A CUSTAGE I N I T I A T I V E Aug - Sep 2017 l Issue 3.6 l ` 150
ANNIVERSARY EDITION
Founders Share Their
Mission,Vision & Zeal Special Supplement on Sintex with this Issue
POLYMERS Communiqué l August - September 2017
1
CONTENTS
Aug - Sep 2017 l Issue 3.6
32
44 30
93
40
70
88 48
98
FOUNDERS SPEAK
OPEN MIND
On our anniversary, ‘Nostalgia’, we thought, would be the best gift we could give back to the industry. We strongly believe that nothing can beat experience and that’s what motivated us to go to the ‘founders’ of companies and here them out.
P. P. Kharas, Chairman
Nostalgia: Founders Speak
32
KING TALK
Mahendra Patel, Chairman Mamata Group, Ahmedabad
Never Fear Failure
52
Ecoplast Ltd., Mumbai
THEN AND NOW
Dr. Hiralal (Hiru) N. Patel, Chairman
Career Commencing When 25: Still Agile at 97 Interplex India Pvt. Ltd.; Interplex Mazzucchelli Pvt. Ltd., Mumbai
HEART-TO-HEART
56
READING THE FUTURE
Hargovind Bajaj, Chairman Emeritus
Arvind M. Mehta, Chairman and Managing Director Welset Plast Extrusions Pvt. Ltd., Mumbai
40
STANDING TALL
58
ROTATIONALLY MOULDED OPPORTUNITY
Pawan Poddar, Managing Director
L. K. Singh, Managing Director
At 90+ Years: Still Studying and Guiding the Industry Bajaj Group of Industries, Nagpur
Grit, Guts and Gumption: Driving Change in Indian Plumbing Industry Ashirvad Pipes Pvt. Ltd., Bengaluru
44
BUILDING CAPABILITIES
Mahendra Sanghvi, Executive Chairman Shaily Engineering Plastics Limited, Vadodara
2
Why the Negative Connotation Associated with Promoter Run Businesses?
36
Built Standards and Processes: Not Only Businesses
36
52
From Bicycle to Mercedes: A Journey Laced With Commitment and Hard Work
Considerable Influence of Family on Business Fixopan Machines Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi
61
TURNING POINT
Narindra Nath, Managing Director Hindustan Syringes and Medical Devices Ltd., Faridabad
Professionally Managed Enterprise: The Big Change Embraced
POLYMERS Communiqué l August - September 2017
64
SELF EMPOWEREMENT
Baldev Boolani, Managing Partner
I Read for a Whole Year 1948-49 to Understand Plastics
A CUSTAGE I N I T I A T I V E Aug - Sep 2017 l Issue 3.6 l ` 150
Boolani Engineering Corporation, Mumbai
67
GROWTH STORY
ANNIVERSARY
Premraj Bafna, Chairman Polyset Plastics Pvt. Ltd., Mumbai
70
HBR PAGES
What Sets Successful CEOs Apart?
Presented by POLYMERS Communiqué in syndication with Harvard Business Review
80
WEEKEND DELIGHTS
82
LITTLE ACTIONS BIG RESULTS
Shirish V. Divgi, Managing Director
Responsibility: A Big Virtue
Plastics Machinery Asia, Ahmedabad
Designed by Custage Marketing Solutions LLP 401, Vikas Classic Building No 4 4th Floor, Near Basant Cinema Chembur, Mumbai 400 074, INDIA Founders Share Their
Mission,Vision & Zeal
Chief Editor Jyoti jyoti@polymerscommunique.com
Prof. (Dr.) N. C. Saha Director, Indian Institute of Packaging
Advertising Sales - National
N. K. Balgi formerly President & Director at Ferromatik Milacron India Pvt. Ltd.
Bengaluru Siddhant +91-90290 32767
85
SIVARAM SPEAKS
Dr. S. Sivaram, Former Director, CSIR-NCL
Mumbai Sanjana +91-99872 62726 sanjana@polymerscommunique.com
HEAD TALK
Hyderabad Vani +91-93924 28927 vani@polymerscommunique.com
Yukio Iimura, Chairman
High Temperature Polymer Fuel Cell Membranes: Fascinating World of Invisible Polymers Honorary Professor and INSA Senior Scientist Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Pune
Toshiba Machine to Increase Production Capacity in India by 30% Toshiba Machine Group, Japan
93
CREATING MARKETS
Building a Customer-centric Organisation: The Taj Approach
Chinmai Sharma, Chief Revenue Officer Taj Hotels Palaces Resorts Safaris, Mumbai
98
THOUGHT-OUT
Shailesh Sheth, Corporate Strategy Adviser
Privately Owned, Professionally Managed
Management & Manufacturing Technology, Mumbai
102 RBSM at PLASTINDIA 2018
NEW DIMENSION
Rajeev Chitalia, Chairman - NEC, PLASTINDIA 2018
104 HR Roadmap: An Enabler in Building Competitive Advantage
OUT-OF-THE-BOX
Dr. Naveen Malhotra, Group Head HR & CC
108
Sintex Industries Ltd., Kalol
KALE’S KUIZ
109 Framing Petrochemicals Vision 2030:
IN PERSPECTIVE
IOCL’s 6th Petrochemical Conclave
112 Plastic Pipes 2017: SPE India’s International Conference
MEETING POINT
NEWS
22
EVENTS
116
POLYMERS Communiqué l August - September 2017
Editorial Advisory Board Arvind Mehta Chairman and Managing Director Welset Plast Extrusions Pvt. Ltd.
Special Supplement on Sintex with this Issue
88
Manish Chawla manish@polymerscommunique.com
E DIT IO N
Started Thermosetting and Thermoplastics in 1961
Printed and Published by
siddhant@polymerscommunique.com
New Delhi Vijay +91-98100 15111 vijay@polymerscommunique.com Vadodara Devindra +91-81289 90887 devindra@polymerscommunique.com
Advertising Sales - International Dubai Pritam +971-5548-32330 pritam@polymerscommunique.com
Pushp Raj Singhvi formerly Vice Chairman and Managing Director at Borouge (India) Pvt. Ltd. Rajesh Nath Managing Director VDMA German Engineering Federation India Liaison Office Rakesh Shah formerly Managing Director at Windmöller and Hölscher India Pvt. Ltd. S. K. Ray formerly Sr. Executive Vice President (Polymers) at Reliance Industries Ltd.
Printed at
Silverpoint Press Pvt. Ltd. A-403, TTC Industrial Area Near Anthony Motors Mahape, Navi Mumbai - 400709 District - Thane
Content Alliance Partners
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Bhavesh +91-22-2520 4436 bhavesh@polymerscommunique.com Printed and Published by Manish Chawla, and printed at Silverpoint Press Pvt. Ltd., A-403, TTC Industrial Area, Near Anthony Motors, Mahape, Navi Mumbai - 400709, District - Thane and published from 401, Vikas Classic Building No 4, 4th Floor, Near Basant Cinema, Chembur, Mumbai 400 074, INDIA. Editor: Manish Chawla. Domestic Subscription: Single Issue Price: Rs. 150; Annual Subscription: Rs. 900 (including shipping) Overseas Subscription: Annual Subscription: USD 60 (including shipping)
Views and opinions expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of POLYMERS Communiqué. Readers are advised to seek specialist advice before acting on information contained in this publication, which is provided for general use and may not be appropriate for the readers’ particular circumstances and so POLYMERS Communiqué does not take any responsibility for any loss or damage incurred or suffered by any of its subscribers / readers / advertisers of this magazine. The publisher makes every effort to ensure that the magazine’s contents are correct but do not take any responsibility for the absolute accuracy of the information. Subject to Mumbai Jurisdiction. Some of the images used in this issue are from Shutterstock. No part of this publication or any part of the contents thereof may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form without the permission of the publisher in writing. POLYMERS Communiqué reserves the right to use the information published herein in any manner whatsoever. The ownership of trademarks is acknowledged.
3
Mind Speak Pushp Raj Singhvi
formerly Vice Chairman and Managing Director at Borouge (India) Pvt. Ltd.
Rakesh Shah
formerly Managing Director at Windmöller and Hölscher India Pvt. Ltd.
th
a Rajesh N
g Director Managin gineering erman En G A M VD n Federatio son Office India Liai
ght which brou urial spirit o ne tw re ith ep w tr It is the en a by Calico and DCM g to the in ow is it PVC in Indi o, ls edstocks. A ands that different fe t of Kilach urial spiri tion with ne ra re bo ep lla tr co en styrene in ly tablished po es t at gh th up brou Mafatlal Gro of international e th is It . Dow ker m units hylene crac downstrea the first et htra with as are the ar e ah es M th size in PVC. Well, d an in the ns n efi of polyol t revolutio the ho brough e story of th is r people w ila dustry. Sim here even w a di In polymer in industry in ld entered processing related fie urs from un ark. It is to ne m re a ep e tr en mad and have ry sing over st es du oc in pr this now at we are 20 MMTA th h al ac ze re r thei e poised to ar proud d an be y TA el in 12 MM can genu e they W le 2. ro -2 e by 2021 urs for th d entreprene polymer an e th r of these fo a ed in Indi have play industry. processing ne and later the discovery of polystyre lite, PVC and LDPE synthesis of Parkesine, Bake and performance to the modern commodity epreneurship of entr of y stor long a is plastics epreneurs – Entr ury. cent half a and over one ition have amb and n visio with e small and larg plastics the of th grow the to been contributing universe of plastics industry. This makes the and entrepreneurs truly a very large one t critical role in continue to play the mos ions and the vast licat app t, men elop dev its them. economic activity around
From
strong culture economic of entrepreneurship ntry. It is heartening development of the cou has been growing at a to mention that India last few years, and is the in rate high ly relative y in the world by nom eco est larg the likely to be ng country with you a is a Indi , tely 2050. Fortuna ently being in curr ion ulat pop t about 63 per cen years. 59 to 15 of up the working age gro
t for a Creating an environmen is key for
N. K. Balgi
All the business ventures find dreams, thou their roots in ghts and actio ns of people a distinct tra with it of ‘dream an society calls d dare’, who m ‘entrepreneu th rs’. During 20 century, midmany of our entrepreneu ‘future with pl rs saw astics’ and ve ntured into pl processing an astics d polymer pr oduction. Go friends to de t their velop the m achinery to pr plastics. Parti ocess cipated in ex perimentatio enhance perfo n to rmance. All of it was happen in the plastic ing s industry w he n us had little only a few of access to th e in our cont rolled econom outside world y; but everyo co-operated ne to grow by choosing to different mar serve ket segments. So, we all ow ‘shine’ today e our to the people who ventured plastics proc into essing in ’50 s to ’80s of century with the last the spirit of entrepreneu and deep co rship mmitment to serve the unse This culture co rved. ntinues.
formerly Presid ent & Directo r at Ferromatik Mi lacron India Pv t. Ltd.
