Rohit Darodkar February 2020

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THE POWER OF THE PERSONAL IN SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT


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THE POWER OF THE PERSONAL IN SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT


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ROHIT DARODKAR

Supply chain thought leader Rohit Darodkar discusses the strategic approaches that generate success in the sector

T

he nature of supply chain operations is as diverse as business itself. For every country of operations, international rela-

tionship and industry or sector, the complexities of procurement, logistics and supply chain morph and shift. Executives in the space often settle within 04

their niche, but one who has not only led operations in multiple industries but in wildly different territories is Rohit Darodkar, currently Global Procurement and Logistics Manager at Tritium, an Australian firm dedicated to EV charging infrastructure. Having begun his career in India in a graduate supply chain role at Tata Motors, Darodkar moved to Australia to complete his master’s in Mechanical Engineering at Queensland University of Technology, then his master’s in Business Management at Griffith University, majoring in Aviation. After that, Darodkar joined the newly instated Australian operations of Indian car manufacturing giant Mahindra & Mahindra where he remained for over six years. “I worked in positions from warehouse manager to spare parts manager and operations manager and, in those roles, I developed strategies and


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ROHIT DARODKAR

“ You’ve got the challenge of generating demand for a particular product, having a proper strategy in place to support that demand, and ensuring the cost of the product still makes sense for it to be developed, manufactured and sold in Australia” — Rohit Darodkar, Global Procurement and Logistics Manager 06 a dedicated focus on continuous

“The Australian market is very different

improvement of end to end supply

to other corners of the world,” he says.

chain management,” says Darodkar,

“The majority gets manufactured in

reflecting on his early career.

China, Korea or Thailand; very little

“In Australia, Mahindra was estab-

is local. The supply chain therefore

lished in 2007 and I joined in 2010,

becomes a strategic challenge because

so it was a really new organisation for

you cannot simply store these parts on

the Australian market whilst already

your shelf. You have to order a certain

having a huge domestic footprint in

amount to make it logical to pay freight

India.” During his time with Mahindra,

charges on particular parts.” The ques-

Darodkar was deeply involved in

tion, Darodkar elaborates, is how to

post-system development and the

justify bulk orders from overseas when

establishment of effective supply chain

the demand for the related parts isn’t

strategies for the company’s work in

there. In addition to that, the lead time

Australia, a drastically different busi-

for such orders, along with the cost,

ness environment to its native India.

must also be carefully balanced to avoid


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shortfalls in vital stocks for manufac-

making this balancing act far less chal-

turing. “You’ve got the challenge of

lenging to maintain, but the importance of

generating demand for a particular

robust strategies cannot be overstated.

product, having a proper strategy in

For Darodkar, effective relationships

place to support that demand, and ensur-

with vendors and employees are

ing the cost of the product still makes

among the most potent tools a supply

sense for it to be developed, manufac-

chain executive can access. He says

tured and sold in Australia. An excellent

it is important to remember that “every-

storage strategy needs to be in place

one’s in this business to make money”,

and maintained through Order Pattern

and that holding this reality at the front

Method, Reorder Point Process Method

of his mind when managing vendor

and Control Rhythm Method.”

relationships is vital to striking the bal-

Technology is increasingly providing

ance between cost and quality. “The

the answers, with data-driven insights

more you squeeze on cost, the more


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it is reflected by the supplier in the

