Engineering matters by Godrej

Sir M. Vishveshwariah (15th September 1860 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 14th April 1962) stands tall amongst the most notable and versatile engineers of India. A scholar, statesman and the Diwan of Mysore in the early 20 th century, he has been widely credited for successfully completing many civil engineering projects for the public good in India and abroad. He was knighted as a Knight Commander of the Indian Empire (KCIE) by King George V for his valuable contributions. In 1955, he was conferred upon with Indian Republic's highest honour, the Bharat Ratna â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the first engineer to be honoured and even today he is held in high regard. He was the chief engineer responsible for the construction of Krishna Raja Sagar Dam in Karnataka. He was instrumental in successfully completing several infrastructural projects, involving roads, ports and an intricate system of irrigation in Mysore State. He was also responsible for establishing Mysore Iron and Steel Works, Mysore Soap Factory, Government Engineering College, Bangalore, amongst many others. Every year, in his memory, 15 th September is celebrated as Engineers' Day in India.

Editorial

ENGINEERING – LET’S MAKE IT CREATIVE, COLLABORATIVE, CHALLENGING AND

REWARDING T

he discipline of engineering is at the very core of Godrej & Boyce as it is primarily a manufacturing enterprise. From our beginnings, the First Manufactured Lock to the engines of the ISRO’s launch vehicles and a host of appliances, machines and furniture in between, wherever we see, there is an unmistakable imprint of engineering. Today, our portfolio of products and services deploys many different engineering disciplines which the visitors find simply mind-boggling. To compete successfully in the markets that are becoming increasingly complex and challenging, we need to institutionalize engineering practice which is as sound as anyone else’s. To realize this, we need to value engineers and nurture them and develop them- which will help us realize our ambitious and aspirational 10X10 vision. We need to cultivate a strong engineering culture which would complement appropriately the customer centricity as articulated in the tenets of our brand essence- ‘Brighter Living’. Against this backdrop, we felt that we need to talk about engineering as it is practiced at Godrej and hence we chose the theme of ‘Engineering Matters’ for this issue of CHANGE. The highlight of the issue is an in-depth interview of Prof. Shoji Shiba where he shares with us his insights and wisdom on the different topics related to engineering, engineering education, building engineering capabilities and the like. Sudhir Patwardhan reviews Prof. Shiba’s highly acclaimed new book ‘7 Dreams to Reality’ for our readers. Burzin Wadia tells us as to why engineers matter, especially when the markets are approaching the stage of maturity. G. R. Kulkarni writes about the intricacies of engineering involved for manufacturing complex custom-made equipment. Murali from LOCKSS writes all about engineering of a design,

taking an example of Astro night latch. It is difficult to imagine the complexities involved. We have reproduced Dr. Pawan Goenka’s interview on frugal engineering published in Business Standard, as we understand it is a good articulation of the topic – a useful read. Bharat Mistry writes all about the challenges of designing custom-made furniture for the ‘tight spaces’ encountered in the sea-going vessels - ships and submarines. Homi Daruwalla shares with us a success story of an innovative development of compressed air solutions which are successfully exported. Reverse engineering is not at all about copying but is in fact a capability that can speed up product development and indigenization – writes S. K. Joshi. Dr. A. S. Pillai, CEO and MD – BrahMos visited G&B recently to celebrate the milestones attained – a report on the visit is shared by Team GPS. Prince Charles visited our Mangroves, Godrej medicinal garden and met with the children of our Udayachal schools. A feature on this memorable visit by Aarti Bhambore and Isabel Joseph. Meenakshi Nambi of GILAC tells us all about Inner Engineering, a well-known methodology for re-engineering ourselves for becoming joyful and leading richer lives. The next issue of CHANGE is having the theme, ‘Sourcing – Creating value from the outside’. As always, your feedback is welcome. Happy reading!

Indrapal Singh

Contents 04

Engineers Matter

Professor Shoji Shiba

An Interview With Professor Shoji Shiba

Slide Rule

By Burzin J Wadia, Godrej Appliances

By G. Sunderraman, Corporate Development

By Team CHANGE

Engineering A Complex Custom Made Equipment

Engineering Design

To Create Value, Stay Rooted To The Design Philosophy

By G. R. Kulkarni, Godrej Precision Engineering

By T. S. Murali, Godrej Locking Solutions & Systems

By Jayesh Rathod and Vijay Kumar Saboo, Godrej Tooling

Marine Accommodation Solutions

Green Makes Business Sense

Reverse Engineer For A Strategic Edge

By Bharat Mistry, Godrej Interio

By H. N. Daruwalla, Godrej Electricals And Electronics

By Satish Joshi, Godrej Precision Engineering

Frugal Engineering Is Not At All About Cost-Cutting: Pawan Goenka By Business Standard

Making India Strategically Secure

Book Review - 7 Dreams To Reality: Transforming Indian Manufacturing, By Prof. Shoji Shiba

By Ramesh Kumar, Godrej Aerospace

By Sudhir Patwardhan, Director, Pat Consulting

Inner Engineering â&#x20AC;&#x201C; A Change For The Better

Prince Charles Visits Godrej Mangroves And The Medicinal Garden

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Anil Verma | Head, Edit Board

Nalini Kala | Edit Board

Deepak Banota | Edit Board

Nariman Bacha | Distribution

By Meenakshi Nambi, Gilac Corporate Communications

By Aarti Bhambore, Godrej Construction

For private circulation only. No part of the magazine can be reproduced in any form without due permission of the editor.

Civil Engineering Is The Grandparent Of All Engineering.

You can mail your contributions, suggestions and feedback to: The Editor, Plant 12, 2nd Floor, Godrej & Boyce Mfg. Co. Ltd., Pirojshanagar, Vikhroli (W), Mumbai 400079, INDIA. email us at change@godrej.com

Published by

Indrapal Singh on behalf of Godrej & Boyce Mfg. Co. Ltd.

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By Burzin J. Wadia, Godrej Appliances

ENGINEERS MATTER Mature markets call for engineers who are well-versed in multiple engineering disciplines.

he core expectation from Engineers is in the areas of parts and item design which when assembled and functionalized becomes a product. The other expectation from engineers is in the areas of designing of equipment, systems, procedures and steps to convert raw materials into parts and products. As a product manufacturing company, G&B needs both types of engineers. In the formative years of an organisation, both types of engineers are highly valued as product designs begin to mature and quantities produced begin to stabilize. At this stage in organizationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lifecycle, it is the skills of its engineers that determine its prosperity. As an organisation moves further on its lifecycle, where product designs and production quantities are quite stable, the attention of the management now shifts to marketing/sales/administration and management of cost. It is at this stage that an illusion sets into the minds of engineers that management

is the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;inâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; thing. It is here, an element of doubt begins to lurk in their minds as to whether they have made a correct choice by opting for a career in engineering. It is correct to say that good engineering with poor management does not succeed; but it is also correct that good management with poor engineering fails. It is at this stage of the lifecycle of a business, engineers tend to move on, some to earn more money for their engineering skills and some to gain experience in different industries. Also, some move to managerial positions, losing in the process their engineering skills. If this phenomenon happens on a large scale then the pool of management skills gets larger, with the pool of engineering skills shrinking. It is during this maturity stage of the lifecycle of an organisation, both the organisation and the engineers tend to lose the vission. However, there

is yet another stage in the lifecycle which is that of mature markets. It is during this stage, products and processes become more complex, calling for new domains of knowledge for responding to the higher level of functionalities demanded. Here again the need for good engineering and good engineer is strongly felt and the organisations typically begin to alter their approaches towards this critical group’s growth, reward and recognition. In summary, we can say that at three different stages in the lifecycle of an organisation, the importance of engineers can be seen as the following:

Hence for a Product Manufacturing Company, it can be said that ‘Engineers Matter’. Market maturity stage demands products and processes which are rather complex and as a result requires multi-disciplinary knowledge of Mechanical, Hydraulics, Electrical, Electronics, Telecommunications and even Biometrics. All these disciplines are needed in some combination or the other in a single product! This requirement means that Engineers have to train themselves at least in two or three disciplines through either self study or by signing up for specialized courses. This and only this will help them retain their relevance. Further, organisations have to gear up their recruitment, training and growth strategies to ensure that knowledge pools are developed and retained in a cost-effective way.

moving ahead towards long-term stability, the relevance of engineering and engineers never diminishes. At G&B, a product manufacturing organisation, the relevance of engineers will always be high and engineers will always matter. All those changes are the company’s approaches to training, development, rewards & recognitions and the growth paths. In case of engineers, who are important contributors to the success of business, what will continuously change would be the width and the depth of their knowledge, which will be defined by their own efforts to unlearn and relearn as well as a series of experiences they choose to undergo and learn from.

Organisations have to gear up their recruitment, training and growth strategies to ensure that knowledge pools are developed and retained in a cost-effective way.

Hence, in the journey over the lifecycle, beginning at the Start-up stage and

PROFESSOR By G. Sunderraman,

Corporate Development

SHOJI SHIBA

consider myself privileged to write this brief introduction of Prof. Shiba. By any standards, he is an outstanding teacher, a great mentor and a transformational leader. He is truly multifaceted, having distinguished himself in research, academics, practice of quality management, and being a crusader for globalizing of TQM. Prof. Shiba is a deeply committed facilitator for establishing a breakthrough program – Visionary Leadership for Manufacturing in India (VLFM). He believes, by transforming Indian manufacturing, higher living standards could be experienced by millions of our youth. In India, Prof. Shiba has rendered a yeoman ser vice by establishing in 2006 the program of VLFM, a collaborative program between Japan and India at the behest of our Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh and Mr. Shinzo Abe, the then Prime Minister of Japan. In January 2012, Prof. Shiba was conferred upon the Padma Shri by the Government of India for his contributions to Indian Industry and strengthening India-Japan ties. One of his great achievements in India was to bring together the three main stakeholders who can transform a nation - Industry, Academia and the Government. With his strong conviction, he has been able to make these three bodies partner for the transformation of the Indian manufacturing sector through the VLFM Programme. IIT – Kanpur, IIT – Madras, IIM – Calcutta, NMCC, MHRD and CII are the partners for this programme. Close to one thousand

young leaders from 330 companies have participated in VLFM and are trained in a scientific approach for providing leadership in manufacturing. Currently, Prof. Shiba holds prestigious positions of Professor Emeritus, University of Tsukuba, Japan, Distinguished Honorary Professor, Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur and Chief Advisor, CII VLFM Institute. He has also taught at MIT Sloan School for over 10 years, promoting a worldrenowned program – Leaders for Manufacturing (LFM), which helped many American companies realise strategic breakthroughs. In 2011, his Majesty, the Emperor of Japan honoured Prof. Shiba, with the Order of the Sacred Treasure, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon for his immense contributions in fostering academic exchanges between Japan and India. Prof. Shiba is a rare individual for having seen conferred upon the Deming Prize (individual) for his outstanding contribution to quality management and globalization of TQM. I, for one, have benefitted greatly by immersing myself in the learning environment created by Prof. Shiba in his workshops. He has opened my eyes and often twisted my head so that I can look in the right direction! His recent book, ‘7 Dreams to reality: Transforming Indian Manufacturing’, chronicles the arduous journey of VLFM program with Godrej having contributed two case histories. A great read. Thank you Prof. Shiba for all that you’ve done for us.