Prof. (Dr.) N
Director
. C. Saha
Indian Insti
tute of Pack
aging
Arvind Mehta
Chairman and Managing Director
Welset Plast Extrusions Pvt. Ltd.
An entrepreneur plays a key role with an optimistic vision in terms of finding a suitable, innovative plastic processing technology and its implementation for higher productivity with effective utilisation of resources at a minimum cost.
The industry has entreprene nearly urs today, 25,000 that com a burning e with desire to gr ow as thei aim. Their r chief leadership skills, coup the uncann led with y imaginat ion of en opportuniti cashing es have pl ayed an im role in th portant e convertin g industry from less th growth an Rs. 100 crore to m Rs. 40,000 cr ore than ore. They su rely have m country pr ad oud with th eir achievem e the ents.
Feedback Very inform ative mag azine, co articles, vers goo interview d s of in and con dustry ex tents ar perts e up-to-dat plastics in e from dustry p the erspective and packa . Print q ging is ex uality cellent w feel of re hich gives ading a a different the ord magazine inary on from e. Articles technolo highlighti gy gaps ng and gove available rnment su should be pport in cl uded as it the indust will benefi ry. t
, e time ite som ighfor qu h s e ry e in az ev r mag My nts, th g you icles. conte of art readin e the k n n li e I io e . t rade b c re g e le u r v s e e s a a p a Ih ful al ple the p ts! e care is a re Even limen nd th which comp team. y ures a e t M ir . ic t d p n a y the e ood re qualit ts to d. A g t limen onitore h Bha -m comp ll e Sures vt. Ltd. on is w ork. ti w c P le d s e o s ite e go mpos up th PD Co Keep Arvind
AMAPLA
ST (C/o Th
We have been receiving your magazine regularly. At first sight, your packing of the magazine is very impressive and shows professional approach. Content of the magazines are also very detailed and informative. We eagerly await your new issues. We wish that your magazine grows by leaps and bounds.
The magaz ines al ways h contents ave su . We g perb et valuab from that le inform . Keep u ation p doing the good work. Arti Che
Nilesh
Joshi e Indo-I of Comm talian Chamber erce and Industry)
Nisarg S
mical Ind
hah
ustries
The magazine has bee n extremely good . It contains lot of topics which gives us wide range of informatio n about the latest trends in technology and other development s in the polymer world.
Mehul K. Maniar
Saikat Majumdar
Advance Plastics
Alpla India Pvt. Ltd
.
POLYMERS
CommuniquĂŠ provides very useful news, recent insight into the industry - which is a very essential tool to connect with the industry and upgrade ourselves.
Sanket Pandya
Amcor Flexibles India Pvt. Ltd.
Thanks for your dig ital edit latest issu ion of e of yo the ur magaz worthwh ine. It is ile and in really formative. PASL Win
Biren Oza
dtech Pvt
. Ltd.
CommuniquĂŠ POLYMERS s for ceiving the re en be our colleague We have culated with cir g in e be eciat your d its nology. Appr magazine an polymer tech in e quality and dg t le in pr their know pt delivery, om pr d an w-ups od work! regular follo ep up the go excellent! Ke teiro packaging is Melvyn Mon Ltd. Pvt. ns tio lu So D-CAM Designcell CA
to apply for success, to apply for recognition to apply for...
2018
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lasticon Awards time again; the most coveted awards that bring global recognition! Instituted by Plastindia Foundation and sponsored by the industry, symbolise talent, innovation and perseverance in achieving the impossible. Offered across a spectrum of 23 categories, including 16 for innovations and 7 for recognising outstanding performers, these awards cover the widest spectrum of the plastics industry. An acclaimed and independent jury, who are brands in their own right, make sure that the ‘best’ is truly the best.
31st October, 2017
Come forward and apply for these www.plasticonawards.plastindia.org.
awards
at
Win the ‘Plasticon Awards’ and be a part of the glittering ceremony that is being planned during PLASTINDIA 2018 on 7th February, 2018 in Gandhinagar.
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Last date for entries
The industry will converge on that day to look for talent, to look for you…be there and win the glory!
7th February, 2018; Gandhinagar
Concurrent to:
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News Digest
ALOK Wins the National Award for Innovation Second Year in a Row
performance, durability and value for
the Indian farmers. Core philosophy of co-creating products and solutions with
C
onferred by the Hon’ble Union Minister Shree Kalraj Mishra on
Arburg will present the packaging version of its high-speed hybrid injection moulding machine the hybrid Allrounder 570 H at Drinktec 2017.
The
A-B 22
Alok
Technology
Incubation
of India for contribution to the Indian
of products for the plasticulture and
endorsement from the Government
Centre (ATIC) developed a multitude
agriculture sector.
horticulture sectors. This helped their
ALOK’s masterbatch products developed
products that were able to match the
for
the
mulch,
greenhouse,
shade
net, pond liner and micro irrigation
customers
to
develop
world-class
quality and performance of imported
products like mulch and greenhouse films.
Goals are in-line with the
Cosmo Films Breaks into BOPET Film Market – With Brückner at Their Side
C
osmo Films Limited, a significant
Pankaj Poddar, CEO, Cosmo Films
world has been continuously setting
benchmarks within the industry. A
our product portfolio with BOPET films, we had a precise catalogue of
manufacturer of BOPP films in the
recent example is India’s first 10.4 m Borouge’s ‘Polymers on the Move’ inspires the love of science among school children, over 200 students from ADNOC Schools and Emirates National Schools in Abu Dhabi have connected with the programme.
of why ALOK received this recognition.
27th June, 2017, the award was an
applications were recognised to deliver BOBST and Radex announce launch of Mouvent, a new company focused on inventing and delivering the future of digital printing.
customers and associates was a big part
wide BOPP line, successfully producing high quality films at Cosmo’s Karjan plant site near Vadodara.
Now Cosmo is breaking into the BOPET
film market – and once again is teaming up
with
Brückner
Maschinenbau.
says, “When we decided to enlarge
requirements regarding our stretching line supplier. The most important factors for us were advanced machine technology, excellent process know-
how and super project execution. All this, we found at Brückner and we
are happy to approach our BOPET market entry together with
our
proven,
long-term partner.”
The new production line will be installed
at Cosmo’s location in Aurangabad, next to the existing factory
building and is aimed to
produce
various
finest BOPET films for
both, domestic and export markets.
POLYMERS Communiqué l August - September 2017
engineering thermoplastic compounds which will be augmented by the
license and use of Sirmax technology,
Digest
brands and global approvals that will cater to India’s growing demand for high
BrüggemannChemical’s BRUGGOLEN® TP-M1417 modifies high viscosity polyamides to quality injection moulding grades
of
to alleviate farm sector distress.
engineering to
global
A
Sirmax also produces a wide range of engineering thermoplastics compounds based on polyamide-6/66, PPO, ABS, ASA,
polycarbonate, PC/ABS, POM, PBT and styrenics. They cater to a wide variety of
Autotech Polymers India and Sirmax S.p.A. of Italy Establish a Joint Venture in India
markets, from appliance and households
to automotive, power tools, packaging and more.
utotech Polymers India Pvt. Ltd.,
Autotech Polymers, part of the Tipco
compounds and Sirmax S.p.A. of Italy
(Gujarat) and near Palwal (Haryana). In
venture in India which will be called
to reach annual sales of 40 kT/year by
be one of the few Indian companies
by debottlenecking, and planning a third
polymers, resins and thermoplastics
supplier of speciality polypropylene
Group, has two factories in India; at Valsad
have joined hands to establish a joint
the short-term, the joint venture plans
Autotech Sirmax India Pvt. Ltd. It will
adding new lines at Valsad and Palwal,
with capabilities to supply speciality
factory to cater to South India.
compounds using the latest state-of-
Elesa+Ganter Presents Tubular Handles
rapidly growing industry segments such
E
electricals etc.
of
the-art manufacturing and know-how
to provide indigenous solutions for the as automotive, electronics, appliances,
in Autotech-Sirmax. The remaining 50% will be held by the Nirmal Thakkar family
who are promoters of the 72 years old Tipco Group. The management team of
the joint venture will focus on production of
speciality
polypropylene
and
lesa and Ganter India Pvt. Ltd. (Elesa+Ganter), makers of standard
machine elements, offers a wide range tubular
handles
that, by virtue of the wide variety
of
production
materials,
polymer, aluminium, steel or stainless steel,
design and ergonomics makes it unique in size and is able to meet the most varied market requirements. Elesa+Ganter available
tubular
with
handles
technopolymer
are
or
metal shanks matched with tubes (diameter from 20 mm to 35 mm) in Massimo Pavin, Sirmax and Achal Thakkar, Tipco Group sign the JV agreements.
