Assisting members to become more productive and efficient in order to match global benchmarks and compete globally is a central endeavour for CII. It provides an unmatched array of services to its members, geared towards boosting competitiveness of Indian industry. These range from building a better climate for doing business to international networking and creating robust platforms for business interaction.

At the macro level, CII engages with policymakers, including parliamentarians, ministers and officials to represent industry viewpoint on emerging trends and help shape policies. Conferences and seminars help disseminate member perspectives on key economic and industry issues across a wide spectrum of fields. Exhibitions and trade fairs, both industry-wide and sectoral, bring together stakeholders and enable stronger connectivities.

Services are provided through CII's Centres of Excellence which specialize in aspects such as quality, energy management, sustainable development, logistics, small business competitiveness, etc. CII departments deal with technology and innovation, IPR, WTO-related issues, skill development and a host of other areas that connect with concerns of large and small businesses.

Consultative and advisory services as well as training programs are available from a dedicated and professional staff with high qualifications and experience. CII's range of competitiveness-linked services provides a 360-degree support system for members.

 

A country's economic policy environment must be conducive for firms to achieve efficiencies that will enable them to be globally competitive. It is also widely accepted that taxation policy can have strong incentive effects on corporate decisions. CII interacts closely with different levels of government to put forward industry's viewpoint. CII's large membership enables us to be the most impartial and representative industry body, with a high level of credibility with the government and key regulatory bodies.

In order to achieve our objective of influencing government policy, we undertake extensive research, interact with key government officials and disseminate information through publications, seminars and events. With a large network of offices across the country, we are able to track policy issues in detail at the regional level.

CII also interacts closely with the Members of Parliament - the policy makers - across political parties to raise awareness about the need for reforms, the need for change to keep up with in an extremely competitive global economy. This has helped to keep up the flow of economic legislation passing through Parliament.

CII's Key Initiatives / Information is conducted through its many councils, committees and sub-committees, and divisions. Members may join in these platforms for expressing their views and suggesting solutions. These are then consolidated and presented to the Government or concerned agencies for possible action. We encourage members to be part of this interactive process.

 

Promoting competitiveness of Indian industry to world-class levels has been given pre-eminence in CII's mission statement. Thus, CII delivers a vast range of consultative and professional services to its members that are not available under a single roof in any other institution in India. Robust partnerships with overseas institutions such as universities and research organizations help to bring global best practices and international standards to Indian industry.

CII has proactively set up an infrastructure of Centres of Excellence which provide key services. These are - CII Institute of Quality, Bangalore, for quality management; CII Institute of Logistics, Chennai; CII Avantha Centre of Competitiveness for SME's, Chandigarh; CII Naoroji Godrej Centre of Excellence, Mumbai; CII Sohrabji Godrej Green Business Centre for energy consultancy; CII ITC Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Development; and CII Centre of Excellence for Skill Development, Chhindwara.

All CII regional and state offices also provide consultancy and professional services at your doorstep. Some of the areas covered include legal metrology, water management, Six Sigma, food safety and quality, IPR, trade agreements, etc. Other areas are continually added as per the demand of members.

A special range of services for small and medium enterprises has been institutionalized. We are particularly proud of our competitiveness and productivity services under the format of 'shared learning' in clusters of 10-12 SMEs. The Cluster bundles training in Total Quality Management, Total Cost Management, Total Productivity Maintenance, Lean Manufacturing, Waste and Energy Management, and HR practices in a single program, lowering costs through the 'shared learning' process.

CII has a staff of over 200 highly qualified and experienced professionals to deliver top-class consultancy services to your enterprise.

 

Conferences and seminars provide a reputed platform for interaction of various stakeholders across diverse fields. Addressed by Government, experts, industry, and global participants, CII conferences and seminars enable expression of different viewpoints and help build greater understanding of issues. The outcome-oriented structure brings out solutions and recommendations for the way forward on these issues.

The conferences and seminars also serve to consolidate industry opinions and make key recommendations on issues. National and international conferences as well as regional and sectoral conferences are a regular feature of the CII calendar. Apart from engaging government and business on a common platform, they facilitate networking and are a great place to meet new people in your field.

Key national-level conferences on the CII annual calendar include The Partnership Summit, National Conference and Annual Meeting, Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, India Economic Summit (in partnership with the World Economic Forum, Geneva), and Global SME Summit, among others.

 

CII is informally known as 'the king of trade fairs', a sobriquet earned following the successful international engineering fairs held by it in the 1970s. Since then, CII has specialized in organizing a range of such events, both at home and overseas, covering a wide range of products and sectors. Most of these are institutionalized on an annual or biennial basis, attracting a growing number of domestic and international participants.

Many of the trade fairs are jointly organized by CII in partnership with government ministries, thus ensuring high level of participation from the government as well as from business. At the regional and state levels as well, CII actively works with the state governments to host key exhibitions. Additionally, national level fairs are held in different parts of the country to provide an opportunity for participation in all regions.

The trade fairs are geared towards both large and small enterprises. Most exhibitions include a dedicated platform for small and medium units, providing them with a high visibility on the prestigious platform of CII. 'Enterprise India' is a special series of exhibitions, showcasing SME products at different parts of the world.