Professor Shoji Shiba

Professor Shoji Shiba was interviewed by CHANGE to capture his insights and wisdom on a variety of topics related to engineers, their education and their capabilities. Edited excerpts of the interview are here to enable our readers to get new perspectives on the subject. 1. CHANGE - What according to you makes a competent engineer? What skills should he posses? Prof. Shoji Shiba - Engineers should appreciate that for becoming competent in their profession, besides ‘Engineering skills’, they must have three additional competencies. The first competency is that of ‘Problem Solving skills’, the second competency is ‘Conceptual skills’ and the third competency is that of ‘Human skills’. Capable engineers at senior levels should have high proficiency in all of these competencies.

calls for a large measure of conceptual and human skills. Staying the course, many problems arise which need to be solved and more importantly, problems have to be identified proactively and solutions found. Hence, it should be appreciated that if an engineer fails to expand his entry level skills over a period of time, then he cannot contribute to the growth of the organisation. Over the years, the job must expand, which calls for continual learning and reshaping of the mindset.

To have an idea of the skill set of a capable engineer, it is essential to know the stage of career he is at and what is expected of him. Then and only then, it is possible to profile his skills accurately. 2. CHANGE - What changes ought to be made in our engineering education system to have higher caliber engineers? Prof. - Engineering involves applying principles of science to real world problems. Hence, an engineer should have the knowledge of engineering,

When a young engineer joins an organisation, his portfolio of competency has mostly engineering skills. As he grows in his career, his competencies begin to expand with problem solving, conceptual and human skills getting added to his core engineering skills, as shown in the diagram. After a few years, the engineering skills stop growing and problem solving skills begin to grow. Moving along, conceptual skills and human skills begin to develop and grow. At the senior levels, the portfolio of skills widens with problem solving, conceptual and human skills getting expanded, with pure engineering skills diminishing, as shown in the diagram. This happens because the jobs at the senior level involve more of direction setting and strategizing and getting people to rally around the direction selected. People have to be managed and inspired to perform well which

skills, then they will not be capable of creating something new for your organisation because they do not understand the ever-changing human nature. Pure engineering education is good for having academics and researchers - the people who work on the theory. But in the context of business where we have to create something new and tangible quickly, the training for developing a ‘holistic world view’ is absolutely essential.

for engineering careers. Having more women engineers in business is a new trend today. Over the long run, if the mother is an engineer, then it is likely that her children would opt for engineering and hence, the daughters. A quota for women in engineering education could be an idea worth exploring. With more women engineers in the employment, more women will get employed which is good for the society.

The second aspect of training of engineers concerns leadership skills. Without leadership, nothing works. A person who is merely an engineer cannot perform higher order tasks, especially in business. Even for a mature product like refrigerators, new technology has to be acquired which calls for entering into collaborations and to make collaborations successful, leadership skills in a good measure are absolutely essential; hence, the training in leadership skills becomes a vital area of learning for engineers.

Engineering education is also imparted in the companies where engineers are recruited. Hence, what I have said above also applies to the way in which companies train their engineers. One way to accomplish this is to have more engineers participate in the revolutionary program of training called the VLFM – the Visionary Leadership for Manufacturing. To help participants develop a holistic perspective of the real world, night classrooms are held in which they are exposed to cultural events including dance performances. Here they learn how gestures are useful for effective communication. As leaders should learn to communicate well, the participants are encouraged to join these sessions. As they are performing, they are being watched by many people, i.e. many eyes, hence they become aware of the fact that they have to behave appropriately and responsibly. It is easy to connect this to the real life situations where the leaders, being the role models, are watched relentlessly by the others. Leaders have to learn to watch their behaviours. This kind of training is part of the ‘practice’ that I spoke about earlier.

The third area of training engineers is to make them well-rounded with wider perspectives and in a way having more holistic understanding of life. Not only should they be good at logic but they should be strong on intuition as well. Side by side of hard sciences, in their minds, softer sciences should also have the rightful place. This is essential to have empathetic understanding of consumers for designing products and services that have ‘aesthetics’ built into them for greater appeal. If we teach engineers only engineering

3. CHANGE - In India, engineering firms face shortage of good engineers. Engineering students with high grades tend to opt for management education. Very few engineers go for postgraduate studies in engineering. What should we do to solve the problem of the shortage of good engineers? Prof. - You can do many things, but one of the things you can do is to train more women to become engineers. Of course, this calls for having a comprehensive policy in place for encouraging women to opt

Companies also will have to do many things differently to attract women to the engineering profession. They will have to project women engineers as the face of the company. The work environment also will have to be redesigned, so that it is appealing to women employees. The workplace has to have better and more of ergonomics; it has to be stylish, shining and clean so that it appeals to the aesthetic sense of women. Such workplaces will be liked by young men engineers who are now beginning to dislike dull and drab workplaces t ypically found in engineering companies. Secondly, companies must develop an attractive fashionable uniform for women engineers. The uniform should be so well designed that the women should feel proud to wear it. And every young woman should aspire to wear it. Thirdly, the food in the company cafeteria will have to be redesigned so that it appeals to the women employees, as women in general are quite critical of the quality of the food and the way it is presented. Thus, you can see that by employing more women engineers, it is possible to create altogether a ‘new story’ in the organisation. Women engineers bring a sense of aesthetics, intuitive thinking, and teamwork to the job and are likely to come up with solutions for real life problems that are more empathetic and holistic. In my view, it’s a good idea to have a larger number of women engineers in the companies.

but more importantly he should know how to apply the theory to real world problems. In the business context, this would translate into theory constituting only 30% of the total learning and the balance 70% of the learnings coming from the practice. The theory can be taught in the classroom but the engineering practice cannot be learned in the classroom, it must be learnt in the real world. The engineer therefore has to jump into the fishbowl, i.e. the real life situation, stay there, learn how things are, jump out of the fishbowl, i.e. return to the lab/classroom and begin developing solutions. I call this a ‘fishbowl experience’. If the fishbowl ex p e r i e nc e, w hic h is e s se nti a ll y practice work, has to account for 70% of the learning, then the engineering curriculum as it exists has to be changed radically on the lines of the curriculum of Visionary Leadership for Manufacturing (VLFM) program. This kind of a radical change calls for a complete change in the mindset of those in charge of engineering education and business leaders as well.

4. CHANGE - In most Indian businesses, for pure engineers to grow upwards in the engineering function itself, a ladder for promotion is not available. As a result such engineers have to get promoted to managerial positions,

which results in a double loss for the business. What could be a way out? Prof. - In most of the businesses, it is difficult to create a tall hierarchical ladder for the engineers to climb and assume senior positions. Such promotional ladders can be created only in businesses which are heavily into engineering or have a large research and development function. For example, in case of companies like IBM, Hitachi, Mitsubishi and others, highly capable engineers can become â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;fellowsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; of the company and continue to work in the engineering field. This scheme is not easy to implement in most of the companies. Further, you require a large number of highly capable engineers for this scheme to work. In view of the above, in most of the engineering businesses, engineers will have to acquire a wider range of skill sets as mentioned by me earlier.

Overall, it is a good idea to allow engineers to grow into management positions so that the businesses can be managed more holistically. 5. CHANGE - Do you think that engineering and management can co-exist on an equal footing? What can be done to make them function harmoniously? Professor - Yes, engineering and management can co-exist, but itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not a good idea because if they co-exist only, then we have two different entities at hand, namely the engineering and the management. This kind of phenomenon is not good for adapting to the societal changes. To tackle the societal changes, we have to aim for a fusion of engineering and management functions, so they are well blended to become a new entity altogether.

To improve engineering capability in the businesses, strong linkages should be formed with the academia. Businesses can bring academics with greater knowledge of the field and make them work with business oriented people for solving business problems. In this way, the required engineering expertise can be brought in from the outside. Also, the businesses have the responsibility to involve young faculty members from the academia and expose them to business realities. In this way, engineering faculty becomes more grounded in business realities and is able to teach with greater relevance to their students. The linkages between the academia and the businesses must be strengthened and formed in larger numbers so that many more beneficial exchanges can take place. For example, the famous Japanese guru of quality Prof. Ishikawa was teaching chemical engineering at a university but was recruited to introduce quality into Japanese companies. As he had good knowledge of the industry and the business, he was very successful in introducing quality into the businesses and today he is more respected for his contributions to the field of quality than chemical engineering.

The biggest driver of societal changes is the technological change, the so called high-tech. Consider, for example, the mobile phone and the associated technologies. To handle such a massive technological change, it is essential to have engineering background for the people in the management for sound running of the business. People with background of finance, arts and the like cannot easily transform ‘engineering’ into a successful ‘business’. However, engineers can handle finance, HR and similar functions of the business. Also, for selecting the future direction of the business, knowledge of engineering is essential and so is the acumen for business. We must understand that for a strong future-oriented business, engineering alone is not sufficient, but it has to be blended with the management knowhow to create a new way of managing which is holistic and capable of coping with the technological changes of the future. 6. CHANGE - What should Godrej do to develop engineering capabilities? Prof. - If you want pure engineering capabilities, then the things that you could do are pretty much obvious. L ike I m e ntio n e d, link ag e s w i th academia could be helpful and so could be the refresher courses. However, if you want to improve engineering capabilities in the context of the business, then you have to encourage young engineers to jump into the fishbowl, and get fishbowl experience, again and again. Engineers typically work in operations, but as we have this ‘Big M’ concept of manufacturing where the perspectives taken are beyond operations and are much wider. The perspectives embrace design, customers, sales, suppliers, and the like. Engineers have to visit the end users and learn firsthand from them how exactly the product is used and where the changes could be made to improve the product or a service, so that customer satisfaction is enhanced. As opposed to this sort of working, where considerable amount of innovative thinking is called for, operations are pretty much routinised

You can do many things, but one of the things you can do is to train more women to become engineers. Of course this calls for having a comprehensive policy in place for encouraging women to opt for engineering careers. as they are driven by ‘standards’. To improve operations, the standards have to be improved, which require some amount of capabilit y for improvement. But to engage in proactive problem solving, a host of new skills are essential to acquire, such as the skills of observation, interview, analysis, communication and the like. The engineers should have a good knowledge of semantics – the science of language, so that they can communicate effectively. Senior managers must teach these skills to younger engineers, so that new capabilities are developed in them. In the process, the bosses learn as well. This is what we do in our VLFM program. Sending more people to VLFM program is one way to develop good and capable engineers for your businesses. 7. CHANGE - A piece of advice for young engineers. Prof. - The existing knowledge gets obsolete very fast. The half life of engineering knowledge is maximum two to three years, though in some branches it is only 6-9 months. Therefore, to remain relevant, engineers have to unlearn continuously and relearn quickly. It is a skill by itself. In the business context, engineers will have to be ready to go to the source and experience things firsthand. What I mean is that they have to acquire ‘fishbowl’ experiences frequently and quickly. After the fishbowl experience they have to take action which need not be full 100% - a kind of perfection. As learning happens only after action has been taken, I urge young engineers to attempt 60% improvement first and quickly. In the real world, perfection is not possible in the first attempt; hence, good enough a solution has to be attempted. But, the first solution has to be improved continuously to reach close to 100%.