24
and
supplying
MNCs. Apart from PP compounds,
agreement, Sirmax becomes 50% partner
B-E
polypropylene
thermoplastics
According to the terms of the JV
ENGEL will present its comprehensive inject 4.0 programme at Fakuma
performance
Sirmax is a non-integrated compounder
doubling farmers’ incomes by 2022 and
Dow launches tenter frame biaxially oriented polyethylene (TF-BOPE), an innovative and revolutionary addition to the INNATETM precision packaging resin family with higher mechanical properties and material rigidity, better optical and printing performance to meet commercial mass production requirements
superior
thermoplastics compounds.
Government of India’s stated aim of Comexi strengthens its position in the French market as LIVCER acquire its first Central Drum flexo printing machine, a Comexi F2 MC
quality,
anodised aluminium, epoxy coating or stainless steel.
POLYMERS Communiqué l August - September 2017
Meet us at Fakuma 2017! Booth A6-6109, Hall A6
Xaloy® PLA Screw & Barrel Technology Meeting Your Injection and Extrusion Needs!
Proprietary Xaloy® screw designs tailored to specific resin grades provide superior homogenization with improved temperature control, excellent wear resistance and improved end product quality
Xaloy® bimetallic barrels with a Xaloy® X-800® barrel inlay provides exceptional wear performance and a longer working life against corrosive polymers Proven Technology • Extended Working Life
WWW.NORDSONPOLYMERPROCESSING.COM
EXTRAORDINARY TECHNOLOGIES FOR TODAY’S PLASTICS
Digest
Coperion Supplies IonPhasE Oy System for Processing Antistatic Polymers
C
operion
GmbH,
Stuttgart
has
implemented a complete system
EREMA, with its POWERFIL business unit extends its portfolio and offers the proven melt filter as individual components for existing extrusion plants
for IonPhasE Oy for the manufacture of
inherently
dissipative
polymers
(IDP). The scope of supply included the entire system – from raw material handling through conveying, feeding
and processing the dissipative polymers up to handling the finished products. Inherently,
dissipative
polymers
are
suitable for a variety of applications Husky Injection Molding Systems will be featuring its breakthrough multilayer technology and will be running a system with this technology for the first time at Drinktec 2017
where antistatic plastic products are of considerable significance.
The bush and the retainer clip are
interchangeable according to DIN 98314 / ISO 9448. Due to the G6 tolerance, the
play between the pillar and the bush is
increased. Therefore, the processing of thicker metal sheets during which high shear forces may occur is possible.
In addition, the standard guiding system has been expanded with a diameter of 80 mm and up to length 400 mm which
is especially suitable for large dies. It is,
therefore, especially suitable for uses in large dies. The guiding system is available
as a ball guide as well as with sliding guide bushes.
Hyflyer Innovations selects Tritan™, a crystal clear and durable polymer from Eastman, for its newest Nani drinkware
The
Finnish
technology
company,
IonPhasE Oy is a leading manufacturer of static dissipative polymer additives, commonly known as permanent antistatic additives. These serve to control
static electricity in plastics. They are used
in a variety of industries – wherever antiLyondellBasell to build the world’s largest PO/ TBA plant in Texas
static properties are needed; for example,
in the electrical, chemical and automotive industries. They are also incorporated
in consumer goods that need to be protected from electrostatic attraction
such as air-conditioning units, vacuum MSM POLY successfully converts Anobex® resin into film and component parts
E-M
cleaners, switches and housings.
Meusburger Offers New Guiding Elements in the Area of Die Making
T
Nordson Technology Optimises Production Process and Extends Equipment Working Life
N
ordson’s Xaloy® PLA Screw and Barrel Technology features screws with
proven PLA screw design geometries
combined with Xaloy bimetallic barrels with the Xaloy X-800® inlay for both, extrusion and injection processes. These custom-designed systems are tailored
to the specific resin grades for optimum working conditions. Proprietary screw
designs, such as the Xaloy Stratablend® II Mixer
screw
design
for
extrusion
processes or the Xaloy EasyMelt® or Xaloy EasyMelt with Xaloy Z-Mixer™ designs for injection processes, with Xaloy X-183™
he standard parts manufacturer,
Meusburger Georg GmbH & Co KG
expands its range with the E 5126, a new sliding guide bush with solid lubricant rings and collar, that is characterised by optimal sliding properties; thanks to
resistant bronze and the graphite solid lubricant rings in the sliding surface.
26
POLYMERS Communiqué l August - September 2017
screw hard facing provide superior
from all over India. In all, 12 companies
temperature of the compound, while
the final round.
homogenising without increasing the
Digest Perstorp Capa™ grades 6500D and 6800D have been given food contact approval in US, with this Perstorp can now offer a higher molecular weight products to customers
Polyone’s Bergamid™ nylon helps premium sporting knife manufacturer Avanona to create a sheath to reflect the high quality of the brand and thus help it to extend its brand message
offering optimum wear resistance. The
barrels feature the Xaloy X-800 inlay, a nickel-based alloy with tungsten carbide.
This inlay is more wear-resistant than
iron-based, iron-chromium and nickelcobalt
alloys,
providing
exceptional
abrasion and corrosion resistance with corrosive polymers.
It was Windsor’s presentation that ultimately sealed the deal, impressing
upon the jury the company’s dynamic rise from a challenging past.
Why Windsor? In the early 2000s, Windsor was plagued by
labour
problems
and
the
jury
injection
considered this nothing short of a miracle
and are guaranteed improved end
problems would normally head to closure,
Extrusion
processors
and
moulders are able to increase productivity
as a company with that magnitude of
product quality.
while Windsor rose from there, today to
be nominated for the AIOE Award. Since
Windsor is 1st Runner-up at AIOE National Awards for Outstanding Industrial Relations
then, the company embarked on a slew of positive measures to rebuild trust among employees and improve working conditions; that paid off, and in 2011, the
T
o be singled out among contenders much bigger in size and turnover is
no mean feat, but Windsor Machines Ltd. has accomplished this. The company has been conferred 1st Runner-up by the All India Organization of Employers’ (AIOE)
Teknor Apex to build a compounding and R&D facility in Germany, creating a ‘hub of innovation’ for the European market
representing all four regions made it to
National Award for Outstanding Industrial
Relations 2015-16, at a ceremony on 12th May, 2017 at FICCI House, New Delhi.
company made noteworthy profit.
A large part of this success story owes to the unique HR policies that have
gone a long way in keeping employees happy and productive. Only at Windsor,
employees who complete one year of service can avail of 49 days basket
leave. There is also a concept of short
leave where employees can take two
hours twice every month to attend to emergencies
or any personal work. In the event of death of
an employee, he or she WITTMANN net5 conveying system has made a strong breakthrough into the market as it is very flexible to use
P-W
continues
be
paid
he or she would have attained 60 years of age, had
The Award
they
been
alive.
There is also a death relief fund where
Instituted in 1983 on the occasion of
in case of death of an employee, his
for Outstanding Industrial Relations’
25 lakh. Not surprisingly, workers’ CTC
innovative methods for fostering lasting
to 2015-16.
AIOE’s golden jubilee, the ‘National Award
or her family gets a minimum of Rs.
recognises
has risen considerably from 2006-07
harmonious
industries
industrial
their establishments.
for
adopting
relations
in
It has been an uphill task for Windsor Machines
Ltd.
Nominations
were
submitted by a total of 36 companies
28
to
gratuity till such time
A journey such as this would not have been complete without the whole-
hearted participation of workers, and the management wishes to express its sincere gratitude to each one of them!
POLYMERS Communiqué l August - September 2017
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Narindra Nath
Hargovind Bajaj
Mahendra Patel
Nostalgia
Founders Speak Pawan Poddar
Baldev Boolani
Arvind Mehta
Dr. Hiralal (Hiru) N. Patel
With this issue, POLYMERS Communiqué turns 3 years! ‘Nostalgia’, we thought, would be the best gift we could give back to the industry. We strongly believe that nothing can beat experience (right or wrong). The right experience helps us grow, innovate and visualise tomorrow, while the wrong experience helps us eliminate mistakes and, most importantly, keeps us grounded to our roots.
Mahendra Sanghvi
The polymer industry is today a fairly evolved industry; and I am given to believe that the changes have been very rapid in the last
few decades only! That’s what motivated us to go to the ‘founders’ of companies, who came in and set-up their shops much earlier.
What did they think? How did they see tomorrow? Was it passion
or was it knowledge or was is just hard work? With markets not
that evolved (domestic or overseas), how did they go about market
development? How did they manage to adapt to newer technology
then? No CRMs and ERPs to report! No emails and, in fact, no thought of mobile communication platforms also in sight. It’s amazing how
did they build such sound business platforms that are relevant even today on which the 2nd and 3rd generations are growing businesses
with relative ease. When money was scarce and cost of capital very
high, how did they plan their growth? With limited resources, how
L. K. Singh
did they innovate? With such and so many more questions, we
thought they can only be answered by these founding visionaries! So that’s what we did! We decided to speak to some of them and
simply loved what they shared with us and we put it together to share with you all...this Vintage Ensemble!
Being such an entrepreneur-driven industry, it is obviously difficult for
us to cover all; however, with this edition and with this endeavour,
we salute the indomitable spirt of Indian entrepreneurs and we, at POLYMERS Communiqué, stand in solidarity for the growth of this
wonderful sunrise industry! We promise to continue bringing these ‘experience notes’ in subsequent issues as well!
As we commence our 4th year, we wish to thank you for being a part
of our success. Without you - our advertisers, subscribers, readers and
patrons; POLYMERS Communiqué magazine, India’s premium and
luxury communication brand, would not have achieved so many
P. P. Kharas
milestones in such a short time. Your continuous drive for us to excel has been the sole reason of our wide acclaim, nationally and
globally. Thank you for your confidence reposed in us; we assure
you that we will always endeavour to live up to your expectations. While the high delivery standards that you expect from us does put us under tremendous pressure, but reaching those standards gives us
far more satisfaction. We cherish your patronage and are privileged to have you as a part of POLYMERS Communiqué.