Flagship trade fairs include the International Engineering and Technology Fair, the high-profile AutoExpo, DefExpo for defence production industry, AgroSummit, and others. Overseas trade fairs are conducted as 'Made in India Shows' and 'Enterprise India Shows', showcasing Indian products in global business centers.

CII trade fairs serve to bring your products to global attention and help you establish networks vital to your marketing and expansion.

 

Competitiveness of a business organization is only as good as the capabilities of its people. CII can help you build capacity among your management and workers through its diverse range of training programs. A series of training programs and workshops is continually on the CII calendar, provided mainly through the Centers of Excellence or through specialized departments.

The CII Institute of Quality has a robust and active training program that includes training of auditors, strategic quality management, standards and production management, food quality and safety, etc. Similarly, other Centres of Excellence also offer training programs and workshops as per their area of competence.

Skill Development is a core CII preoccupation. CII partners with state governments in the modernization and upgradation of Industrial Training Institutes, matching skills to industry needs. The Skill Development Initiative has also undertaken the task of making India a skills capital for the world and organizes short modules in various professions for rural populations across the country. This effort has been recognized by Government of India which has entrusted management of the National Skill Development Corporation to CII.

 

External engagement has become a vital part of the expansion plans of Indian companies, which have confidently stepped out to establish global footprints. CII helps this process through a number of ways, including focused activities to build the overall Brand India.

Inward and outward business missions are a key aspect of this engagement, in partnership with government, and counterpart industry and business associations overseas. Incoming delegations, including those of senior government representatives from overseas, are assisted by formulating itineraries as per their targeted sectors to key cities. Interaction meetings are organized with CII members, enabling B2B connectivity.

Outward delegations are a continual feature of CII's work. CEO's missions to Singapore, UK, and USA are an annual event, and the agenda includes meetings at the highest level of government of the host country as well as interaction with top CEOs, academic institutions, and business associations. Often, CII delegations accompany official overseas missions by President of India, Prime Minister and Minister of Commerce and Industry.

Sectoral missions are also conducted, while regional and state offices mount delegations of their members to overseas business centres.

 

Good performance can be stimulated through recognition in the form of awards and events. Such recognition is also a key factor in promoting awareness. CII and Exim Bank collaborate on offering the CII-EXIM Bank Award for Business Excellence through the CII Institute of Quality. CII works with the World Economic Forum, Geneva, to present the Social Entrepreneur of the Year Award at the annual India Economic Summit. Woman Exemplar Awards are presented to underprivileged women annually who have successfully overcome challenges to develop as leaders in social or economic spheres.

 

CII publishes wide range of publications on subjects covering infrastructure, agriculture, manufacturing and services sectors including Aerospace, Affirmative Action, Auto Components, Automobiles, Banking, Biofuels, Biotechnology, Capital Goods, Chemicals, Family Business, Food Safety and Security, Civil Aviation, Climate Change, Competitiveness, Corporate Governance, CSR, Defence & Internal Security, Design, Pharmaceuticals, Economic Affairs & Taxation, Education, Energy, Engineering, Environment, FMCG, Financial Services, Food Processing, Gems and Jewellery, Green Business, Healthcare, ICTE Manufacturing, Industrial Relations, ICT, Innovation, International Relations, Insurance, IPR, ITES, Leadership, Life Sciences, Logistics, Media & Entertainment, MSMEs, Mining, Public Health, PSUs, Real Estate & Housing, Retail, Rural Development, Skills Development, Social Development, Special Abilities, Sports, Sustainable Development, Technology, Telecommunications, Textiles & Apparel, Tourism & Hospitality, Trade, Urban Development, Water, and Women Empowerment.

The CII Publications include Reports, Journals, Newsletters, Magazines, Conference Proceedings, Exhibitor Catalogues, Directories, Business Guides, Articles and Papers on Concurrent Policy Issues. While most of them are available as hard copies and can be purchased through our publication department, many of them are also available as e-publications either free of cost or on subscription. These include widely quoted ECONOMY WATCH, ECONOMIC POLICY UPDATE and BUSINESS OUTLOOK SURVEY besides regular journals on various sectors such as Agri-food, Manufacturing, MSMEs, Trade Policy, Quality, etc.

CII Publications are widely respected and over the years have established as one of the best and authentic source of information among business leaders, diplomats, heads of international agencies, ministers, government officials, business students and society at large both in India and abroad.

 

As an industry association that engages deeply with society at large, CII's work extends to assisting members in meeting their social development aspirations. Corporate Social Responsibility is now evolving into a central area of concern for companies that wish to give back to society and share their rewards. It is a proven fact that companies with greater social engagement deliver higher value to their stakeholders.

CII associates with Government, NGOs, and civil society to help industry develop effective programs for social development. It provides a number of platforms through which members can engage on different issues, such as gender equality, microfinance, development of backward districts, HIV/AIDS, public health, etc. It can set up programs for members, help in finding credible destinations for their donations, or provide advice and consultancy in social development.