Also, I advice young engineers to cultivate the mindset of ‘I enjoy the job’ instead of ‘I know the job’. Assuming that you have two persons each with the mindset as mentioned here, who do you think will go far over the years? The answer is the person who has the mindset of ‘I enjoy the job’. The job in itself may not be enjoyable but it is the mindset that makes the job so. If you change the mindset, you can make any job enjoyable, including the most mundane one. Hence, it is all about the mindset. Over a period of time, if you keep challenging yourself by jumping in and out of different fishbowls and do something concrete about what you have learnt and attempt the 60% improvement that I have mentioned above, you will never have a dull moment and you will enjoy your job always.

SLIDE RULE By Team CHANGE The heart of engineering is problem solving; it isn’t calculations.

ngineering colleges teach the numbers first but calculations are neither the front end of engineering, nor its end goal. Calculations are important but are one of the means among many to amend – to find a solution that provides useful and objectively measurable improvements. Keeping this in mind, it is clear that engineering calculations have to be accurate and not precise. There is a subtle difference between the two - accuracy is the absence of error while precision is about the level of detail. Effective problem solving requires being accurate. It also calls for a degree of precision that is essential and helpful at a given stage of problem solving. At the early stages of problem solving process, accurate but imprecise methods may do, hence the use of so called ‘rules of thumb’ in engineering practice. Also, using accurate means allows the practitioner to explore alternative approaches quickly and without much effort. The difference between accuracy and precision can be clearly understood from the diagram here. Until electronic calculators came on to the scene, somewhere around in early 70’s, Slide rule was the major tool for engineering calculations. William

Oughtred and others developed the slide rule in the 17th century using John Napier’s work on logarithms. Slide rule is a simple device as shown here, having three strips – two fixed and one movable. It is a mechanical analog computer. Logarithmic scales are used for carrying out the calculations – multiplications, divisions and other mathematical ones. It is not used for addition or subtraction. Slide rules gave accurate results which were good enough for most of the engineering calculations. Throughout the 1950s and 1960s the slide rule was the symbol of engineer’s profession (in the same way that the stethoscope symbolizes the medical profession). The famous German rocket scientist Wernher von Braun brought two 1930s vintage Nestler slide rules with him when he moved to US after World War II, to work on the USA’s space program. Throughout his career, he never used any other pocket calculating devices and used slide rules only which served him perfectly well for making quick estimates of rocket design parameters. A lot of skill is involved in using of the slide rule, fast to crack complicated calculations. Even today, if one wants to learn the use of logarithms for calculations, it may be worthwhile getting hold of a vintage slide rule from a retired engineer or online, from the manufacturers.

FRUGAL ENGINEERING IS NOT AT ALL ABOUT COST-CUTTING:

PAWAN GOENKA While the western world is learning frugality from us, we need to continue holding on to it to differentiate, Goenka tells Sayantani Kar of Business Standard.

Dr. Pawan Goenka is president, automotive and farm division of M&M. He is B.Tech in Mechanical Engineering from IIT Kanpur, MS & PhD in Mechanical Engineering from Cornell Universit y, USA and has attended Advanced Management Programme of Harvard Business School.

where do we get certain components from, to which equipment do we buy, we look for the bells and whistles that we can do without. These elements have to do the most important job at hand, albeit, without compromising on quality because the consumer should never feel any dif ference between frugal and regular engineering.

What are the pillars propping up frugal engineering at Mahindra? As we look at our product development plan, starting from how many engineers report on the project, how many vehicles we need to build for testing,

One of the ways to achieve frugal engineering is by considering 90 per cent functionality, instead of the 100 per cent. At times, it could spell a cost that is lower by 50 per cent. So we would be willing to let go of the last decimal point

of functionality and save a lot of money in the process. For the user, it would mean a good spread of functionality but at a much lower cost. The XUV 500 and the Scorpio are examples. At every step of building a new product or a new plant, you do what you have to do but also ask if there are ways to not do it. Is it about cost-cutting then? Frugal engineering is not about becoming penny-wise and poundfoolish. It is not at all about cost-cutting. Look at our Chakan plant. We have spent `4,000 crore. It is not a miserly amount but on the same thing other manufacturers will spend `6,000 crore. It is a question of `4,000 crore for what. It is not like we don’t want to spend money. In fact, we spend more money than anybody in the auto industry on our R&D. But all that money still goes in for a specific cause that will still save us money without compromising on quality. Frugal would mean that we sometimes question an unnecessary expense of `10 but not question the spends of `1,000 crore because the latter gives us value worth that of `2,000 crore. How do you walk the fine line between cost-cutting and the practice of doing away with needless costs? In the Chakan plant, every square foot of the floor was questioned. Why do we need it, why can’t we move the material

in some other way and do away with three stations on the line. I used to tell them that every additional square foot meant money that they not only spent then, but also money that would be spent later on maintenance. Once done, the cost gets built-in forever. Shopfloors need to be functional, clean and energising but certainly not spic and span like a hotel lobby. Companies spend extra amount of money to make the plants a visitors’ space but that should not be the focus. What was the trigger for you to adopt frugal engineering? One of the reasons was that it was the need of the hour at Mahindra. We could not afford to spend half-a-billion dollars to develop one platform. Otherwise, we probably would not have done the project. Small volumes meant that we were on a much tighter budget than our predecessors. We built a product, ground-up, which was the Scorpio, for `550 crore, a first for any auto company then. But even then, it had come to us naturally. The Indian mindset of not wasting and recycling everything, not indulging in excess, helped. It was evident in what one of the CEOs of an international auto company had told us on one of our plant visits. He had told us that there was nothing that could not be replicated in the plant but there

was no way he could train his 5,000 engineers to think in the frugal way that our engineers could. What would be the examples of frugal engineering at Mahindra? Would using the same platform for different vehicles be one of them? Reusing platforms is not new and many companies reuse them extensively, which means, refreshes at a low cost. I would mention our ‘start-stop’ system in the vehicles, or the micro-hybrid system that saves fuel, which cost us about one-fifth less than that of European manufacturers who also offer

Frugal would mean that we sometimes question an unnecessary expense of `10 but not question the spends of `1,000 crore because the latter gives us value worth that of `2,000 crore. it. That is because we gave up some of the functionality, such as switching to battery power without jeopardising the original concept — that is, shutting off the engine automatically when the vehicle comes to a stop. Even though we spend a lot on R&D, it will be in keeping with our frugal ways. Say, we will design a test cell for engines 9-by-9 when the industry norm might be 10-by-10 because it serves our purpose ideally without superfluous costs.

planning for which we need the process team to set up the manufacturing. Were there any rules, processesor mindsets that you ran up against when you were implementing frugal engineering? It started with the Scorpio and at that time there were no processes in place. We went along and set the process as this was the first major product development that we had done. In many ways, it was good for us because there was no legacy that we had to overcome.

The challenge was that there was a safe and standard way and then there was the frugal way of developing. So, to take those calls, especially for a team that was inexperienced in handling such a large project, was tough. For example, when we had to order a whole weld shop (bodyshop for welding), we could not go to the traditional vendors since we would have overshot the budget. We took the frugal route by identifying a company, which was good but had never done a complete bodyshop before, just like we had never launched a new product before. When we took that bet, we also had to reckon with the fact that if the bet failed then it could jeopardise the whole project. The company did deliver and went on to become our preferred vendor for all subsequent projects.

Ten years after the Scorpio, the cost of developing a brand new product has not spiralled out of control. If we spent `550 crore on the Scorpio, on the XUV 500, we spent `750 crore when the latter was a much more complex product. The same would have cost `300-`400 million normally.

How did you work with suppliers to make sure they didn’t compromise on the quality of supplies? Our project team members spoke to the suppliers and ensured that our targets were not met by squeezing their profit margins but by applying frugality to their processes too. Many were doing product development for the first time, so they were expecting us to handhold them, which we did.

Did you have cross-functional teams? How does one go about forming them? Cross-functional teams are a must for frugal engineering. Engineers are not adept at reining in the costs in process

Is there some sort of a handbook to show the way? In fact, talking to you has given me the idea that we need to develop something like that. When we talk

about our behaviour in the organisation, we mention four or five major traits, including frugality. But frugality has been a tacit knowledge of the people who have been around without a need for a manual so far. So why do you need a manual now? I sometimes worry that the frugal mindset that fit in with our engineering is changing. In the Scorpio days, something costing a crore would have been thought of as expensive, today people will say it is not much. Part of it is due to the value of the rupee but also due to the rise in disposable income. As we move to higher-end products, it becomes difficult to separate the frugal mindset at work from the lifestyles we lead at home. A frugal lifestyle should not mean austerity but one where you only spend money on what gives you value â&#x20AC;&#x201D; not spend `1 where the value will be less than `1 and spend a crore if the value is more than a crore. Earlier, with a smaller team, it was easier to remind people to stay on track with frugality but now, with 2,000 people in R&D working on six projects, it is time for a manual. Now, we constantly remind people that we are where we are because of such practices. While the western world is learning frugality from us, we need to hold on to it too to differentiate.