Here, I would also like to take this opportunity to thank our ‘highlyexperienced and ever-energetic’ editorial advisory board members
who are actively involved in the publication and constantly guide us on how to better our product each time.
POLYMERS Communiqué Bureau
Premraj Bafna
KING TALK
Never Fear Failure “There need be no fear in business, except missed opportunities or misreading of customer needs. Fear of failure is escapism,”
shares Mahendra Patel in dialogue with POLYMERS Communiqué.
Q. How were the early days of your career in business and the challenges then?
Training on the job was a necessity with the
I started my career in 1975, at age of 26 years
attendant. All this resulted in lower productivity
main challenge was to get adequate licensed
real competition. This gave me an opportunity
make. It was a challenge to get sufficient steel
manufacturing organisations. People are my primary
during the days of the notorious License Raj. The
and high costs. License Raj protected us from any
capacity for a product which one wanted to
to learn to develop people and build machinery
and cement to build a factory. It was the time of
strength. Many of my colleagues are still with me
shortages of almost all industrial inputs. When
through changes of companies since 1978!
I reflect on that time, I sometime wonder how did I manage to setup new projects! Before
Q. As you look back on your journey, what do you consider as the most pivotal period for you?
relaxing of License Raj in 1991, I had setup half a
dozen manufacturing projects – manufacturing process equipment for paper mills, sugar refining,
mineral beneficiation, coal washeries, public
sewage treatment, NPK fertilizer plants, iron ore slurry dewatering, industrial valves, alloy steel
castings, wire drawing and cable armouring etc. My first JV, with the help from Indian investors,
was with an American company when I was 28 years old.
Other challenge was finding manpower with
32
required skill set. That was next to unavailable.
In September, 1994; I resigned as Jt. Managing
Director of erstwhile Klöckner Windsor India Ltd., where I served as a professional manager. Contrary to public belief, N. K. Patel was not an investor in the company when it was started in 1962. He To know more, please subscribe to POLYMERS Communiqué at
subscriptions@polymerscommunique.com
POLYMERS Communiqué l August - September 2017
Mahendra Patel Chairman Mamata Group Ahmedabad
POLYMERS Communiqué l August - September 2017
33
R
Speciality
Additive Masterbatches for Agriculture l Automotive l Electronics Healthcare l Home Appliances l Infrastructure Packaging l Personal Care l Wire and Cable
building chemistries with you
Welset Plast Extrusions Pvt Ltd Arvind Mehta Group Company
8, New Metalage Industrial Premises, Subhash Marg, Off Caves Road, Jogeshwari (E), Mumbai 400 060. INDIA
T : +91-22-2821 5734, 2838 7054 F : +91-22-2838 1088 E : info@welset.com W : www.welset.com
HEART-TO-HEART
At 90+ Years Still Studying and Guiding the Industry
“I have met people in Europe who have partnerships of
more than 100 years! Why
and how? All our present and future generation need to
find out and act,” Hargovind Bajaj, raises a thought.
How It All Began... The Struggles... The Achievements I started my career as a manufacturer of light engineering machinery i.e. cotton gins.
I saw an advertisement in the Times of India in late sixties about a
new packaging material produced by Mr. B. S. Kamath in Bangalore. This created an interest in me to know more about this new product. I started obtaining knowledge from various sources. Met people manufacturing raw materials i.e. Hoechst, I.C.I. and others. A. S. Athalye of Hoechst gave me an insight about this industry.
We started manufacture of woven sacks in 1972. The knowledge garnered helped us in deciding to enter into manufacture of plastic woven sacks.
Import of machinery was out of the question because import licences were not available. As such, we had to fall back upon locally manufactured machinery from Bangalore.
If I look back, I have to say that the machinery was awful, not properly
manufactured. We had our own engineering company at Nagpur. Therefore, whatever best could be done to make it operative was done.
As a businessman as well as managers of engineering products as well as users, lots of modification were made to manufacture a marketable product i.e. woven sacks.
That time the only market that was prevalent was phosphate fertilizers. To hold 50 kgs of materials, sacks were made, whose weight
itself was 200 grams per sack. Our fight was to reduce the weight of empty 50 kgs sacks for fertilizers and also compete with the jute lobby.
36
POLYMERS Communiqué l August - September 2017
Hargovind Bajaj Chairman Emeritus Bajaj Group of Industries Nagpur
“One has to work hard, learn continuously and never miss an opportunity to
go ahead, forecast future
of that industry and try to
become the best. Business in not about speculation
and betting, but is a studied calculated venture.”
POLYMERS Communiqué l August - September 2017
37
I had no knowledge of this industry. Therefore, to obtain knowledge, I made several trips to Europe
to meet machinery manufacturers, and through them, to plants of woven material producers. European machinery manufacturers were septic about any Indian buying their machinery because of import restrictions in India.
We overcame this problem and were the first
in India to have fully efficient tape lines in
this industry. Thus, one obstacle of producing high quality tapes for weaving was overcome.
The second obstacle was to weave the tapes efficiently and at high speed. This obstacle, we also managed to overcome.
Thus, we were the only company in the whole country who could produce high-tenacity tapes
efficiently and weave the same into superior HDPE
woven fabrics and bags. This helped our company, Bajaj Plastics Ltd. in marketing and obtaining premium for the same.
I had made a mission for myself ‘to produce high
quality standardised products, in large quantity’. For that, I made several trips to Europe and Japan
to learn and develop systems of quality control. During my training with other companies, I was trained for quality production and made to work for long hours.
My Guide Light... As a Marwari, I received training in accounting, lean management, working for long hours and always learn, learn and learn. In the course of
my training, I spent all my free time with a very seasoned, knowledgeable engineer, Mr. Vertak
who made me learn the engineering side in any industry. This solid foundation of basics
enabled me and is still enabling me to develop our business.
My family background is of a cotton trader. A
friend of my father always said, “One has to work hard, learn continuously and never miss an opportunity to go ahead, forecast future of that
industry and try to become the best. Business in not about speculation and betting, but is a studied calculated venture.”
To know more, please subscribe to POLYMERS Communiqué at
subscriptions@polymerscommunique.com
POLYMERS Communiqué l August - September 2017
STANDING TALL
“The water management solutions industry in India is still in
a very nascent stage. There are several companies in this race
trying to manage transportation of water right from its source to its final disposal,” opines Pawan Poddar in dialogue with POLYMERS Communiqué.
Q. What was the driving factor for you to start this enterprise?
All this happened because of our non-compromising attitude towards quality and customer service. We
A strong desire to do something new, to make a
have set up stringent quality check systems and
be known as an innovator, were the four driving
they enter into the market. Even after 2 decades,
product and a company. It was more than 19 years
mechanism, availability of our products across the
memory lane, it still feels like yesterday. I came to
service is what drives us and this organisation.
new world-class product, to make a difference and
all our product have to go through that before
factors which helped us to innovate and make a
a penchant for innovation, a strong quality control
ago when we started, but when I go back into the
retail spectrum and a dedicated team for customer
Bangalore in 1992 and my two younger brothers,
Q. How do you see your journey this far?
Deepak Poddar (Technical Director) and Vikas Poddar
(Director - Sales and Marketing) followed me. The
first unit of Ashirvad Pipes started in 1998. All these years, we have worked untiringly and looking back,
I feel that all this would not have been possible without the support and help of my brothers. Today, we not only manufacture and sell plumbing,
sanitary and drainage products in India, but we are also the pioneers and the world’s
largest manufacturers and exporters of
uPVC column pipes. Our column pipes are sold in more than 35 countries across the globe.
Life is a journey and I am a traveller. For me, the entire journey is important. From a team of 50 to a team of over 4000 people, from a one-acre plot to a facility spread over 50 acres and from a turnover of
INR 4.7 crore in 1998 to a turnover of INR 2,400 crore in 2017, and projected to achieve INR 3,000 crore
in FY 2018. We have come a long way. And what a
wonderful journey this has been! It is a dream come true for me! I am living my life to
the full and enjoying this journey.
For all this, I am thankful to my family,
my colleagues and all our business partners, for being my cotravellers and without whom,
we would not be what we
are today. I am blessed and
40
POLYMERS Communiqué l August - September 2017
Grit, Guts and Gumption Driving Change in Indian Plumbing Industry
Pawan Poddar, Managing Director Ashirvad Pipes Pvt. Ltd. Bengaluru
POLYMERS Communiqué l August - September 2017
41
thankful to my wonderful co-workers for their continuous hard work and trust in the management.
Q. How difficult was it for you to migrate from a family held business to a professionally managed setup? I would not say ‘difficult’. Yes! there were challenges, but we kept our focus and stayed positive. From
the day of inception, we kept our management principles transparent and simple and over a
period of time, with our untiring efforts and hard work, things kept falling in place. In March 2013, we entered into a joint venture with Aliaxis S.A., a
global leader in the manufacturing and distribution
of advanced plastic piping systems. This joint venture was another turning point for Ashirvad Pipes and since then, we have brought more quality products for the Indian market.
Q. In today’s scenario, can water management solutions get smarter and more intelligent than what they have been so far? How is Ashirvad placed?
POLYMERS Communiqué l August - September 2017
The water management solutions industry in India is still in a very nascent stage. There are several companies in this race trying to manage transportation of water right from its source to its final disposal. Then there are others who are into recycling of water and waste water management,
for which they need high-tech systems, which are still not available in India.
