs organized aWorkshop on Communication and Presentation Skills on30 October in New Delhi. The Workshop used practicalexamples, worksheets and memory jogging tools tofacilitate the learning process.12th TCI Annual Globe ConferenceAn international group of developers, researchers,business leaders and policy-makers met in Jyvaskyla,Finland, on 12-16 October for the 2009 TCI AnnualGlobal Conference. Their goal was to jointly create newsolutions for enhancing the competitiveness of businesses,regions and clusters. The programme provided inspirationfrom top experts, inputs from the Finnish innovationenvironment and local clusters, global experiences alongthe themes and innovative working methods.More than 350 delegates from 50 countries participated inthe conference to showcase different models of clusters.Mr Harinder Jeet Singh, Head, L M Thapar Centre forCompetitiveness, addressed the conference on ‘SMEClusters for Competitiveness – Value for Money ’.Communiqué November 2009 | 37