What are the hurdles that companies from the West are facing in their engineering practices? When we worked on the Scorpio, we had made a presentation to Ford senior management as they were our partners. Happy with the concept, the chairman of fered to send its engineers to assist our technical team. When someone offered to send a few programme managers as well, he immediately remarked it would kill what we were doing. The key is to bring in the technological advantage from the parent company without the process burden. Processes are necessary, but they should be built from scratch in India for a cleaner, less cumbersome programme. For that, the local team needs to be e m p owe r e d to d e ve l o p a f r u g a l process and not follow the age-old one followed elsewhere. Is the time for just-in-time (JIT) over, with most manufacturers letting stocks pile at the vendorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s end? The ecosystem in India does not support JIT. We need to have some leeway, though we have minimised f inished goods at the front-end. But that applies to the day-to-day operations. Frugal engineering, on the other hand, is applied during new product or plant development. *Courtesy â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Business Standard

ENGINEERING A COMPLEX CUSTOM

By G. R. Kulkarni, Godrej Precision Engineering

MADE EQUIPMENT A game where deep capabilities count.

ustom made equipment (CME) are the products where the basic design/concept design/product specifications are provided by the customer and as manufacturers, we are required to manufacture the product confirming to the customer’s requirement. For large size organizations like Godrej, the Equipment where we can be competitive could be extremely complex to manufacture, humongous in size and weight, could have difficult to work with metallurgies, demanding heat treatment and surface treatment requirements, etc. The orders of this kind of equipment have third party inspection and are fraught with the coordination issues. At G&B, some of the businesses like Godrej Precision Engineering, Godrej Precision Systems, Godrej Process Equipment and Godrej Tooling are engaged in manufacture of CME. There exists a large market for CME in India. We often pitch for business for one of the following categories of equipment. A. Customised equipment with many similarities in geometries of the jobs (Godrej Process Equipment/Godrej Tooling) B. Diverse requirements with widely differing geometries of the jobs 1. One of its kinds without repeat business potential 2. One of its kind but with some potential for repeat business

3. A limited quantity at a time but a good potential for repeat business 4. Continuous requirement – quantity ordered may be governed by our capacity to manufacture and our costs For example, defense business falls into category 3 and wind energy business pertains to category 4. In this article, I would like to dwell on the challenges faced for the type ‘B’ jobs. Many enquiries emanate from government agencies and are awarded on the basis of lowest acceptable bids, commonly known as L1 basis. Securing these orders and executing them profitably pose formidable engineering challenges in more ways than one. Only large Manufacturing Organizations with a high level of engineering skills and versatile infrastructure alone can aspire to execute such orders profitably. Let’s take a look at the different stages of the entire order to execution cycle and get an idea of the complexity involved at each of the stages. Estimation: The challenge here is to develop a realistic estimation of cost in the face of several unknown factors. These factors could be related to the cost and availability of the special raw materials, fluctuations of foreign exchange rates and the like. Similarly, estimates of

machining and labor costs can go wrong because of their newness or our limited experience. And yet we have to bid for the job, clear technical evaluation and become eligible for price bidding. We have to offer our ‘best offer first’, so that we can become L1 and obtain the order. Most of the times there are no negotiations on the prices, thus it is easy to appreciate how critical the function of estimation is for securing the business. Design: Having received the order, depending on the contract conditions we may have to do mechanical/hydraulic/electrical/ electronic control system design as per the scope. This requires engineering design strength in the respective areas. Quite often these designs have to be verified by the customers or the consultants. Getting designs cleared for procurement and manufacturing is quite laborious. Drawings: Once the design is approved, our engineers have to prepare detailed drawings for manufacture and assembly. The drawings for manufacturing are of utmost importance because any errors in them could lead to a large wastage of materials and manpower. The drawings have to be clear and understandable to the people on the shopfloor as well as our internal QA and third party inspection agencies.

Fixturing: Identification and design of tooling, jigs/fixtures, SPMs, production aids, etc. as are required for efficient manufacture of the job is a very critical area and has profound influence on quality of the job, quantum of re-work required and cycle time for manufacturing of the job. All these add up to impacting adherence to Contractual Delivery Date (CDD), labour costs and finally profitability of the job.

1. Rotating plug for Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) 2. Ladle Turret for Concast India

The main areas influencing fixture design are:  Distortion control during welding  Ensuring proper positioning of the job for welding/weld automation  Ease of set-up of various parts at their correct location and orientation  Safety of people working on the job 2.

3. Mobile Autonomous Launcher for BrahMos Aerospace Pvt. Ltd. 4. Life Raft Container Ejection System for Indian Navy

We will not go into the details of challenges involved in achieving the above attributes in fixture design at this stage. But one thing is certain that we need the most talented Engineering team with innovativeness, deep understanding of welding/weld distortions, mechanical engineering design capabilities to transform the innovative schemes into fixtures/SPMs which can do the job on the shop floor. Generally, as the time available for design and manufacture of tooling/jigs/ fixtures is very short, the ingenuity and experience of the design team could prove to be a decisive factor in meeting the delivery challenge. Process Sheets: Process sheets for fabrication/ machining of components have to be prepared for the operators on the shop floor. Also, similarly process sheets for assembly and testing requirements have to be prepared for completing the job in time. If required, special testing equipment also have to be developed for certifying required assemblies. QA Documents: QA documents have to be prepared in time with documentation and testing requirements as envisaged in the specifications at enquiry stage. We have to submit these documents to the customer/third party inspection agency and secure their approval. Quite often, a few iterations have to be under taken before the

Engineering documents are signed off for manufacturing. Fabrication: Fabrication of these jobs is a challenge in itself, particularly since  RM metallurgies may require controlled atmosphere for welding, may be dust control or even clean room facilities.  Heat Treatment/Surface Treatment requirements normally are quite demanding. We need to have good knowledge of metallurgy ourselves and should have good access to the vendors for carrying out the jobs.  For jobs of humongous size and weight, many handling and positioning problems have to be overcome on the shop floor, which calls for ingenuity.  Safety has to be assured even when work has to be carried out at great heights or in confined spaces.  Even with good fixtures, weld sequencing has to be resorted to for distortion control and this calls for repeated repositioning of the fixture for getting the desired position for welding. Machining Set-ups: For jobs of humongous size, setting the job on the machine for machining is a very critical activity. For the first time set-up, we have to arrive at the best position of the job so as to ensure required machining allowances on all the areas requiring machining. For

this, we need to make extensive use of laser/optical alignment equipment due to machine size limitations. Generally, reference lines are marked on the job during fabrication stage itself to provide guidance for set-up of the job on the machine. Assembly: Nowadays, the jobs are becoming bigger and bigger and even with our available tall plant, we have to make large size pits in the plant to get the required height under the crank hook. Assembly of these humungous jobs calls for laser alignment/measurement instruments to get the required alignment accuracies of perpendicularity/parallelity/concentricity, etc. For working at height, we need to have proper scaffolding/work platforms to ensure safety of working people. Quality Assurance: Geometrical inspection of large size jobs is difficult and we have to resort to extensive use of measuring laser equipment for proving geometrical accuracies. Dealing with third party inspection agencies and their availability is critical for timely execution of the jobs. Validation and testing of finished product: This sometimes can be very demanding. In case of Defense Equipment, we may have to subject the product for Field Trials. The electrical/electronic system may have to undergo testing in simulated operating conditions of temperature, humidity, shock, vibrations, etc., and may have to be EMI/EMC compliant. All these test requirements add up to the time and cost estimates of the project which need to be factored in upfront, appropriately.

To meet the deadlines, the tasks have to be carried out with a d eg ree o f s u ref o o ted nes s that is according to the proven processes only. Transportation: Estimation of the cost of transportation of large size jobs and the actual transportation of such jobs is yet another challenge. Route survey may have to be carried out for ensuring smooth journey of the job to the destination. Availability and cost of hiring of heavy-duty trailers also have to be taken into account for executing the job. In closing, it can be said that the business of manufacturing CME is extremely challenging. All aspects of business have to be thought through upfront and in a way, tentative decisions taken for visualizing the entire execution of the job. Project planning and control have to be thorough. The teamwork involved has to be exemplary. To meet the deadlines, the tasks have to be carried out with a degree of surefootedness that is according to the proven processes only. Notwithstanding the challenges involved, such jobs offer good opportunities for our businesses to carve out their positions in the competitive market. We have found in our experience that sound planning and preparations yield great benefits. As the years pass by, we can aspire to become the leaders in the field of building of CME.

Documentation/Traceability: This is an important area for many Equipment. The main purpose of this activity is to be able to find out the root cause in material/workmanship, in case of any failures in mission critical Equipment and then be able to take corrective action for future. With traceability, we are able to view the raw material used, dimensional/heat treatment record of every component that is used, any deviational clearances accorded, etc.

By T. S. Murali, Godrej

Locking Solutions & Systems

ENGINEERING DESIGN A process involving interdisciplinary activities to help make things that work.

ngineering design is all about doing all those things that enable a business execute the completed design successfully. The engineering solution developed must have a high degree of producibility as well as the desired economy in its production, distribution and sales. Therefore, the task of engineering design is in fact that of ‘engineering of a design’ that satisfies the design objectives as given in the brief. The process itself is iterative in nature, hence the solution developed gets progressively refined as the limitations are encountered. The final solution could be a ‘compromised one’ as compared to what was envisaged. And yet, the final outcome must conform to the design objectives so as to have a product that is sharply differentiated and is unique from other offerings in the marketplace. Engineering design thus becomes a pivotal function in a business as it involves converting something that exists on a paper into something

tangible that is attractive and offers great utility and value to customers. Engineering design pays attention to many considerations such as materials, technology, environmental and economic aspects, various laws as well as human constraints. In simple terms, ‘engineering design’ is ‘finding a way and making it work’. I would like to illustrate the process of engineering design by describing the process that we went through recently while engineering a design of ‘Astro’ range of Locks. For the purpose of clarity, I will deal with only one model of the range.

injury. The operation of the lock itself should be smooth and noiseless. 3. High security: As this is a highend lock, it should provide security which is very difficult to breach. On a scale of 0 to 5, the level of security provided should be 3. Unpickability is a must and so is the protection against physical assault.

1. Attractive, modern looks: This kind of looks would have innovative shape and finish, non-visible bolts, comfortable grip, good workmanship, lasting glossy finish, and so on.

4. Ef fective and at tractive packaging: Besides protecting the product against damage in transit, the packaging should remain intact until the point of purchase. On opening, it should offer a surprisingly pleasant look of the product which in a way assures the buyer that he has made the right choice and he is getting what he has bought. Also, the larger carton having multiple SKUs should be of size that is economical for transportation and is easy to handle at the point of storing.

2. Ease of use: The lock has to be easy to use and should have no sharp corners or projections that may cause

5. Ease of Installation: The lock should be easy to install in a short span of time, using the template provided

Let me share with you the design brief in a summary form:

and the tools recommended by the technicians having some experience of fixing locks. The process of fixing lock should not result in any damage to the product or the door. Now, in brief the task of engineering of a design: The body: The question now arises, what should we make the body from? There were several options, beginning with the use of sheet metal. These options were evaluated against the design objectives and the objectives of producibility and cost of production. After much analysis, most of the options were eliminated and we voted for using zinc alloy for pressure die casting. This combination would ensure the realization of the exquisite form of the body. Once the above were firmed up, then the key parameters for the tool design had to be worked out for the intended rate and quality of production. Also, the details of fixtures, jigs and post machining operations had to b e worked out. And finally, a design brief was prepared and given to our Tooling business for the manufacturing of Dies. Also, necessary preparations in the production system of locks were initiated for smooth and easily scalable production.