In this scenario, Ashirvad Pipes stands
out as the leading manufacturer and
supplier of CPVC, uPVC, SWR plumbing
systems and uPVC column pipes which are
being used in the erection of submersible borehole pumps. As mentioned earlier, today we are the
world’s largest manufacturer and exporter of uPVC column pipes. Our strength lies in uPVC column pipes and CPVC hot and cold plumbing systems. We To know more, please subscribe to POLYMERS Communiqué at
subscriptions@polymerscommunique.com
43
BUILDING CAPABILITIES
Why the Negative Connotation Associated with Promoter Run Businesses?
Q. How were the early days of your career in business and the challenges then?
made is nearly impossible to source
initial market research, I realised that
ours. Compounding these issues was
moulders manufacturing commodity
raw material for new start-ups, like
Shaily was registered in 1987 and
lack of basic infrastructure, including
this point, I had just moved back
to put in a request with the board to
North America. India in 1987 was
it would take hours before I was able
we started operations in 1988. At
telecom. I still remember that I had
to India after spending 20 years in
connect me to my home, and at times,
very different than what it is today;
to speak with the family.
bureaucratic challenges, mostly on
Q. What was the driving factor for you to start this enterprise?
and lack of governance. Licenses
I had worked in injection moulding
raw materials etc. On the domestic
that is essentially what defined the
starting a business was fraught with account of poor policies, corruption
were required to import machines,
front, we had the quota system which
44
right from the start of my career and
choice of business I started. During my
while there were several large traders /
items such as buckets, bins, chairs etc., most engineering plastic components
were being imported into the country, and as a result I decided that the right path for Shaily would be to specialise and focus on precision components
manufactured out of high performance engineering polymers. Having said all this, the ultimate driving factor was my wife, she wanted to expose our
kids to the Indian culture and that led us to move back to India and start Shaily.
POLYMERS CommuniquÊ l August - September 2017
Indian businesses are not where they are today because of government support, we are there inspite of it.
It was this epiphany that made me roll up my sleeves and work towards making Shaily a success.
Q. You are in the business of working with speciality resins and commodity resins. Is a different mindset required to build these businesses? Had you asked me this question several years ago, I would have said that yes there is a different mindset
required, primarily because customers expectations on products made from commodity resins were not high and
as a result subpar quality products
Mahendra Sanghvi Executive Chairman Shaily Engineering Plastics Limited Vadodara
were being manufactured. The India consumer,
today,
has
significantly
matured and has aspirations and
expectations that are very much like consumers in developed countries; as
a
result
commodity
products
have also evolved and become high quality. I feel that in today’s business
environment whether it is engineering or commodity, the mindset has to be one of systems, quality and efficiency.
But, when you get into specifics, the
“I am not sure if we
answer is that while the mindset need
have fully migrated
not be different, the level of technical know-how and capability required
to being professional
and I personally do not think it would be wise for us to do so,” says
Mahendra Sanghvi in
dialogue with POLYMERS Communiqué.
more downs than ups. During the initial stages of the business, not
being accustomed to the Indian way of working, I would often come home
thoroughly frustrated with serious thoughts of going back to Canada.
There have been times when we actually packed our bags and were on the verge of leaving, but it was my
wife that after letting me calm down,
Q. As you look back on your journey, what do you consider as the most pivotal period for you? I have seen lots of ups and downs over the last 30 years, and definitely
POLYMERS Communiqué l August - September 2017
explained to me with examples of
other businesses that were flourishing in India. It was then that I realised that Indian entrepreneurs have an innate
ability to not only survive, but also
thrive in the most adverse conditions.
to build a successful speciality resin
business are significantly higher than those required for commodity resins. For example we manufacture certain
components for life saving medical devices
using
high
performance
engineering polymers that weigh less than 0.03 grams. Again, keep in mind that I am being stereotypical here, because there are products made from commodity resins that require very high precision as well.
To know more, please subscribe to POLYMERS Communiqué at
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45
OPEN MIND
Built Standards and Processes Not Only Businesses
“A lot of problems then, are now history. So, one can now focus on innovation and
growth of the business. According to me, the only hurdle today is competition from China,” suggests P. P. Kharas in dialogue with POLYMERS Communiqué.
Q. How were the early days of your career in business and the challenges then? I look back with pride that Ecoplast played its role in the development of the flexible packaging industry in India; it
refers to the converting or lamination industry which uses multilayer polyethylene and/or ethylene copolymer
films for lamination to one or more substrates, such as
polyester film, polypropylene film; often in combination with aluminium foil and/or paper, depending on the
packaging system. The multilayer polyethylene film
forms the innermost layer - the heat-seal layer - of the laminate and is in contact with the product packed.
The process of evolving customer satisfaction was a huge task and how it happened is explained.
As it happens, in all pioneering efforts, the knowledge
on designing a multilayer film structure for a specific
application was very limited in the early 1980s. In the
supply chain, each entity had an opinion on the raw
material grades best suited to design a film structure.
You can well imagine the confusion that prevailed; most
often the film supplier was the target of package failures.
During those days, we wondered why nobody made the
effort to define the performance expectation of the film in
a laminate. In the midst of this confusion, we had begun to study each complaint on package failures and to determine
its cause. We had, over time, accumulated information which was systematically arranged to help
development of a film structure, for
a
wide
range
of
packaging applications.
P. P. Kharas Chairman Ecoplast Ltd., Mumbai
48
POLYMERS Communiqué l August - September 2017
Also, during this period, we came across a relevant article by Dow Plastics, USA in a technical journal.
This article gave us the confidence to inform a customer that a raw material grade is only partly
responsible for film performance for a specific
application. The polymer grade, the equipment and the process variables combine to determine the level
of crystallinity, orientation and the corresponding film properties.
Q. How should an entrepreneur handle ‘Fear in Business’? Fear in business most often comes from a sudden
change, one that is least expected, triggered by an event that cannot be anticipated. If I recall correctly,
in the years 1987-88, both Imperial Chemical
Industries (ICI) and Union Carbide India Ltd. (UCIL) closed down their polyethylene production facilities.
There was already an acute shortage of raw materials,
This allowed us to totally change the approach to
the only supplier being - Indian Petrochemicals Ltd.
accumulated knowledge we were able to provide
only 20% of our monthly requirement,
could use to make an informed opinion about how
had stopped. The prices of
storage and transportation. This became the
escalated by over 60%.
designing a multilayer film structure. Based on our
(IPCL). The allocation of raw material to Ecoplast met
customers with background information which they
the rest 80% was from UCIL, which
the film should perform in the packaging process,
raw materials had sharply
subject of a technical service note titled, ‘The Right
Due
Multilayer Film for a Packaging Application’.
to
foreign
exchange
crisis
The factors which influence the performance of
prevailing at that
under three major heads:
required
the film for a specific application were segregated l
Compatibility of the film with the product (More details on compatibility was provided
through a technical service note titled, ‘Chemical Resistance of Polyethylene to Various Chemicals and Reagents’). l
Capability of the film to move and seal at predetermined speeds on a packaging line (This
aspect was discussed in detail in a technical service note titled, ‘Factors Affecting Seal Integrity of Films and Laminates’). l
Optimum mechanical strength to withstand handling, storage and transportation.
These
technical
service
notes
helped
the
printed format which was used by us to develop a film structure for every new application.
Unfortunately, this was not the end of the story. We found that customers were not systematically evaluating the film sample roll supplied, nor
maintaining a record of the evaluation. This resulted in occasional quality issues. This prompted us to prepare another technical service note titled, ‘Evaluation and Validation of Films’, so that the
customer was committed to the performance of the film sample and its related properties. We were, thus, happy to build a reputation in the industry as a knowledge-based reliable supplier with quality
POLYMERS Communiqué l August - September 2017
banks 100%
margin
to
establish a Letter
of Credit for import of
raw
Interest
materials.
rates
were
at an all-time high. In this
capital severe
situation, had
working
come
pressure;
raw
under
materials
available in the ‘grey market’ had a premium of 12
-
15%.
We
were
at
a
significant
cost
disadvantage, as a result profit margins, initially and then, reserves were rapidly eroding.
customer to provide us critical information in a
assurance levels unmatched in the industry.
time,
Additional working capital (offered by our Bank)
would not work because that would increase our ‘cash break-even point’. What we needed was
additional equity capital. We made a business plan with a three-year projection based on the
assumption that the government would reduce the import duty, so that the landed price would be at
domestic price levels. This assumption was based on a representation made to the government by OPPI and other industry associations. We were fortunate to get a sympathetic ear from two To know more, please subscribe to POLYMERS Communiqué at
subscriptions@polymerscommunique.com
49
THEN AND NOW
“At the age of 97, I can say that yoga and pranayam, carefully
tailored to each individual, and the chanting of the Gayatri
Mantra brings lasting benefits and peace of mind,” explains
Dr. Hiru Patel in dialogue with POLYMERS Communiqué.
Q. How were the early days of your career in business and the challenges then? My professional career commenced in England on 19th September, 1945 when by an accident
of fate, I accepted a job offer from the pioneer
thermosetting plastics company, Bakelite Ltd., four months after World War II ended.
Career Commencing When 25
Still Agile at 97 Dr. Hiralal (Hiru) N. Patel Chairman Interplex India Pvt. Ltd. Interplex Mazzucchelli Pvt. Ltd., Mumbai
52
My father, an agriculturist, Mukhia of our village
Danilimada, Ahmedabad and leader in the district
and staunch Gandhian decided to send me to England in 1938 at the tender age of 18 after
1st year at Elphinston College, Bombay to pursue undergraduate studies, ostensibly to join Indian Civil Service. He wanted me to study whatever I
wanted and as much as I wanted, but made me promise that I would return to India to contribute my might for its welfare.
