Mr. Ar Rm Arun delivered the Welcome & Theme Address at the Seminar on IT for SME Manufacturing. This was organized by FICCI Tamil Nadu State Council in Chennai on Dec 1, 2006.

In his address, (part of the inaugural session), Mr. Arun detailed the growth & significance of SMEs. He emphasized how the Small & Medium Enterprises (SMEs) form the backbone of the manufacturing sector not only in India but in the developed countries as well. Talking about the global & Indian scenarios, he said that SMEs contribute approximately 40% of the overall manufacturing. This was also a sizeable chunk to the exports basket. Hence, ensuring competitiveness of SMEs is critical for overall growth of the manufacturing sector as also the national economy.

Referring to his recent visit to Taiwan, Mr. Arun shared insights about the SMEs growth in Taiwan. He shed light on the vision & strategies that have enabled the SMEs in Taiwan to drive the economy. The role of incubators was also a vital element in thriving SME growth, he said.

Lastly, Mr. Arun highlighted the need for IT and the bottlenecks faced particularly by the SMEs. He concluded his presentation with recommendations for IT adaptation by SMEs using cost effective methods like Software as a Service ( SaaS), emerging technologies like Open Source and the role of Data Centers.

The other speakers in the Inaugural session were

Mr. N. Srinivasan,
Vice President, FICCI & Vice Chairman & Mg. Director, The India Cements Ltd,