Engineering design pays attention to many considerations, such as materials, technology, environmental and economic aspects, various laws as well as human constraints. The facia: Attractive facia is essential, hence a search was launched for the right kind of material to be used. In the end the team selected textured stainless steel sheet for facia. The geometry of the facia had to be worked out, making allowances for easy fit. Also, a shallow cavity had to be made in the facia to accommodate the monogram. Further, the method of fixing of the facia was selected

Body

1. Exploded assembly view of the eXs lock cylinder

Rich glossy looks, blemish-free finish

Coating performance

Part handling

Painting

Testing of coating performance

Material handling process from casting to coating redefined

PU painting selected, basis Automobile benchmarking

Special foam-lined containers for transportation

Partnering with Du Pont for eco-friendly paint, process

Requisite allowances in assembly for enabling working mechanisms Development of special jigs for coating Set-up of test facility to ensure consistent quality of coating for durability and performance

Operator mindset changed, gloves provided for handling

Coating technologies

Electroplating

Ruled out owing to â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;me tooâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; looks in the market

Partnered with coating specialist and developed new process Set up enhanced facility with partner investment, for capacity

Facia

Changeable facia to provide enhanced looks and provide variants

Affixation methods

Protective peel of layer on outer side

Clean looks

Non-tamper

Accommodate Godrej Monogram

Special feature in assembly design to lock the facia after affixation

Fits and Tolerances

Material

Part geometry, basis manufacturing process

Aluminium, stainless steel, brass, pre-coated sheets

Painting allowances

Stainless steel. Eco-friendly, non-tarnishing, textured designs

Specially relieved cavity in facia to accommodate monogram, aesthetically

Corner design modified to accommodate paint build-up

Partnering with 3M for special adhesive

Provision of ribs to provide support and flat resting

Easy to fix

Sources in Europe specialized for facia plates

Partnered with local vendor specialized in such mfg process

and tested for its life and ease of fixing. Thus, it can be seen that a simple component like facia calls for a detailed engineering effort. Rich glossy finish: Many coating technologies were examined and finally poly urethane paint finish was selected. This finish was tested extensively for its durability and the retention of attractive looks. Once the type of finish was firmed up, a whole lot of engineering effort was devoted to the development of methods of component handling, painting, and in-process storage. As LOCKSS had no previous experience in using PU painting process, the job of painting bodies and components was outsourced, with the engineering team having worked out the details of the process to be followed at the vendorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s end. Also, a QC brief was prepared for the vendor. A s im il a r d eta il e d e ngin e e r ing process was followed for other components of the lock such as the locking mechanism, fixing plate and the rest of it.

Locking mechanism: In the Astro range of locks, the locking bolts have a vertical movement for securing the lock. This arrangement eliminates the risks of prying open of the lock by wedging a bar between the door and the frame. The challenge here is to select the materials and actually work out design and dimensions of the components that work smoothly. As mentioned earlier, entire manufacturing process, including the brief for the toolings were worked out for smooth production. In this high security lock, the risk of duplicating of the key is eliminated by the use of different materials, mechanisms and the use of electronics. The science of combinatorics is used to generate key combinations that are unique. As these locks are mass produced, a computer program is developed by the engineering team for generating millions of unique key combinations. Also, a software is developed to feed the data generated directly into the CNC machines on the shop-floor for production.

To ensure high security, the use of â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;EXSâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; technology platform was opted for the Locking Cylinder assembly. The cylinder which is the heart of the security of the lock is designed from a judicious mix of materials such as brass, nickel-silver and stainless steel. As the external face of the lock is exposed to the climatic conditions, it had to be suitability protected for durability and retaining of the looks. Detailed engineering and extensive tests were carried out to ensure its smooth performance over a long life of 25+ years. In the same wake of things, the keys of the cylinder were designed to have a smooth feel and not have any humps for the ease of insertion and removal. To help elderly use the lock easily and make the lock easy to operate in the dark. The key was designed in such a way that it is easy to insert and use either way. As it can be appreciated, all these features call for extensive engineering of different elements of the locking mechanism.

Ease of installation: The ease of installation is engineered into the product by paying attention to the details such as the type of screw head to be used, the finish of the screws and the like. Also, the template for installation is prepared, keeping in mind the convenience of the technician at site. Detailed guidelines are given to ensure zero damage to the door and the frame.

have the feedback on the performance of the lock, once fitted. And finally, all the feedback is incorporated into the engineering dossier of the product, the dies and tools and the production process to have high quality locks produced in larger numbers. All of the above goes to show that engineering of a design is a complex, painstaking task which calls for working out a multitude of details. There are no short cuts. Every aspect has to be examined carefully and a solution found to ensure that the product is produced smoothly and economically. Glitches, if any, that arise are quickly smoothened. Extensive teamwork is essential for executing a design that conforms to the brief. A culture of teamwork becomes mandatory to make things happen faster and in my opinion it is the way forward.

The finished product: After all the care that has been taken so far, the product itself has to be produced in sufficient numbers to ensure the stability of the production process as well as the quality of the finished product. Multiple short production runs were taken to test out the dies and tools and iron out the glitches. Samples were shipped to far off destinations to test the packaging and 2.

2. The Astro Body, in one of its final forms and finishes

Installation Exquisite shape, form, concealed fixing screws.

Component definition, including surface geometry 3D modeling software analysis Prototype manufacturing using Camworks on CNC machine Contactless scanning technologies to verify geometry and form

Material

Sheet metal

Option ruled out owing to limitations in formability of shape and inability to accommodate internal mechanisms

Tooling

Casting, machinability, conducive for coating

Fixtures, jigs for post cast machining

Pressure Die casting

Modifications in machine for pressure booster Flow analysis to simulate the tooling behaviour Special moving cores to be able to cast internal cavities

By Jayesh Rathod and Vijay Kumar Saboo, Godrej Tooling

TO CREATE VALUE, STAY ROOTED TO THE

DESIGN PHILOSOPHY By giving much more for a little more, repeat business can be won even in a fiercely competitive scenario.

hare a cup of tea with someone who was amidst the hustles of the business in the 70’s and you will get a peep into what shaped the design philosophy of Godrej Tooling (GT). Like an ageing war horse with bagful of chivalrous tales of his youth, he will tell you the little known details of how Diecasting Process has been exploited to assemble typewriter Platen tube with innovative Die design, how, the now phased out, piercing and notching gang tools for steel furniture were developed and the way leaders at the helm worked shoulder to shoulder for arriving at the best production solutions. Story of each such endeavour remains deeply etched in the collective memory of the business and it has helped shape the philosophy of design at GT. To make our product lines competitive, the toolings had to be designed to be robust, reliable, and capable of giving production beyond the quantities designed for. Obviously, such toolings would be a little more costly but would yield much more production, reducing the cost of production per piece. Over the years, GT’s design philosophy got articulated as ‘to give much more

for a little more’ and has remained unchanged so far. In the recent years, when GT is sourcing bulk of its business from external customers, this design philosophy has enabled it win repeat and profitable business from many large clients and has established its position as a leader. New millennium has brought in a set of challenges with itself. The customers have become very formal and demanding and are now geographically distanced. Customer segments are heterogeneous and complex as opposed to familiar internal customers like Typewriters, Locks or FHP Motors. GT now has a wider canvas to cater to. Product lifecycle, product profile, markets and productivity demands have also radically changed. Today, a designer has to squeeze in a lot more from the time the first datum line is drawn on the drawing board to the time the customer gives a satisfactory nod to the sample in his hands. In this totally new dynamics of the business, what has remained unchanged is the design philosophy of GT. A few success stories of which are as below:

CASE 1 – Aluminium castings for two-wheelers As millions of two-wheelers are produced every year, tens of thousands of these castings are produced every day for the power train of the two-wheelers. Power train casings enclose the engine-to-wheel drive mechanism on an automobile and are geometrically complex. Tolerance band for acceptance norms are very narrow and demanding. Usually, life of a die meant for these castings is short and averages to 80,000 shots. Tampering with the process parameters either reduces the die life or produces ‘no good’ castings with porosity and warp. It is in these stringent realities that innovative design solutions of GT attempt to offer more than what customer expects, at a slightly higher price, but yielding much higher acceptable production through a significantly higher die life. The die life is governed by many design factors like die material and design of metal flow routes, internal cooling circuits, and its manufacturing processes. GT has developed a deep knowhow for combining these factors in an optimal way for yielding longer die life. It is an outcome of years of R&D efforts directed by zero compromise on its design philosophy. We give a die life guarantee of 1,00,000 shots which is 20% higher than the others. By their own admission, majority of our customers get a die life beyond 1,25,000 shots from our dies. A few of them also meet the world benchmark of 1,50,000 shots. This keeps our demanding customers satisfied and creates fresh challenges for our designers to find innovative ways to give more for less and stay ahead on the curve as the competitors begin to catch up. All along, the designers are being guided by our unchanging philosophy. CASE 2 – Multi cavity die (MC dies) In the competitive markets of twowheelers, the pressure is always on to lower the unit cost of castings. One obvious way to reduce the cost of castings is to produce more number of castings per hour than the present benchmark. This cannot be done by

Today, a designer has to squeeze in a lot more from the time the first datum line is drawn on the drawing board to the time the customer gives a satisfactory nod to the sample in his hands. 1.

reducing the cycle time as it will impact the quality. Solution is to produce more than one component per shot using a multi-cavity die. This is usually not easy because larger or multi-cavity die will call for a proportionately higher tonnage of machine which in turn would increase the per-piece cost of the component. Similarly, if on account of a larger multi-cavity die, the die cost would also increase and would impact the per piece cost adversely. The challenge therefore is to design a twin cavity die, which is so well optimised, that it would use a machine of about 0-25% higher tonnage, without compromising on the number of production cycles per hour and is priced to make a positive cost-benefit to customer. In such a case the cost of production will be reduced by roughly 50%. For example, if twin cavity die, priced moderately higher, runs on an 800T machine instead of single cavity on a 660T machine, produces at the same number of cycles, then we would have doubled the production at 50-70% of per piece cost! Driven by customer centric design philosophy, GT achieved precisely what is stated above and halved the cost of production for a prominent manufacturer of two-wheelers. As

1. Existing Single Cavity Die 2. Improved Twin Cavity Die

we say this, we request the readers to bear in mind that designing a multi -cavity die is not an easy task and to sell its idea to the customer is equally difficult, as not only additional costs are involved, the ‘process risk’ also rises. Not many people in tooling business supply MC dies for complex castings. We are proud to say that our design engineers who have honed their design skills over the years have learnt the art and science of designing multi-cavity dies rather well. Though we take a hit in terms of number of single cavity dies sold and their value, this innovation of ours has helped us carve out larger share of business from our customers, creating a solid barrier against switching of die manufacturers. Overall, enabling customers to reap much more by their sowing a little more has helped us build an enviably strong position in the market space. It pays to have a design philosophy, that is driven by a strong intent to give them much more for a little more.