I qualified to enter leading Imperial College, South Kensington, Near Royal Albert Hall London,
to pursuemechanical engineering. A year later,
World War II broke out in 1939 and most of our countrymen left in a hurry, I decided not to
run but stick it out to pursue my goal thinking that war may be an interesting experience. And
indeed, it was tough, demanding, heart rending,
POLYMERS Communiqué l August - September 2017
sometimes horrible and indomitable courage for a besieged nation.
I kept upgrading my goal and ended up doing B.Sc.
D.I.C (M.Sc.) and Ph.D. in aeronautics in 1945, just before the end of the war.
Bakelite Ltd. trained and taught me all aspects of business, particularly marketing for 9 months and
sent me to India, armed with lots of samples and 16 mm – 30 min documentarily on ‘Bakelite Material
of Infinite Uses’ to spread the message travelling all over India and assess the potential for a plan of
action to be drawn. We set up a marketing company, Bakelite (India) Pvt. Ltd. in Bombay in 1947 and a Nizam government joint sector manufacturing
company, Hylam Ltd. in Hyderabad which were later merged to form Bakelite Hylam Ltd. in 1969,
which I headed until I got transferred to Union Carbide India Ltd. to be Director of corporate
development including government relations and publicity public relations.
Q. What was the driving factor for you to start this enterprise?As you look back on your journey, what do you consider as the most pivotal period for you? After retirement from UCL in September, 1977,
I had consultancy assignments with Bright Bros Ltd., Bombay and with Lala Bansidhar of DCM
Chemical Works Ltd., New Delhi. I also was a
Non-Executive Director with a few companies
By
good
fortune
and
coincidence, a friend of the children’s US guardian, Don
Morrison
of
Rowland Corporation was
a
pioneer
in
the manufacture of
multi-colour cellulose
acetate sheets by co-
extrusion process and
took Sunil under his wing
and Interplex India Pvt. Ltd.
was set up in Halol, Baroda as a joint venture.
It was a coincidence that Baroda, Gujarat was the centre of spectacle frame manufacturing industry
(small scale) which used Interplex sheets. I was recharged with fresh batteries and after along struggle with permit License Raj, production commenced at a state-of-the-art factory at
Baska, Halol in 1989 which now supports 100
families and is recognised for import substitution and ‘Make in India’ motto, well before Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s dream. My son, Sunil, is dubbed as ‘Harvard to Halol Entrepreneur’.
We also have a joint venture with the oldest
Italian firm in this field, ‘Mazzucchelli 1849 SpA’ who have 70% of the world market.
My chest swells with pride in the knowledge that
and institutes.
we, at Interplex, have been associated by heritage
However, after working for MNCs for 32 years,
plastics
the desire to build an enterprise of my own, particularly located in Gujarat, kept motivating
me and I looked at a few projects which did not materialise.
to the global experts of thermosetting in the industry,
Sir
James
Swinburne
/
Dr. Baekeland 1907 and Sir Alexander Parks British Celanese 1869 and Mazzucchelli 1849 SpA, Italy.
I was fortunate to provide for foreign education of
Q. Anyone you would like to point out as your mentor and guide?
graduation and I took them to meet Dhirubhai
various stages and incidents that leave a lasting
my children. When my sons visited Bombay after
In one’s life, there are inspirers, mentors and guidesat
Ambani to seek his guidance and blessings,
impression. I have been fortunate to have them all.
Dhirubhai Ambani told them, “If you want to work
for others, stay back in US and amass wealth. If you
want to work for yourself; come back, go through the ground and build something you can be proud of.”
My elder son, Sunil took the advice and proposed
that he would like to follow me in the plastics
industry by setting up a venture for manufacturing some products no one else had been able to do at that time.
POLYMERS Communiqué l August - September 2017
My
father,
Mukhi
Naranbhai
V.
Patel
of
Danilimada was my first inspirer. It amazed me
that inspite of interrupted school education owing
to
family
social
circumstances,
he
To know more, please subscribe to POLYMERS Communiqué at
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53
READING THE FUTURE
Arvind M. Mehta Chairman and Managing Director Welset Plast Extrusions Pvt. Ltd., Mumbai
From Bicycle to Mercedes A Journey Laced With Commitment and Hard Work
Q. How were the early days of your career in business and the challenges then? Born in an average income group family, it was
consider, were like my training ground to build my ‘future factory’.
tough. Passed B.Sc. (Hons.) in Karad, joined Indian
My father, a successful businessman, a rice mill
this meant a 14-hour day i.e. 3 + 8 + 3 = 14 hours
which was on sale in 1968, at a reasonable price.
Dyestuff Industries (IDI), Kalyan. Living in Parel, working in any 3 shifts with a salary of Rs. 260
per month; tremendously challenging, but the strong desire was burning within me to achieve
56
something significant in life. These initial days, I
owner in Burma, bought Welset Extrusionist That is how I got into the plastics business, with
CAB reprocessing as the main application for the pen industry. Love for hard work helped
POLYMERS Communiqué l August - September 2017
years, I delivered 25 kgs bags on my bicycle to
customers of Andheri, Jogeshwari, Goregaon and
“Books like ‘Think & Grow Rich’, ‘Law of Success’ and ‘Thus
Spake Vivekananda’ are the only three
Malad who were pen manufacturers having hand moulding machines.
I earned recognition with the Welset name in the pen and ball pen industry. Gradually, the sales
reached a figure of 80 - 100 tonnes per month,
all India. I am happy to say that such was our
position that the prices quoted by us became the market price of that day in India.
books I repeatedly
read and get inspired,” says Arvind M.
I humbly say that this is my journey from a bicycle to a Mercedes.
Q. What was the driving factor for you then?
Mehta in dialogue
The driving factor was the burning
with POLYMERS
desire to be a leader in our field.
Communiqué.
Q. As you look back on your journey, what do you consider as the most pivotal period for you? The pivotal role was to see the future
that hand moulding machine will soon
die and be replaced with screw type injection
moulding machines. Welset should thus change
the line from CAB reprocessing (as our product was
for hand moulding machine only) to PE masterbatch. me to grow. First, I mastered the art of colour matching. Being a B.Sc. graduate, the concept of quality was clear. I was keen to give the best
to customers with regards to colour granules and myself worked a lot on extruders. For three
Mastery of colour matching proved to be our winning To know more, please subscribe to POLYMERS Communiqué at
subscriptions@polymerscommunique.com
It’s our country, let’s keep it clean!
POLYMERS Communiqué l August - September 2017
57
ROTATIONALLY MOULDED OPPORTUNITY
L. K. Singh, Managing Director Fixopan Machines Pvt. Ltd. New Delhi
Considerable Influence of Family on Business
58
POLYMERS Communiqué l August - September 2017
“Knowingly unknowingly, the family, specially the spouse, does play a very important role in business. Incidents of encouragement, appreciation and warnings do influence a business owner considerably,” shares L. K. Singh in dialogue with POLYMERS Communiqué. Q. What was the driving factor for you to start this enterprise? In my case, the main driving factor was my education
abroad. As an engineer trained in UK, in design, I
found the standard of production very boring and came across lack of technology and equipment in
the opinion of the client. They demand contracts and guarantees.
Q. What role does the family play in the success of a business owner? Any specific incident that you wish to highlight?
India, so I jumped into this field. My educational
Knowingly
develop my export market.
business. Incidents of encouragement, appreciation
Q. How different was it to run business then and run business now?
considerably. When the family compares to the
background, past associates and contacts helped me
Communication
and
business
has
changed
unknowingly,
the
family,
and warnings do influence a business owner success of competitors, one is challenged and strives for more, and vice versa.
immensely. I cannot imagine the days when we
This encourages or discourages
Phone calls were common; however, overseas was
be conservative.
dictated a letter, posted it and waited for a letter.
not easy, and had to make do with telegrams. Slowly the fax age started and now the internet is fantastic,
with emails, SMS, WhatsApp etc. and looking back, we cannot understand how we managed then. Today, we expect reply in hours, if not immediately. The industry, especially in capital goods market, that we are in, a buyer has become much wiser, and an average buyer is much better informed
with access to internet. They are conscious of the economics, efficiency, manpower etc. We cannot just
sales talk our way now, but have to get qualified in
specially
the spouse, does play a very important role in
the owner to greater risks or
Q. Any surprises on the evolution of rotational moulding machines? Which were the hits and which were the misses? There has not been a big change in To know more, please subscribe to POLYMERS Communiqué at
subscriptions@polymerscommunique.com
Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world. Educate Every Child...
POLYMERS Communiqué l August - September 2017
59
TURNING POINT
Professionally Managed Enterprise
The Big Change Embraced Q. How were the early days of your career in business and the challenges then? Hindustan Syringes and Medical Devices
Ltd. (HMD) was the very first Indo-Japanese
joint venture in India. Japanese leadership in medical technology was not so developed at
that time. We were the first company then to start making essential, low cost medical devices in India.
We overcame the initial challenges by looking
at
open-minded our
them
customers,
from
attitude
acting
of
a
progressive,
listening
swiftly
on
to
their
suggestions and by following fair and ethical practices, along with updating ourselves with
technological
time to time.
Narindra Nath, Managing Director Hindustan Syringes and Medical Devices Ltd. Faridabad
“The company turnover has grown from a mere Rs. 2 crore to over
Rs. 600 crore in the year 2017, an impressive growth rate of 300
times in the last 30 years,” conveys Narindra Nath in dialogue with POLYMERS Communiqué.
60
advancements
from
Q. As you look back on your journey, what do you consider as the most pivotal period for you? In 1986-87, HMD came out with the concept
of single-use syringes under the brand name
of ‘Dispovan’, at a time when we were having 80% market share for our ‘Glassvan’ brand of glass syringes. That was the turning point as it
accelerated our growth rapidly from as small factory. Today, ‘Dispovan’ is the most popular brand in the syringe market in India with over 60% market share.
