Auto component industry is an interesting variant of business that is located in the context of dynamic value
chain. Whilst one end of the value chain is the sophisticated-oligopolistic Original Equipment Manufacturers
(OEM), the other end has suppliers who are small and medium enterprises. In the whole length and breadth of
this value chain, suppliers include small, medium, and large enterprises. Broadly, these enterprises are of two
types: organised and unorgainsed. Unlike in the case of large multinational enterprises, auto component
suppliers, in particular Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), are not so well endowed to invest in research
development and exhaustive capability building endeavours. However, as elucidated in the extant literature on
SMEs, a prudent option for these enterprises is to build and foster absorptive capacities that synergise labour,
information technology, and knowledge management. To gauge these themes, we analyse four types of data.
First, we examine recent time series of select variables that delineate the basic dynamics of performance and
resources of organised auto component industry in India. Second, we lay focus on cross sectional enterprise
data drawn from 2012-2013 Annual survey of Industries. Thirds, we analyse 67th round, for the year 2009-2010,
of National Sample Survey, to examine unorganised auto component industry in India. Fourth, we use field
data, collected in 2016, to discuss multi-dimensional aspects of knowledge management, technology, learning,
labour, and outcomes, based on a survey conducted in Pune, Maharashtra, India. We conclude that auto
component manufacturers seems to rely more on labour, information technology, and attainments like ISO to
perform well in the business.