MARINE ACCOMMODATION

SOLUTIONS

Engineering for onboard safety and comfort of sea-going people.

arine Accommodation Solutions (MAS) line of business of Godrej Interio came into existence in 2003-04 with a specific focus to develop marine grade furniture and paneling systems for Indian Navy, and now for other noncommercial and commercial ships. A visit of a delegation from Naval Head Quarters - New Delhi, in 2001, prompted us to think about this altogether new product line. Needless to say that our efforts to develop this product line would result in indigenization of items that were hitherto imported and also would give a boost to our self-reliance. Some amount of cost advantage would also accrue as a result of indigenization. Soon thereafter, representatives of Indian industry were invited to participate in the program of making Indian Navy less dependent on imports. It was also felt that the technologies absorbed in the effort would come handy for the refurbishment projects of the ships, as the ships remain in service for over 25 years. Keeping the above in mind, we worked towards understanding various accommodation needs of Naval ships and developed a platform for

designing products to cover major accommodation requirements and covering all the areas of ships like living room, office space, bath and w/c, kitchen and Galley, recreation areas, wardrooms, and special cabins for captains and commanding officers. To develop deep knowledge of the subject, we visited many war ships, studied designs of the accommodations of old vessels which Indian Navy has of Russian, German and UK make, interviewed end users from Jr. Sailors to Captain of the ship and created the total accommodation package which we could offer. And so, our journey started with our first job of refurbishment of old vessels. As per Navy’s planned repairs and maintenance schedule, we started quoting for various Tenders and based on L1 basis we completed many successful refurbishment projects including providing accommodation for 900 strong crew of INS-Viraat, our only flagship carrier during the FY 2007-08. With this experience, we graduated from the refurbishment projects to projects involving new construction of ship accommodation. As on date we have executed projects for about 66

We on our side are well poised to take advantage of India’s economic growth, enhanced oil exploration efforts and a boost in the development of the marine infrastructure to become a leader in this field.

By Bharat Mistry, Godrej Interio

Vessels – 12 refurbishment and 43 new constructions. We are very proud of the fact that we supplied accommodation for India’s own first Nuclear Submarine INS-Arihant. The challenge of providing MAS for submarines: Providing Accommodation solution for a submarine was a big challenge, right from the Raw Material (RM) selection and product design to execution. First challenge was to select correct RM. RM Specification was made in Russian Standards, so getting RM of equivalent Indian standards, testing and matching with Russian std. was the big challenge. The entire material used for accommodation was of Stainless steel Grade 321. For the first time at Interio we processed SS 321 for making bunks, lockers, tables sliding doors for marine cabin. RM used for making products were tested and cleared by Defense approved lab prior to production. Apart from this, we had to ensure that all supporting materials selected had the required quality standards and fire-retardant properties. Foams and fabrics used for mattresses & chair upholstery and paint & powder used for any surface finish should not omit any toxic or hazardous gases in case of fire. Also, the material used had to have low Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC), so that VOC particles do not choke the air filtering system of HVAC over a period of time.

We also used composite materials like SS and Aluminum Honey comb panels to fabricate panels for walls and ceilings. These panels had modular design for quick assembly and disassembly. The component size was always determined by the 700mm Dia hatch, a standard pathway in the ships and submarines. Our forte of handling knockdown design for making furniture helped us to provide good engineering and design solutions to meet critical requirements of submarines. Space utilization, ergonomics, color scheme and lighting fixtures were the key elements to provide comfortable accommodation. Project execution and installation were also equally tough. Here main focus was on project planning, quality control and strict adherence to various tests and trials, weight control and documentation of each and every part that goes into the installations for accommodation. Collaborations: We entered into technical collaborations with Korean companies to acquire best practices, products, design and firsthand training on installation processes. We also learnt many rules and regulations mandatory to be followed while designing and sourcing various products, inspection processes and standards to be maintained according to international standards governed by International Maritime organization (IMO). The new techniques used by Korean shipyards have the concept of zonal

built by Tebma Shipyard. In this project we have provided total turnkey package covering design, engineering, total material supply and Installation.

or a block construction for reducing overall build time. We were the first in India to acquire new processes and competency for Indian shipbuilding, which has helped us to enter into a new segment of Merchant vessel with enhanced scope of work for MAS.

We are proud to say that we are the pioneers in India for introducing MAS of modular design for Naval and Merchant Vessels. We have developed a highly capable team for handling any challenge in this field. On the basis of our experience so far, we are looking forward to an opportunity of working for INS Vikrant – India’s own first Air Craft Carrier being built at Cochin Shipyard.

Together with our Korean Partner we executed two projects for Merchant vessels of 74500 DWT Bulk Carrierfirst time built in India at Pipavav shipyard. This journey has helped us to get established into a new segment of providing turnkey solutions for MAS in India. We received a breakthrough order for providing MAS for two GTRVs (Geo Technical Research Vessel) being 2.

Market has seen a lot of changes in last few years due to recessionary developments across the world. This has resulted in decline in opportunities and also increased Gestation and execution periods. Accordingly, we have realigned our strategy and are going for select opportunities. India’s economic growth, enhanced oil exploration efforts and a boost in the development of the marine infrastructure would place greater demands on India’s shipbuilding industry in the years to come. We on our side are well poised to take advantage of these developments and become a leader in the field.

1. Nine Men Cabin - IB, L&T 2. CO's day cabin - Y155, TSL

GREEN MAKES

By H. N. Daruwalla, Godrej Electricals and Electronics

BUSINESS SENSE Transforming Green Solutions into Business Opportunities.

lectricals & Electronics Business has always strived to provide energy-efficient, cost-effective and reliable services to internal customers of G&B. To continuously upgrade these services for meeting the everincreasing needs of our customers, over the years, E&E has successfully implemented a large number of new technologies. These technologies have been selected on the basis of their uniqueness, their ability to provide considerable amount of benefits in the form of energy savings, improved quality of the service rendered and enhanced throughput. In 1997, one such technology was selected for improving the pneumatic systems in our organisation. We had imported equipment from US to provide compressed air at constant pressure to our manufacturing operations and conserve considerable amount of energy. At that time, compressed air used to consume 25% of the total electrical energy consumed by G&B Manufacturing Plants.

After carrying out a thorough technoeconomic evaluation, we obtained a sanction from our Management to install 13 numbers of compressed air flow control systems, a project worth `70 Lakhs.

processes, but also we were able to achieve energy saving of about 18% against the anticipated 13%. This incremental saving reduced the payback period to 18 months from projected period of 24 months.

Compressed air is often referred to as the fourth utilityâ&#x20AC;Ś after electricity, natural gas, and water in the context of manufacturing operations. Producing and utilizing compressed air is inherently an inefficient conversion and it takes about 7 units of electrical energy to produce 1 unit equivalent of air energy.

After some years, E&E was given a mandate to seek customers externally and expand their operations.

It is pertinent to note here that there was no past success story of deploying such a technology in India as this was the first installation of its kind in the country. After importing and successfully installing the equipment, we were not only able to provide air at constant pressure to all our Manufacturing

As of today, over 2,500 units of IFC systems have been sold saving 250 million units of energy for our customers resulting in a reduction of 80,000 metric tons of Carbon every year. 28

At this juncture we decided to promote compressed air control systems to our external customers. We met with some notable success and our business began to grow. But soon we found that this analog electronic & pneumatic technology imported from USA was becoming obsolete. Further, a multi-national air compressor company bought over this pneumatic controller manufacturing plant in US. However, with an aim to achieve higher sale of air compressors, pneumatic controller business was put on back burner and finally almost closed down. We had therefore no choice but to develop our own product (compressed air control system). Our team of engineers completely designed the compressed air flow & pressure control system using latest technology to suit Indian industry and patented it. The controller of our design became a

powerful tool for saving energy costs and we named it ‘ControlAir Intelligent Flow Control (IFC) System’. Having a product of our own, gave us a considerable edge in continuously developing it with newer technologies for making the ControlAir IFC System an up-to-date and powerful energy saving device. Apar t from using latest digital electronic closed loop feedback control systems, we also provided internet connectivity, so that the performance of the system can be monitored from remote locations. As of today, over 2,500 units of IFC systems have been sold saving 250 million units of energy for our customers resulting in a reduction of 80,000 metric tons of Carbon every year. Needless to say, all leading manufacturers like of Tata Motors, Mahindras, Mico, Bosch and others as well as leading Cement Manufacturers like Ultratech, Ambuja, Shree, Dalmia, ACC, etc., are using our IFC Systems and are saving in millions.

our internal customers and thereafter it was successfully transformed into a business opportunity to the external customers in India and abroad. E&E has many such success stories not only in IFCs but also in Intelligent Sequencing Systems for Air Compressors, Lubricated type Screw Air Compressors, Sandwich type electric bus ducts (instead of environment unfriendly pvc insulated cables) and others, wherein we have first successfully implemented the technologies internally and subsequently converted them into successful external businesses. We stand committed to the phrase coined by Mr. Jamshyd Godrej -“Green makes Business sense”. We intend pursuing Green Business opportunities vigorously in the years ahead.

1. Installation of ControlAir IFC on centrifugal air compressors 2. Minister of Energy for State, Mr. Dilip Walse Patil handing over the CII National award & certificate for ‘Innovative Energy Saving Product’ for ControlAir IFC to CAS team

Further, as energy conservation and management are at the top of the agenda of companies in developing countries, we have started selling these products in countries like China & other Asian countries. Today we are selling our systems in larger quantities in these and similar markets abroad than in India. In 2008, honorable Minister of State for Energy conferred CII’s “Innovative Energy Saving Product” award & certificate to our ControlAir Intelligent Flow Control Systems. Later we obtained CE marking for this product and started exporting to European country.

Now our ControlAir IFC systems are listed in various directories published by institutions as recommended product for energy saving. Today we are promoting our ControlAir IFC systems as a part of energy saving solution that we offer and it is backed by 100% ‘money back guarantee’. As can be seen, this is a success story which is one of its kind where a new technology was first successfully experimented upon and deployed for

By Satish Joshi, Godrej Precision Engineering

REVERSE ENGINEER FOR A

STRATEGIC EDGE

A capability that can help us reduce our dependencies.

ll of us have heard of Reverse Engineering (RE), as a tool that is used by engineers all over the world. With technological advents, RE has become more powerful and is highly sought after method for product development. Reverse engineering is not a new concept. There are many instances during and after Second World War, of reverse engineering of defense equipment of other countries. It has been instrumental for some noteworthy product developments. In this article, I would throw some light on RE, its possible deployments and benefits. We know Engineering is a process of designing, manufacturing and maintaining a product. Normally engineering is understood as 'Forward Engineering' which involves concept development, detail engineering, manufacturing and so on. The other type of engineering is 'Reverse Engineering',

In cases where the latest technology is denied, rediscovering it from scratch is a long route and is often not justified. Under such situations, RE can be deployed to bridge the technological gap. 30

which is the process of developing a product based on an existing product. RE is defined as a process for discovering the technological principle of a device, an object or a system through an analysis of its structure, function or operation. RE involves total dismantling of an existing product and mapping its components. The process goes even further to understand the basic design principles with systematic analysis. RE is applicable not only to hard physical objects but also the softer side of systems, viz. Algorithms, softwares and circuits. It is widely used to decode, debug & improve upon an existing Software. However, this article will be limited to the manufactured products. Applications of Reverse Engineering The RE technique is deployed systematically by many companies for different purposes: 1. Product Analysis â&#x20AC;&#x201C; To examine how a product works, what are its specifications, its components, costs and so on. 2. Competitive technical intelligence â&#x20AC;&#x201C; To understand what the competitors are actually doing, versus what they say they are doing.