To know more, please subscribe to POLYMERS Communiqué at
subscriptions@polymerscommunique.com
POLYMERS Communiqué l August - September 2017
Media for Packaging Professionals Your Partner in Packaging Sector
Editor: Prof. (Dr.) N. C. Saha (Director - IIP) - 9819996630 For Advertisement and Articles Contact: Asst. Editor: Bhushan Surpur (Assistant Director) - 9821022112 Email: director-iip@iip-in.com/infoiip@iip-in.com Website: www.iip-in.com
Published By
SELF EMPOWEREMENT
“Early days of my career due to
circumstances led me to struggle and hard work, but I continued my diligent perseverance to acquire knowledge about
plastics,” shares Baldev Boolani in dialogue with
POLYMERS Communiqué.
I Read for a Whole Year 1948-49
to Understand Plastics
Q. Making extruders in 1949-50 and making an extruder today. What according to you has been your biggest learning? Making an extruder in 1949-50 was a struggle as there was no academic and technical knowledge needed by
us available then. Over a period of time, we improved
the material of construction and screw design technology to process various complex polymers.
Q. With the single and twin-screw equipment that you manufacture, what do you see as the exports opportunities? We are uncompetitive in pricing with China for export of single and twin-screw extruders. Our markets in Africa, Middle East and SAARC countries have been
taken over by China. India is a huge market and we are busy with innovative products for research and
development centres with cost competitiveness compared to USA and European manufacturers. To know more, please subscribe to POLYMERS Communiqué at
subscriptions@polymerscommunique.com
64
Baldev Boolani, Managing Partner Boolani Engineering Corporation, Mumbai
POLYMERS Communiqué l August - September 2017
3.0 million tonne/annum of PP & PE to our customers in around 80 3.0 million tonne/annum of PP & PE to our customers in around 80 3.0 million tonne/annum of PP & PE to our customers in around 80
GROWTH STORY
Started Thermosetting and Thermoplastics
in 1961
Premraj Bafna, Chairman Polyset Plastics Pvt. Ltd. Mumbai
Q. How were the early days of your career in business? After my masters in the year 1959, I thought of putting
up a factory and not joining my father’s business of
textiles. In the same year, I joined hands with some Maharashtrian who were running a Backelite factory. In
one year’s time, the factory which was making losses
started making very good profits. Those partners became
“I believe that there is a lot of
scope in improving the products
and reducing costs. If this is done properly, one can expect a 15% growth year-on-year,” conveys
Premraj Bafna in dialogue with POLYMERS Communiqué.
greedy and requested me to take back my money with
interest and leave the company for them. As a young man, I thought that they created the whole thing and I should be happy to get back the money with experience.
Then I searched a place for myself and set-up a factory in 1961 in Goregaon, to make thermosetting as well as
thermoplastics. Thermosetting was mainly for L&T. Out
of 18 machines, we were running 16 machines for them.
Q. Any specific opportunity that excited you? Once during my travel to Germany, I saw excellent products made in nylon which was being used by
railways. Nylon was a very difficult material to mould To know more, please subscribe to POLYMERS Communiqué at
subscriptions@polymerscommunique.com
POLYMERS Communiqué l August - September 2017
67
HBR Pages
What Sets Successful
CEOs Apart?
While there is certainly no ‘one size
fits all’ approach, focusing on the four
essential behaviours will improve both, a Board’s likelihood of choosing the right CEO and an individual leader’s chances of succeeding in the role.
Presented by
POLYMERS Communiqué in syndication with
Harvard Business Review
70
POLYMERS Communiqué l August - September 2017
T
he Chief Executive role is a
with analysts at SAS Inc., we tapped into
2013, about a quarter of the
advisory
tough one to fill. From 2000 to
CEO departures in the Fortune 500
were involuntary, according to the
Conference Board. The fallout from these dismissals can be staggering: Forced turnover at the top costs shareholders an estimated USD 112 billion in lost
market value annually, a 2014 PwC study of the world’s 2,500 largest companies showed. Those figures are discouraging
for directors who have the hard task of anointing CEOs - and daunting to any
leader aspiring to the C-suite. Clearly, many otherwise capable leaders and
boards are getting something wrong. The question is, what?
In the over two decades we have
spent advising Boards, investors and Chief Executives themselves on CEO transitions, we have seen a fundamental
disconnect between what Boards think makes for an ideal CEO and what actually leads to high performance. That
disconnect starts with an unrealistic, yet pervasive stereotype, which is shaped in
large part by the official bios of Fortune
500 leaders. It holds that a successful CEO is a charismatic six-foot-tall white man with a degree from a top university,
who is a strategic visionary with a seemingly direct-to-the-top career path and the ability to make perfect decisions under pressure.
a database created by our leadership firm,
ghSmart,
containing
over 17,000 assessments of C-suite executives, including 2,000 CEOs. The
database has in-depth information on
each leader’s career history, business results and behavioural patterns. We
sifted through that information, looking
Too many CEOs fail at their jobs. From
not, and those who excelled in the role
Chief Executives who left their firms
got hired as CEOs from those who did
2000 to 2013, 25% of the Fortune 500
from those who underperformed.
were forced out.
Our findings challenged many widely
The Cause
held assumptions. For example, our
analysis revealed that while Boards often gravitate toward charismatic
extroverts, introverts are slightly more likely to surpass the expectations of
their Boards and investors. We were also surprised to learn that virtually all CEO candidates had made material mistakes
in the past, and 45% of them have had at least one major career blow-up that
ended a job or was extremely costly to the business. Yet, over 78% of that subgroup of candidates ultimately
won the top job. In addition, we found that educational pedigree (or
That
realisation led us to embark on a 10-year study, the CEO Genome Project.
Its goal is to identify the specific attributes
that
differentiate
high-
performing CEOs (whom we define as Executives meeting or exceeding expectations in the role, according to interviews with Board members and
majority investors deeply familiar with the CEOs’ performance). Partnering with
economists at the University of Chicago
and Copenhagen Business School and
POLYMERS Communiqué l August - September 2017
disconnect
between
what Boards of Directors think makes
for an ideal CEO and what actually leads to high performance.
The Findings Findings from a database of 17,000 C-suite
assessments
reveal
that
successful CEOs demonstrate four specific behaviours that prove critical to their performance: They are decisive,
they engage for impact, they adapt proactively and they deliver reliably.
performing CEOs we studied had an undergraduate Ivy League education,
and 8% of them did not graduate from college at all.
in candidate interviews with those that
profile.
fundamental
performance: Only 7% of the high-
encountered
this
One major reason is that there is a
lack thereof ) in no way correlated to
However, when we compared the
fit
The Problem
for what distinguished candidates who
Yet we have been struck by how few of the successful leaders we have
In Brief
qualities that Boards respond well to help leaders perform better, the overlap
was vanishingly small. For example, high confidence more than doubles a
candidate’s chances of being chosen as CEO, but provides no advantage
in performance on the job. In other words, what makes candidates look
good to Boards has little connection to what makes them succeed in the role. But, our most important discovery was
that successful Chief Executives tend to demonstrate four specific behaviours
Authors
Elena Lytkina Botelho Partner, ghSmart
Founder, CEO Genome Project Kim Rosenkoetter Powell Principal, ghSmart
Co-leader, CEO Genome Project Stephen Kincaid
Principal, ghSmart
Past President, Society of Consulting Psychology Dina Wang
Principal, ghSmart
Formerly Fellow at the Forum for Growth and Innovation at Harvard Business School
© 2017 Harvard Business School Publishing Corp.
71
that prove critical to their performance.
We discovered that high-performing
the executives who were rated poor
on those behaviours in their selection
making great decisions all the time;
6% received low marks because they
We also found that when Boards focus and
development
processes,
they
significantly increase their chances of hiring the right CEO. Our research
and experience suggest that when leaders who aspire to the CEO’s office - 87% of Executives, according to a 2014 survey from Korn Ferry deliberately develop those behaviours,
they dramatically raise the odds that they
all
become
Chief Executives.
high-performing
The Four Behaviours It is rare for successful leaders to excel at all four behaviours. However, when
we dug through our data, looking at
the ratings our consultants had given candidates when evaluating them on fit for a CEO job and performance on
30 management competencies (for
example, holding people accountable and the ability to motivate a team),
we found an interesting connection.
Roughly half the strong candidates (who had earned an A overall on a scale of A, B or C) had distinguished themselves in more than one of the four
essential
behaviours,
while only 5% of the weak candidates (who earned a B or C) had.
CEOs do not necessarily stand out for
rather, they stand out for being more decisive. They make decisions earlier, faster and with greater conviction.
They do so consistently - even amid ambiguity, with incomplete information,
and in unfamiliar domains. In our data,
people who were described as ‘decisive’ were 12 times more likely to be highperforming CEOs.
Interestingly, the highest-IQ executives we coach, those who relish intellectual complexity, sometimes struggle the most with decisiveness. While the
quality of their decisions is often
good, because of their pursuit of the perfect answer, they can take too long
to make choices or set clear priorities - and their teams pay a high price.
These smart, but slow decision makers become bottlenecks, and their teams
either grow frustrated (which can lead to the attrition of valuable talent) or become
overcautious
themselves,
stalling the entire enterprise. So, it is no surprise that when we looked more closely at
on decisiveness, we found that only made decisions too quickly. The vast
majority - 94% - scored low because they decided too little, too late.
High-performing CEOs understand that
a wrong decision is often better than no decision at all. As former Greyhound CEO, Stephen Gorman, who led the bus operator through a turnaround, told us, “A bad decision was better than a lack of
direction. Most decisions can be undone, but you have to learn to move with the right amount of speed.”
Decisive CEOs recognise that they
cannot wait for perfect information.
