India has phased out the quantitative restrictions in relation to imports of most of the products. Steep reduction in customs duty in early 1990s, removal of licensing restrictions on imports, highly price sensitive nature of Indian customer with loyalties having second place, and the vast demand that the Country offers, India is an ideal haven for any producer or country holding excessive capacities, whether it is a low cost subsidized, State directed economy such as China, or developed economies such as US, Europe or Japan; or oil rich regions in Middle East, thereby creating unfair competition to the Indian manufacturing sector .
TPM Consultants has been supporting the Indian manufacturing sector by handholding the industry and providing them one-platform solution for redressal against such low priced imports, if the same are causing damage to Indian Industry.
Established in 1999, a professional consulting firm, which has positioned itself well as a “Centre for Trade Remedies,” TPM has remained undisputed number-1 legal consultants in the area of antidumping duties, anti-subsidies duties and safeguard measures. Today, the firm holds distinction of having handled largest number of trade defence cases not only in India, perhaps, globally as well.
TPM is actively assisting Indian Producers facing dumping, Foreign Producers and consumers facing allegations of injurious dumping and Indian manufacturers/ exporters facing allegation of resorting to injurious dumping to protect their legitimate business interests in these trade related matters, with the help of experienced and qualified professionals, including Lawyers, Chartered Accountants, Cost Accountants, MBA, Economist, and Technocrats.
TPM has handled the only two successful subsidies (countervailing) duty investigations conducted by India. Given TPM’s expertise in the area, they are defined by their presence in the country amongst the industry and Government. They have provided assistance to Govt. of India on issues such as
- Framing/amending the law,
- WTO consultations on rules amendments,
- Disputes raised by other countries in respect of anti-dumping measures invoked by Govt. of India,
- Anti-subsidy investigations on Indian exports, where TPM represents Govt. of India before the Investigating Authority.
TPM has been involved in more than 700 trade defence investigations, which is perhaps the highest number in the arena of anti-dumping, anti-subsidy and safeguard measures.
The Creative Thinker of TPM
Mr. A. K. Gupta, Founder of TPM is a leading expert in the area of trade remedial measures in the country.
Mr. Gupta is a Post Graduate, Masters in Management Studies (MMS) from BITS, Pilani and a member of Institute of Cost Accountants of India. He served Govt. of India for more than seven years, the period during which the Govt. of India started implementing the law relating to the trade remedies and the period when much of the current policies, procedures, methodologies and practices were conceived and applied. He started practicing in this field since Feb, 1999 and founded TPM Consultants. Mr. Gupta was instrumental in developing majority of the current anti-dumping formats and formulating policies, procedures and practices in India as an investigator during his tenure with the Ministry of Commerce.
Distinctive Methodology with Superior Results
TPM uniquely stands for its standard single point service in the its field, which is also evident from the number of cases successfully handled by them over a period of nearly two decades.
TPM provide a wide variety of services for Domestic manufacturers in seeking imposition of antidumping, countervailing and safeguarding duties against import of the products produced by them in India, and in protecting their interests against their exports to other global market. Other than trade remedial measures, TPM assists businesses in finding industry solutions to the competition being faced from foreign producers under several domestic and international agreements.
An Outlook on Changing Business Consequences
As a creative leader, Mr. Gupta expresses about the current consulting exchanges by saying, “A consultant should neither reject nor accept the client’s initial description too readily. The consultant who adopts the definition on faith might spend a lot of time in studying symptoms without ever uncovering causes. On the other hand, a consultant who analyzes the way of describing the problem quickly will be able to achieve a potentially useful consulting result”
Also he adds, “A useful consulting process involves working with the problem as defined by the client in such a way that more useful definitions emerge naturally as the engagement proceeds. Since most of the clients—like people in general—are ambivalent about their need for help with their most important problems, the consultant must skillfully respond to the client’s implicit needs. Consultant should not simply accept or admit facts presented by the clients. The Consultant should be equipped with enough tools and information to ensure credibility of information and genuineness of the problem identified.”
Benefiting Clients by Delivering Quality
Being an end-to-end service provider, TPM does complete hand holding of the industry from the stage of preliminary advice, guiding industry on compilation of data/information in the requisite manner, preparing entire case of the domestic industry, filing of petition before the authorities, handling the investigations, and thereafter protecting the case and the interests of the industry right upto highest court in the Country and Globally.
The company has gained the confidence of Indian manufacturing sector and has got an edge over its competitors in the arena of providing comprehensive service to their clients. TPM has assisted all the segment of industry, including partnership firms, SSI units, Medium Scale units as well as large manufacturing sector in the Country. TPM has been involved in organizing workshops and seminars across India to build awareness among the industry and make industry aware of the relevant laws and rules so that industry can come forward and protect their legitimate interests.
Within its first five year of existence, TPM had crossed the benchmark of having handled more than 100 trade defence investigations and has also crossed the benchmark of handling more than 250 trade defence investigations within its first decade of existence.
Future Limelight
Being relatively a young consulting firm in the Country, TPM has many “firsts” to its credit. Instead of focusing on potential market, TPM has always worked towards achieving success in any matter it has been involved.
TPM’s expertise and success rate has been the key driving force for the clients to approach the firm. In order to expand the company’s manpower and business, their new office would soon be operational. They are going to provide an opportunity to the capable candidates who can add knowledge and value addition into their core activities. They are also planning to open branch offices outside Delhi.
In future, TPM intends to establish its presence in major countries worldwide undertaking trade defense actions, including, but not limited to USA, Europe and China. TPM is already assisting Indian industries facing investigations in Brazil, China, Europe, Egypt, Indonesia, South Korea, GCC, South Africa, and the USA.