3. Overcoming documentation shortcomings – RE can be undertaken when the documentation of a system for its design, production, operation or maintenance are found to have many shortcomings and the original designers are not available to improve upon them. 4. Product Improvements – Some undesirable features of the product can be eliminated or improved upon using RE. 5. Scaled Models – Such models can be created by carrying out various experiments including 3D mapping. 6. Ensuring Product support – In case the original product manufacturer stops supporting the product, then RE can be used for manufacturing the required parts and spares. 7. Interfacing – RE can be used when a system is required to interface with another system and interfaces are to be developed for interoperability. 8. Obsolescence – Integrated circuits often seem to have been designed on obsolete, proprietary knowhow, which means that the only way to incorporate in it the functionality of a new technology is to RE the existing chip and re-design. 9. Academic/learning purposes – RE can be used for learning purposes and understand the key aspects of an unsuccessful design so as to improve it later. Capabilities for Reverse Engineering The basic capabilities for RE are: 1. Dismantling and assembly skills are required to be able to open the assemblies without affecting the characteristics or functionality.

place, the dimension mapping data can be used to create solid models of a product easily. Once the product model is available, the analy tical tools can be deployed to understand design characteristics. 5. Rapid prototyping – This technology is now sufficiently advance and enables engineers build the components directly from the 3D models without any Toolings. 6. Product Improvement – RE is used to understand the existing designs and then by applying basic engineering principles, the existing features of the products are improved upon for better performance. Also, RE can help value engineer the product as well as improve its manufacturability. Thus, it can be seen that RE gives results much faster and enables engineers come up with a better product overall. Fortunately, today RE capabilities are available from various RE service providers, however in businesses where ‘products are the heroes’, it may be worthwhile developing that capability in-house. New Product Development and Reverse Engineering. New product development cycle from the concept to the end product is a long one. On the other hand, where a similar product is already existing, it would be advisable to develop new products as an extension of the existing ones. This would enable the businesses to compress the development cycle time. Having a robust RE capability is an added weapon to compete in the marketplace. Needless to say that the companies should take special care not to infringe

upon the Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) of other companies. Technology Development and Reverse Engineering. Technology development in the developed countries takes place through innovation. On the other hand, the developing countries acquire the latest technology through direct purchasing or collaborations. However, in cases where the latest technology is denied, rediscovering it from scratch is a long route and is often not justified. Under such situations, RE can be deployed to bridge the technological gap. There are many instances where the developed countries deny some hi-tech products to the developing countries to curtail their progress in strategic areas. In cases where such products are made available, they are sold at unfair – very high opportunistic-prices. Under such circumstances the developing countries could resort to efforts of indigenization by deploying RE. RE strategy has been successfully deployed by Eastern countries like China, Korea and Taiwan. After bridging the technology gap, they have been able to improve upon the same to their own advantage. In a nutshell, Reverse Engineering today provides a reliable route for product development. RE capabilities with a company not only help it tide over the ‘product support issues’, but it can also help develop improved versions of the product quickly. The RE used appropriately with due caution to the IPR regime can become a vehicle of growth for manufacturing companies.

2. Dimensions mapping – For capturing precise dimensions and shapes, Coordinate Measuring Machine is widely used. Now, with advent of Laser scanning/ White light scanning, non-contact digitization has become so much easier. 3. Material analysis – While material sampling is not always possible, the development in spectrometry has made it possible to discover the chemical compositions accurately. 4. Product design & analysis – With 3D Computer Aided Design (CAD) in

MAKING INDIA

STRATEGICALLY SECURE

By Ramesh Kumar, Godrej Aerospace

The BrahMos story - a milestone reached and the journey onward begins.

odrej Aerospace (GA) has been a strategic partner to BrahMos Aerospace Pvt. Ltd. (BAPL) for manufacturing of Air Frame Assemblies for BrahMos Missiles right from the stage of development itself. GA recently completed the First Production order of 40 sets of Air-Frame assemblies for BrahMos missiles and commenced the deliveries of the next 100 sets.

have been augmented which were inaugurated by the visiting dignitaries. On the shop floor, Dr. Pillai met with the members of our workforce working on the BrahMos program and chatted with them freely, appreciating their efforts. He thanked them and paid them handsome compliments. Our people were greatly encouraged by this gesture.

To mark these two landmark events, Dr. A. S. Pillai - MD & CEO of BAPL, visited Godrej Aerospace on 21st November, 2013. On this occasion, Mr. Jamshyd N. Godrej, our Chairman and Managing Director, handed over the documentation signifying the completion of the first production order of BrahMos missiles. The event was attended by the senior officials of BAPL, Defence Research Development Laboratories (DRDL), Missile System Quality Assurance Agency (MSQAA) and the vendor partners of GA.

Later, an interaction with the media was hosted by us where major electronic, print and wire media were represented by more than 40 journalists and photographers. S. M. Vaidya welcomed the gathering and made a few opening remarks. Kaustubh Shukla, CEO - Industrial Products Group, presented an overview of the activities undertaken by Godrej which are of strategic importance for the nation. He also made a brief presentation on the contributions of Godrej for the BrahMos program.

The visit began with Dr. Pillai and other dignitaries visiting the manufacturing facilities for BrahMos Air Frames. The Air Frame assembly consists of more than 1,700 unique parts, some of which are used in multiples. For the first production order, GA achieved the rate of delivery at 2 sets per month. To meet the requirements of the next production order, current facilities

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Jamshyd Godrej reiterated Godrejâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s commitment towards Indiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s various strategic programs. He also mentioned that Godrej has been supporting such programs for decades and he has found that such programs were enormously beneficial to the company besides helping the nation in many ways. Addressing the media, Dr. Pillai

recalled an incident which took place years ago. He happened to visit Godrej facilities at 2 am in the morning and found that the people were working on the shop floor with full dedication and enthusiasm even at such an early hour. He recorded his appreciation for Godrej for the quality of work done in completing the order of 40 sets of AirFrame assemblies. He said “Godrej has not only graduated in doing products of aerospace grade material but they have also kept quality in mind and have delivered on time. So this is the big compliment I can give to Godrej and to the team and each of the technicians who are working on this job. I would like to acknowledge this great contribution.” During the Q&A session with the media that followed, Dr. Pillai informed the press that Godrej is a strategic partner of BrahMos and is contributing greatly to the nation’s defence. Mr. Jamshyd Godrej informed the press that the technology businesses are of strategic interest to Godrej. He elaborated that these ventures offer a learning process which is greatly beneficial to the businesses in terms of their own journeys, which involve dealing with complex machining, welding and processing of advanced materials. The media was appreciative of what they had learnt and it was reflected next day in the generous coverage in Media – both print and electronic.

1.Dr. A. S. Pillai receiving the documents of the airframe assemblies from Mr. Jamshyd Godrej in the presence of Rear Admiral S. Mohapatra (extreme left), ED – Production, BrahMos Aerospace Pvt. Ltd. and Mr. C. V. S. Murthy (3rd from left), Director of Engineering Services, DRDL, marking the commencement of deliveries of next 100 sets production order 2. Full size mock up of BrahMos airframe assemblies manufactured by Godrej Aerospace 3. Dr. A. S. Pillai & Mr. Jamshyd Godrej addressing the media

To meet the requirements of the nex t production order, current facilities have been augmented which were inaugurated by the visiting dignitaries. 33

By Sudhir Patwardhan, Director, PAT Consulting

BOOK REVIEW - 7 DREAMS TO REALITY: TRANSFORMING INDIAN MANUFACTURING

PROF. SHOJI SHIBA P

admashree Prof. Shoji Shiba, who was awarded The Deming Prize for individuals in 2002, for his outstanding contribution to Quality Management Methods, takes us through a wonderful, 210 page journey of seven success stories, indicating that a new Indian way of manufacturing is emerging. The purpose of the book is to inspire Indian organizations and managers to adopt the principles of Breakthrough Management to meet the future challenges posed by the world experiencing 10 X changes. Prof. Shiba wishes “to ignite a passion about manufacturing in the country”, and uses the word “manufacturing” in a far wider context. The purpose is achieved extremely well. I am sure the readers will enjoy the book as much as I did. The stories in the book are unfolded just the same way as the philosophy it emphasizes: using the Breakthrough Management “70-30 Rule": 70% Practice & 30% Knowledge, and

“Learning by Doing”. The description of how exactly the Godrej & Boyce Team and Sona Koyo Team developed and marketed innovative products “Chotukool” and “EPM” respectively is very interesting and educative. Likewise, how the teams “dived into fishbowl” rather than “observing the fish from outside” to reach target customer by identifying their needs, adopting emerging technology and innovative distribution systems through breakthrough ideas is fascinating. Prof. Shiba explains the seven factors of organizational change, and illustrates how an organization can be transformed using the example of Godrej’s Shirwal Factory. The book then takes you outside the four walls of the organization to interact with the organization’s profitcritical stakeholder: the Supplier. Creation of trust based relationship, painstakingly nurtured, leading to win-win advantage has been lucidly explained using the example of

Gabriel India and two of their suppliers - Vinsar Elastomers, and Hosur Steel. The point that strikes you the most is that of “Do and then Demonstrate”. The author explains how to design and establish three critical flows: Procurement > Production > Delivery, and the business benefits that follow. The case of business transformation of Paragon, a single-source supplier of Sona Koyo is indeed outstanding. It has been described in detail so that the reader can really understand (and learn how to apply) the four stages of business transformation – from “mindset change” to “gaining tangible and intangible business results”.

Emphasizing integration of thinking and doing at all levels of hierarchy, the book is an excellent read for the thinking doers of Indian Industry. Sudhir Patwardhan is a practicing Management Consultant; his interests being Management of Supply Chains, Projects, New Product Design Systems and Kaizen. He has consulted with companies in sectors like Construction, Health and Engineering. B Tech – IIT Kanpur, MS – USA, he is a Godrejite having worked with us for around 25 years. Apart from being a great trainer and an academic, he engages himself in social work through Rotary.

The book is rich in concepts and principles underlying Breakthrough Management. Sample these: “Success is the first step towards failure” emphasizes need to destroy current success, or “Start at the periphery… snow always melts at the periphery” reminds us that revolutionary changes always begin at the edge of chaos! The book also has some sharp and direct observations about Indian managers. For example: Indian managers talk, talk and talk (TTT)… so the author recommends a slogan: “Listen, Listen, Listen”. So very true! But Prof. Shiba also gives credit to Indian thinking when he refers to VLMi (Visionary LaghuUdyog Mitra-Mandal), a community learning initiative, as “quintessentially Indian approach. something I had not thought about and, frankly, is completely out of my ability to do.” He goes on to explain that community learning works best when suppliers have a common goal, are co-located, and work in a non-threatening environment. However, the book’s narration would have been livelier and the purpose reinforced, had the author included a few pictures of people, products or processes. Perhaps the author had his own reasons for it. One of the striking features of the book is three eyes of the Buddha, beautifully illustrated using a simple sketch.The third eye represents a quantum leap in thinking and application. To my mind the third eye (like the Lord Shiva’s) also represents destroying the present so that the Innovative Future is born!

