Dun & Bradstreet India (D&B India) has reinforced its commitment towards servicing small and medium enterprises through the launch of its cluster-based publication series, Emerging SMEs. We are pleased to launch the first publication in this series, Emerging SMEs: Mumbai 2007. In this geographical-area based series, our future editions would cover five other important regions - Pune, Gurgaon, Kolkata, Chennai and Hyderabad.

India has emerged as one of the fastest growing economies in the world, having recorded an average annual growth rate of more than 8% over the last four years. The Government recognizes the fact that in order to sustain a high rate of growth, strong growth in industrial and services sector is required, mainly supported by the SME segment. SMEs play a vital role in the development of the economy and also ensure regional balance in economic development. SMEs account for more than 80% of the industrial units in India; contribute approximately 40% to the domestic industrial production and about 45% of India’s industrial employment.

The SME segment is the subject of intense focus from several government institutions, corporate bodies and banks, and is rightly viewed as an agent of economic transformation and growth. However, there is a lack of structured and reliable information on India’s SME sector. A sincere attempt to fulfill this lacuna was the principal rationale in undertaking this exercise. This one-point reference document will provide a platform to enhance the visibility of these important constituents of the Indian growth story.

The current publication, Emerging SMEs: Mumbai 2007 is the first in the series. Driven by the knowledge, skills, low costs, improved quality and demand the pharmaceutical, textile and chemical sectors have witnessed tremendous growth over the past few years. The Government has envisioned increasing India’s share in the global textile market from the current 3% to 10% by end of 2015. The Indian pharmaceutical industry, whose products are exported to more than 200 countries, has been growing at 9% annually. The Indian chemical industry, one of the oldest sectors in the country, accounts for about 14% of the total exports and 9% of total imports of the country. The contribution of the SMEs to these three sectors, especially by adopting the cluster model, is well recognized.

The SME publication preserves the D&B lineage of providing information and knowledge that facilitate informed business decisions. D&B has drawn on its time-tested expertise in business information to the benefit of the small and medium companies, as this publication amply reflects.

I hope you will enjoy reading Emerging SMEs: Mumbai 2007 and look forward to receiving your suggestions.

Dr Manoj Vaish
President & CEO - India
Dun & Bradstreet