will buy the end product, and everyone

product quality they deliver.” Of course,

will go out of business.” There is a com-

pricing strategies must reflect market

petitive edge to this as well, as

viability — as everyone is in the busi-

manufacturers are rarely short of

ness to generate value, costs must be

options when it comes to vendor selec-

in line with the feasibility of selling the

tion. “You must always check where

end product. “You need to be open

you stand in the market,” Darodkar

from a business perspective, negotiate

says. “You cannot just rely on one sup-

those costs and manage the supplier

plier for a product. Supply chain is a

by explaining that, if they cannot

demanding and continuously evolving

reduce the cost of a product, nobody

sector — you need to keep your eyes

E XE CU T I VE PRO FI LE

Rohit Darodkar With more than 15 years’ management experience in supply chain, logistics, transport and FMCG industries, Rohit Darodkar possesses a unique range of skills and experience delivering best practice management and leadership to a wide variety of international organisations. An experienced and commercially driven supply chain professional with demonstratable and proven experience in people management, process planning and information technology transformation, he is an expert at synchronising supply with demand and developing supply chain strategies that significantly impact profitability and increase the total value of a business. He demonstrates excellence in working through the 3 Cs of supply chain leadership — Communication, Collaboration and Change — and turning the business model into a profitable one.

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“ You need to accept that you won’t ever have 100% support, and you need to accept that you cannot make decisions alone simply because you are the boss” — Rohit Darodkar, Global Procurement and Logistics Manager

industries. All of these factors are being affected by rapid shifts in customer and consumer buying-behaviour. Many markets which used to be purely local or

open to new developments and offer-

regional have now become global, as

ings.” Reflecting on this not only enables

have the supply chains that serve them.

the best value in product acquisition, but

As a supply chain leader, you need to

also ensures suppliers do not rest on

focus on what lies ahead and, to some

their laurels when it comes to appealing

extent, be able to predict it. This can

to their own clients. He continues: “The

only be possible with a thorough under-

supply chain world is changing rapidly,

standing of market dynamics.

sometimes unpredictably, in line with the market dynamics across many

“Another thing,” Darodkar adds, “is to be mindful of the professional relationship with vendors. You need to maintain the bond with them that their product is not only required but is at the heart of your operations. They need to know they are important to your organisation, that their quality is good and that you expect that quality to be maintained. You must set KPIs for that quality, for deliveries and so on, but it’s a two-way relationship. If you give freedom for them to set KPIs for you as well, such as sales targets,

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ROHIT DARODKAR

timely payments and the like, it becomes a more open relationship and they take more interest in the business’s success and how they can influence it.” Internally, Darodkar says a keen focus on managing change is also imperative to effective supply chain operations, particularly in the age of digital transformation. “People come to do things their own way, and there’s always a resistance to learn new things,” he says. “As the world evolves, 12

you need to evolve, and change is the only thing that’s constant. As soon as you accept that change and believe that it’s important to your organisation, resistance goes down.” In manufacturing, it is not only changing technologies

“ If you give freedom for vendors to set KPIs for you as well, such as sales targets, it becomes a more open relationship and they take more interest in the business’s success and how they can influence it” — Rohit Darodkar, Global Procurement and Logistics Manager


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that necessitate a pro-change mindset,

“You need to accept that you won’t

as the iterative nature of products

ever have 100% support, and you need

means processes are similarly prone

to accept that you cannot make deci-

to alteration and optimisation. Instilling

sions alone simply because you are

this vital cultural component is one of

the boss,” he explains. “You need to

the leading challenges faced by execu-

have confidence in your people to

tives in every department of every

ensure that the decisions you make

industry undergoing transformation,

are effectively communicated and that

but Darodkar believes the answer to

everyone is on the same page. At the

the riddle lies in the personal.

end of the day, no organisation is run


ROHIT DARODKAR

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“ Flexibility will ensure that change will not faze you or cause you undue stress. In turn, your team will be encouraged to embrace, rather than resist change” — Rohit Darodkar, Global Procurement and Logistics Manager

by one person, it’s always a team effort. You need to understand your people and your resources, what works for them and what doesn’t, and from there you can better understand how to convince someone to come on board. Sometimes a simple coffee table discussion works, sometimes you need to take someone out for a beer, sometimes you need to be a strong authority, but often you don’t need to be pushy. Flexibility will ensure that change will not faze you or cause you undue stress. In turn, your team will be encouraged to embrace, rather than resist change. If what you are doing is right, people just need time and they will come on board.”

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