Emphasizing integration of thinking and doing at all levels o f h i e r a r c h y, the boo k is a n excellent read for the thinking doers of Indian Industry. 35

INNER ENGINEERING – A CHANGE FOR

THE BETTER A “

s we have physical science to create external well-being, there is a whole inner dimension of science to create inner well-being. I call it Inner Engineering”. – Sadhguru A seeker with one foot planted in the material and the other in the spiritual, my curiosity awakened by these words, I enrolled in the 6-Day Inner Engineering (IE) program offered by the Isha Foundation, founded by Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev. Inner Engineering is offered as an intensive program for personal growth and offers tools to engineer one’s self through the inner science of yoga. Once given the tools to rejuvenate, people can optimize all aspects of health, inner growth and success. For those seeking professional and personal excellence, this program offers keys for meaningful and fulfilling relationships at work, home, community, and most importantly, within one’s self. There was no preaching, no teaching, only a voyage of self-discovery,

which continues to this day. I did not contort my body into impossible postures, but became aware of the contortions of the mind. I did not watch my breath but was witness to the incessant chattering of my thoughts. A deceptively simple but extremely potent 21-minute practice, the Shambhavi Mahamudra which I was initiated into is slowly but surely creating a distance between me and my thoughts and emotions- difficult to explain but is an existential reality for me. The daily practice has definitely brought me physical well-being; I do not reach out for my asthma medication as frequently as before and my varicose veins have all but vanished… but more importantly, it has led to a subtle inner transformation enriching my life experiences in a multitude of ways. My awareness of the miracle that is Life is heightened, such that everyday experiences are little explosions of joy. Things that I took for granted – a breath of air, a sip of water, a morsel of food, they are no longer just that

By Meenakshi Nambi,

Corporate Communications, Godrej Industries

anymore. They will exist without me, but I couldn’t have existed without them. I may not be going around hugging people, but I know I can hold the universe in my heart and feel responsible for its well-being, though how much I can actually contribute is bound by physical realities. The knowledge that whatever is happening at this moment is inevitable, is not chaining me into acceptance, rather it empowers me to do the best that I can. Does this mean I do not have any worries, nasty situations, people issues? Of course they exist, but that’s just life, isn’t it. The only way I can be completely at peace is when I drop down dead! A graceful acceptance of all that life has to offer has meant that I am less wounded by the process of life than before. Transacting with society, just as one life to another, without the burden of identifications of gender, religion or likes/dislikes has not just broadened my horizons, but made me realize that every person/every living being/every experience has so

much to teach you; all it requires is the necessary receptivity. Before the IE program, I always equated me being on the spiritual path with traversing alone, a withdrawal, keeping away from society and its attractions and hardships. But after the IE program my perception of spirituality is totally changed. It is not about looking upward but inward. Spirituality is not running away from life, it is living life joyfully, with 100% involvement but 0% entanglement. This change in perception and also the rediscovery of the spring of compassion, existing within oneself that the IE program brings out, is what is spurring very silent but impactful social outreach programs totally managed by some 2 million strong Isha volunteers :  Isha Vidhya, an education initiative which currently operates 9 schools ( 8 in Tamilnadu and 1 in Andhra Pradesh) with 5200 students of whom 56% are on scholarship and has also adopted 31 Govt.schools in 2012-13 with 26843 students, who will benefit from critical interventions that will make a dramatic impact on the quality of education in these schools.  Action for Rural Rejuvenation (ARR) a multi-pronged, multi-phased, holistic, outreach program to improve the overall health and quality of life of the rural poor, aiming to benefit 70 million rural people in 54,000 villages in Tamil Nadu, South India.

Thus I continue to learn, grow and transform every day and offer the following few lines at the Lotus feet of all the Gurus and especially Sadhguru.

Wandering, longing, thirsting for more Trapped amidst treacherous waters, no hope of reaching the shore You took my hand and pointed to the direction right, Inward is the journey, where material and spiritual need not fight My body light as breeze, my mind settling into stillness Human I still am, but a method now to my madness Till this moment your existence a dance of compulsion Welcome to the Silent revolution of Self Realization

1. Project GreenHands 2. Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev

Inner Engineering is offered as an intensive program for personal growth and offers tools to engineer one's self through the inner science of yoga. 2.

 Project GreenHands is an ecological initiative to prevent and reverse environmental degradation and enable sustainable living. Created a Guinness World Record in 2006 – 852587 seedlings planted on a single day in 6284 locations of 27 districts in Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry, involving 256,289 people. Awarded the Indira Gandhi Paryavan Puraskar Award for 2008. I too am a volunteer. This is not a title but a state of being, wherein I just step up and do whatever the situation demands to the best of my ability, and not exult in success, nor be burdened by failure.

By Aarti Bhambore, Godrej Construction

PRINCE CHARLES VISITS GODREJ MANGROVES AND THE

MEDICINAL GARDEN T

he Godrej Creek side medicinal Garden developed in 2003, has around 48 medicinal and aromatic species of plants. The species are of two types - indigenous and adaptive. The purpose of developing the medicinal garden is to spread awareness amongst the innumerable mangrove visitors about the indigenous medicinal plant wealth which needs to be conserved and retained. As the species selected are indigenous and adaptive, most of the older plants amongst them thrive on rain water and conservation practices like mulching and pruning. 1.

On 9th November, 2013, the visit of Prince Charles to the Godrej Mangroves included a trail in the medicinal garden followed by the boat tour in the Creek to see the expanse of our mangroves. At the garden, the trail began with the beautiful Flacourtia montana tree which has anti-snakebite medicinal properties and cherry-like fruits. The next in stop were the Neem tree (Azardirachta indica) and the winding Veldt grape vine (cissus quadrangularis) on it. The Prince was briefed about the infinite medicinal uses of the Neem tree and why it is worshipped in India. The unique Veldt grape or the Cissus quadrangularis was used in Ancient India for treatment of bone ailments. During wars, they were the savior of the wounded soldiers. Today, it is being used as a supplement for weight loss which the Prince found quite amazing. The next tree was the Madhuca indica or the Mahua and the Prince was surprised to know that the mahua flower juice is used as stimulant in medicinal treatment since ancient times. The evergreen cooling effect of the Bakul (Mimusops elengi) was next in line. Standing under this shady tree, we pointed out to the wonderful Pandanus amaryfolius or the Basmati plant. The

prince was delighted to know that the infusion of the leaves has the comforting fragrance of Basmati rice and hence it is used as a flavor enhancer in South Asian Cooking. The common medicinal plants grown in most of the Indian Household like the Tulsi (Ocimum basillicum) and Aajma (Plectranthus amboinicus) were also shown to the visitor.

The visit of Prince Charles has resulted in generating a lot of buzz for themebased gardens like the palm species garden, Butterfly attracting gardens, indigenous bio-diversity and so on. At Godrej, we are blessed as we have so much of biodiversity amidst us.

During wars, Cissus quadrangularis was the savior of the wounded soldiers. Today it is being used as a supplement for weight loss which Prince Charles found quite amazing.

The magnificent Arjun tree (Terminalia arjuna) and the Khite Khair (Acacia catechu) with its striking white colored bark drew his attention. The next in line was the Ritha or the Soapnut tree (Sapindus laurifolius). He was surprised to know that the tree nuts are still used in rural India for hair care. The Guggul or the Commiphora mukul plant with its leafless stage and medicinal resin was next on the trail. Due to paucity of time, we were constrained to follow a predetermined route.

Our medicinal garden has several other unique species like the Wood apple (Feronia limonia), Castor oil plant Ricinus communis, and Snake root plant (Rauvolfia serpentine), the natural dye Annato (Bixa orellana) and several others. The Prince was overwhelmed with the sheer size of the endeavor of Godrej family to preserve and conserve mangroves towards their commitment to safeguarding the environment. Personally speaking, it was a lifetime experience for me to interact with the Prince and other dignitaries and talk to them on what I am passionate about.

1. (L-R) Prince Charles, Mr. Adi Godrej, Mr. Jamshyd Godrej and Sunjoy Monga (Conservationist, Photographer and a Naturalist) 2. Azadirachta Indica 3. Madhuca Indica Flowers

AN ESTEEMED GUEST! By Isabel Joseph – Udayachal Primary School On 9th Nov 2013, we, some of the Green Buddies, were called to the school and were asked to assemble near the office. Namita teacher told us that she had a surprise for us and then she announced who the esteemed guest was. It was Prince Charles! Yes, we were going to meet Prince Charles. I was nervous as well as excited. Namita teacher briefed us on how to interact with the Prince. We boarded the van and left for the mangroves. While alighting from the van, we could not help but marvel at the sight of the mangroves – an awesome treat for our eyes. We then headed to the place where the Prince was to be welcomed. After a while, we went into a vanity van which had all the comforts one could wish for on a hot day. After a few minutes of rest in the van, we went into the hall. Two of us gifted a bouquet of daisies

to the Prince. Prince Charles looked impressive in his grey suit. He interacted with us freely by asking questions. We answered all of his questions and we asked a few interesting questions of our own. We talked about our Nature Club. He appeared to be impressed by the activities of our Nature Club. We asked him if he would like to give a message for our other friends at school. He said yes and the message was “Do as much as you can for our Mother Earth.” We then took a photograph with Prince Charles. Each one of us was gifted a book Kidzbirds authored by Sunjay Mongay. The Prince bid us goodbye and moved on to meet the other children of High School. Later we were served delicious snacks and then we headed back to school. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I would meet a prince! It was a moment of pride for me and my parents.

4. Prince Charles with the students of Udayachal Primary and High School Front row, (L-R) Students of Udayachal Primary School: Prathamesh Parab, Siddharth Ganesh, Siddhant Uniyal, Darsh Naik, Jaishankar Mishra, Chaitnya Rao, Isabel Joseph, Sanika Gadre and Prisha Bagwe Back row, (L-R) Students of Udayachal

High School: Namita S. Ambasht, Supervisor - Udayachal Primary School, Mehul Doshi, Fleur Fernandes, Kanishk Vij, Taaha Kazi, Suraj Sudevan and Sandeep Singh, Teacher - Udayachal High School

CIVIL ENGINEERING IS THE GRANDPARENT OF ALL

ENGINEERING. I

n its early days during the Roman Empire, civil engineering was synonymous with military engineering. Their kinship was still strong when first engineering school in America was founded in 1802 at the U.S. Military Academy at West

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