Internationally-focused SMEs in Tirupur prosper in ‘global village’ ·

 A panel discussion at the event ‘Business Beyond Boundaries’ hosted by DHL for SMEs in Tirupur reveals that SMEs engaged in international markets outperform their local markets

·         ‘Tempered economic growth, infrastructure, customs regulations and an information gap on international trade’ present stumbling blocks for SMEs

“International trade and cooperation is a key driver of small business success” was the main outcome of a panel discussion at the event ‘Business Beyond Boundaries” hosted by DHL for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Tirupur. DHL Express, the world’s leading logistics provider, hosted its first SME event for the entrepreneurs and leaders from the Tirupur SME cluster.

Mr. Sandeep Juneja, VP – Commercial, DHL Express India addressing SMEs at the at the event ‘Business Beyond Boundaries’ in Tirupur 

“DHL Express has been servicing SMEs across India, including Tirupur for over 35 years now. Over the years, the pace of globalization and its effects on SMEs and entrepreneurship is evolving. We see that there is a strong correlation between improved business performance and cross-border trade suggesting that there is a clear benefit for SMEs in going global. 

In India, logistics cost account to 12-13% of business cost compared to 6-7% globally and by providing efficiency in this area DHL can support SMEs in being even more competitive in the global village, “says RS Subramanian, Senior Vice President and Managing Director, India, DHL Express.

The event which is also a platform to address other specialized needs of SMEs like finance and technology among others, engaged close to 100 SME customers from Tirupur. Besides establishing the need for sharper international focus among SMEs, the forum raised some clear hurdles that SMEs with global aspirations are facing. Infrastructure inefficiencies, complex international customs regulations, limited resources are some of key challenges that constrain their competitiveness.

“Industry estimates indicate that in India, the SME sector contributes 45% of industrial output and 40% percent of exports from India. SME units in India today employ 60 million people and generate 1.3 million jobs each year. This is the vital role SMEs and entrepreneurship plays in the growth and development of the Indian economy. 

As a global logistics company we want to make the process of trade more efficient and will continue to tailor our services and solutions to help SMEs grow and compete in the global village,” said Sandeep Juneja, Vice President, Commercial, DHL Express India.

Mr. A Sakhtivel, President, Tirupur Exporter’s Association, Mr. Naval Gupta, General Manager, Indian Overseas Bank, Mr. C Muthuswamy, VP, TANSTIA and Mr. Sandeep Juneja, VP – Commercial, DHL Express India addressing SMEs at the event ‘Business Beyond Boundaries’ in Tirupur on Thursday, 18 September 2014. 

SMEs contribute to close to 50% of the revenue for DHL Express in India. In order to understand the changing environment in a globalized economy, DHL has successfully run SME-focused events in 20 Tier II / Tier III cities, like Ahmedabad, Aurangabad, Baroda, Chandigarh, Chennai, Coimbatore, Indore, Kanpur, Karur, Kolkata, Ludhiana, Madurai, Nashik, Navi Mumbai, Puducherry, Pune, Rajkot, Surat, Tirupur and Vizag.

The event in Tirupur was attended by SMEs from the knitting and garment industry. SMEs in Tirupur contribute to over 85% of the Tirupur revenue and DHL services customers in areas surrounding Tirupur such as Avinashi, Chengapalli, Dharapuram, Kangayam, Mangalam, New Tirupur, Palladam, Somanur and Uthukuli.

DHL Express has maintained its leadership position in India for more than 35 years, and provides access to 695 cities and over 33,000 locations in the country. DHL India has approximately 60,000 customers including importers, exporters, manufacturers, entrepreneurs, wholesalers and small and medium sized units. 

DHL has a robust network of over 350 fleet vehicles on road, 19 dedicated DHL network flights and 100 commercial flights per week. This gives DHL customers all over India unmatched access to an international network of 220 countries and territories where DHL has a presence.

  

Media Contacts:

Nikita Shah                                                                 Sandeep Rao

Manager – Corporate Communications                     Group Head

DHL Express India                                                      Blue Lotus Communications

Tel : +91 9819 346 920                                               Tel : +91 9769 079 275

Email: nikita.shah@dhl.com                                       Email: sandeep@bluelotuspr.com

DHL – The Logistics company for the world

DHL is the global market leader in the logistics and CEP industry and “The logistics company for the world”. DHL commits its expertise in international express, national and international parcel delivery, air and ocean freight, road and rail transportation as well as contract and e-commerce related solutions along the entire supply chain. A global network composed of more than 220 countries and territories and around 315,000 employees worldwide offers customers superior service quality and local knowledge to satisfy their supply chain requirements. DHL accepts its social responsibility by supporting environmental protection, disaster management and education.

DHL is part of Deutsche Post DHL. The Group generated revenues of more than 55 billion euros in 2013.

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