Introduction

As in the previous three years, Siemens Industry Software (India) Pvt Ltd, based in Gurgaon, had organized the 4th Indian Shipbuilding Executive Summit at the Taj Mansingh Hotel at New Delhi on 02 Jun15. Over 50 delegates from the Indian Navy and various organizations in the Shipbuilding industry in India attended.

Since the inception of these summits by Siemens in 2012, the IMF has been a partner and a co-host, with the American Society of Naval Engineers, the US Coast Guard and the American Bureau of Shipping. Every year these Summits have been hugely successful; they are well attended by experienced office bearers from the US, and serving and retired senior technical officers from the MOD ( Navy) in Delhi, as well as from the public and private shipyards in India, so much so that the Siemens Industry has carved a significant niche for itself in the maritime circles in Delhi, by offering a lively forum every year for valuable interactive discussions on the shipbuilding theme of the year.

Summary of Talks

The theme this year was, “Make in India – Impact on Shipbuilding “, introduced in his opening address by Brig Prakash Tolani ( Retd), Senior Director, Siemens. The Keynote Address was delivered by Vice Adm KR Nair, who had recently retired from the Navy as the Chief of Material. The next speaker was, Mr Bert Geisler, visiting from Siemens Singapore, who spoke on “Global Shipbuilding Industry Trends”. Finally, Cmde Mukesh Bhargava (Retd), Vice President, Larsen and Toubro Ltd, gave a comprehensive and thought-provoking presentation on “Indian Shipbuilding Industry Perspective, leading to a good Q and A session. The attendees then split into groups for the Round Table Discussions on the subjects of Coast Guard Vessels, Surface Ships, Sub-Surface vessels, and Supply Chain management, which was followed by brief presentations by the leaders of these four groups.

Closing Address

The closing address was delivered by Vice Adm BS Randhawa ( Retd) former COM, who is always an erudite speaker at these Summits. Mr Suman Bose, the MD of Siemens Industry Software, concluded with interesting comments, peppered with quotes from ancient history, before all those present were invited to the sumptuous dinner which followed.

There was a pleasant surprise awaiting Cmde R Vir, President of IMF. He was awarded a handsome trophy by Mr Suman Bose on behalf of Siemens, for his ”lifetime contribution to the marine community”.

“Well Done Cmde Rajan Vir”