Export Impediments and its Impact on the Performance of Motor and Pump Exports from the Coimbatore Region

Abstract

The study identifies the challenges motor and pump exporters face in the Coimbatore region. This city is also called as ‘Pump City of Asia’. Despite the export potential, these exporters are facing challenges which are largely ignored by researchers, academicians, and policymakers. The application of motors and pumps in numerous industries signifies the need for research in this particular sector, especially the export segments. Various challenges faced by motor and pump exporters in this region were identified to test the hypothesis. In a later stage, we tried to measure the impact of these export issues on the export performance of the firms. The study assumed that various export challenges directly or indirectly impact motor and pump exports. We tried to explore the association between export problems and export performance, contrary to all the previous studies conducted by researchers and academicians on motor and pump exports. This region (Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu) is an ideal place for research and optimisation of desired results because of its market share and reputation in the global market. We have collected data from 220 exporters (motor and pump) through a field study from January to September 2021. We have identified the challenges using principal component analysis and confirmatory factor analysis, and the impact of these impediments on the export performance of the firm was analysed through path analysis. The study depicts the major challenges, and derived results from the analysis state that there is a significant impact of labour issues, cultural differences, raw materials, and geographical distance on the performance of the motor and pump exports from the Coimbatore region.