“Once I have 65% certainty around the answer, I have to make a call,” says Jerry Bowe, CEO of the private-label manufacturer Vi-Jon. But they do work
actively to solicit multiple points of view and often poll a relatively small, carefully cultivated ‘kitchen cabinet’ of
trusted advisers who can be counted on for unvarnished opinions and sound judgment.
Jerry Bowe motivates himself
to
act
on
decisions by framing things this way: “I ask
myself two questions:
First, what is the impact
The behaviours
if I get it wrong? And second,
describe sound
other things up if I do
we are about to deceptively simple.
But
the key is to practice with
them
maniacal
consistency, which our work reveals is a great challenge for many leaders.
Deciding With Speed and Conviction Legends about CEOs who always seem to know exactly how to steer their companies to wild success seem to abound in business.
72
how much will it hold
not move on this?” That he
approach,
says,
also
inspires his team
members to trust
their own judgment
on operational decisions
- which is critical to freeing the CEO up to home in on fewer, but more important decisions.
To that end, successful CEOs
also know when not to decide.
Stephen Kaufman, former CEO of
POLYMERS Communiqué l August - September 2017
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Arrow Electronics, suggests that it is all too easy to get caught up in a volley
of decision making. He advises pausing briefly to consider whether a decision
should actually be made lower down
in the organisation and if delaying it a week or a month would allow important information to emerge without causing irreparable harm.
But once a path is chosen, highperforming CEOs press ahead without
High-performing
wavering. Art Collins, former Chairman
CEOs understand that
and CEO of Medtronic, told us: “Employees
a wrong decision is
and other key constituencies will quickly
often better than no
lose faith in leaders who waffle or
backtrack once a decision is made.” And,
decision at all.
if decisions do not turn out well? Our analysis suggests that while every CEO
makes mistakes, most
The single most
common mistake among first-time
CEOs - committed by a surprisingly
high 60% of them - was not getting the right team
in place quickly enough.
of them are not lethal. We found that among CEOs who were fired over issues related to
decision making, only one-third
lost
their
jobs because they had
made bad calls; the rest were ousted for being indecisive.
Engaging for Impact Once CEOs set a clear
course for the business,
they must get buy-in among their
employees and other stakeholders. We found that strong performers balance
keen insight into their stakeholders’
priorities with an unrelenting focus on delivering business results. They start
by developing an astute understanding of
their
stakeholders’
needs
and
motivations, and then get people on board by driving for performance and
aligning them around the goal of value
creation. In our data, CEOs who deftly engaged stakeholders with this results orientation were 75% more successful in the role.
CEOs who excel at bringing others
along, plan and execute disciplined communications
74
and
influencing
strategies. “With any big decision, I create a stakeholder map of the key people who need to be on board,” explains Madeline Bell, CEO of Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. “I identify the detractors and their concerns, and then I think about
how I can take the energy that they
might put into resistance and channel
it into something positive. I make it clear
to people that they are important to the process and they will be part of a win.
But at the end of the day, you have to be clear that you are making the call and you expect them on board.”
When interacting with stakeholders,
CEOs like Madeline Bell are acutely aware of how their moods and body language can affect the impact of
their communications. Though much has been written about ‘emotional
contagion’, new CEOs are often surprised by the unintended damage that can be caused by a stray word or gesture.
“Every comment and facial expression
strong CEO candidates in our sample demonstrated calm under pressure.
CEOs who engage stakeholders do not invest their energy in being liked
or protecting their teams from painful
decisions. In fact, both those behaviours
are commonly seen in lower-performing CEOs. Instead, the skilled CEOs gain the
support of their colleagues by instilling confidence that they will lead the team
to success, even if that means making uncomfortable or unpopular moves.
These CEOs do not shy away from conflict in the pursuit of business goals; in fact,
in our analysis two-thirds of the CEOs who excelled at engagement were rated
as strong in conflict management. The
ability to handle clashing viewpoints also seems to help candidates advance to the
CEO’s office. When we analysed leaders
who had made it there significantly faster than average, one of the qualities that
stood out was their willingness to engage in conflict.
you make will be read and magnified
When tackling contentious issues,
Stephen Kaufman. “If you grimace during
give everyone a voice, but not a vote.
10 times by the organisation,” says someone’s presentation because of your bad back, the person making the presentation thinks they have been
fired.” Composure is a job requirement, and more than three-quarters of the
leaders who are good at engagement
They listen and solicit views, but do not default to consensus-driven
decision making. “Consensus is good, but it is too slow, and sometimes you end up with the lowest common
POLYMERS Communiqué l August - September 2017
denominator,” says Christophe Weber, CEO
of
Takeda
Pharmaceutical.
Christophe Weber makes a habit of
having unstructured meetings with 20 to 30 of the company’s high potentials
before making key decisions. The goal
of those meetings is to challenge him
and
present
him
with
new
perspectives, but he is careful not to create the illusion of democracy.
None of this means that CEOs should
behave as autocrats or lone wolves. Typically, we see ‘take no prisoners’ CEOs
last only as long as the company has no choice but to submit to shock therapy. These CEOs often get
In their first weeks
on the job, reliable CEOs resist the temptation
to jump into execution
mode. They dig into budgets
and plans, and engage with
board members, employees and customers to understand
expectations.
ousted as soon as the
business emerges from crisis mode - they lose the support of their teams
or
of
board
members who have grown tired of the collateral damage. It is
no coincidence that the careers of turnaround CEOs are frequently a series of lucrative twoto
three-year
stints;
they put out the fires and then move on to the next assignment.
where a playbook simply cannot exist. You’d better be ready to adapt.” Most
CEOs
know
they
have
to
divide their attention among shortterm, medium-term and long-term
perspectives, but the adaptable CEOs spent significantly more of their time
- as much as 50% - thinking about the long-term. Other executives, by contrast, devoted an average of 30% of their time to long-term thinking.
We believe a long-term focus helps because it makes CEOs more likely to pick up on early signals. Highly
adaptable CEOs regularly plug into broad information flows: They scan
wide networks and diverse sources of data, finding relevance in information that may at first seem unrelated to their businesses. As a result, they sense
change earlier and make strategic moves to take advantage of it. Adaptable
CEOs
also
of where and why they had come up
short and give specific examples of
how they tweaked their approach to
do better next time. Similarly, aspiring CEOs who demonstrated this kind of
attitude (what Stanford’s Carol Dweck calls a ‘growth mindset’) were more likely to make it to the top of the
pyramid: Nearly 90% of the strong CEO candidates we reviewed scored high on dealing with setbacks.
Delivering Reliably Mundane as it may sound, the ability to
reliably
produce
results
was
possibly the most powerful of the
four essential CEO behaviours. In our
sample, CEO candidates who scored high on reliability were twice as likely to be picked for the role and 15 times
more likely to succeed in it. Boards and investors love a steady hand, and employees trust predictable leaders.
recognise
that setbacks are an integral part
of changing course and treat their mistakes as opportunities to learn
and grow. In our sample, CEOs who
considered setbacks to be failures had
To know more, please subscribe to POLYMERS Communiqué at
subscriptions@polymerscommunique.com
50% less chance of thriving. Successful
CEOs, on the other hand, would offer
unabashedly matter-of-fact accounts
Adapting Proactively
For evidence of how important it is
for businesses and leaders to adjust to a rapidly changing environment,
we need look no further than the aftermath of Brexit and the recent U.S.
Presidential election. Our analysis shows that CEOs who excel at adapting are 6.7 times more likely to succeed. CEOs
themselves told us over and over that this skill was critical. When asked what
differentiates effective CEOs, Dominic Barton, Global Managing Partner of
McKinsey & Company, immediately offered: “It is dealing with situations
that are not in the playbook. As a CEO,
you are constantly faced with situations
76
POLYMERS Communiqué l August - September 2017
Weekend Delights Friday night to Monday morning, a time to unwind, rejuvenate and be geared to face another grueling week. Each one of us use this ‘my time’ is different ways. And why not, weekend is a time for expressing ourselves. We all have known the personalities featured here as astute business stalwarts; as life is more than just business, we at POLYMERS Communiqué, have started a new section called ‘WEEKEND DELIGHTS’. Live life...
Shailesh Lahoti Director
Blend Colours Pvt. Ltd., Hyderabad
My weekends are for quiet and peaceful times. After a workout, I like to mediate. These relaxed weekends with meditation gives me inner peace, making me feel refreshed, energised and ready to take on the world. It also helps me to introspect the week which has passed and take measures accordingly.
J. R. Shah Director
Jayvee Organics and Polymers Private Limited, Mumbai
After a very hectic and busy schedule of the entire week from Monday to Friday, I look forward to a relaxing weekend to unwind myself and recuperate, keeping me in lively spirits, besides devoting maximum time to enjoying my favourite hobbies. For me, I find tremendous relaxation listening to Indian classical music; not only on TV, but from my music collections. I even take the opportunity to attend musical programmes whenever time permits. Then, of course, I make it a point to visit my gymkhana where I indulge in various exercises for about an hour and a half, including 25 - 30 minutes of swimming which I enjoy thoroughly. I am also a hardcore reader and enjoy reading technical and general magazines as well as financial newspapers to keep myself briefed and updated with the recent developments and happenings. I also devote considerable time for socialising and, time permitting, go for 2 - 3 kms walk, keeping me physically fit and alert. What I certainly do not indulge in is the afternoon nap and hence avoid feeling of laziness.
Anoop Srivastav
Head Marketing, Performance Films Division Supreme Industries Ltd., Mumbai
The day I look forward to the most is not Sunday, but Saturday. Because that is the day when I feel excited thinking of the things which I can do at leisure on Sunday like getting up late, spending time in my garden in Baroda, enjoying playing cards with family or friends or going out for a movie and dinner.
Rajeev Sanghvi CEO
Satellite Plastic Industries, Mumbai
Since I need to travel for my business for almost 15 to 18 days a month outside Mumbai, I make sure I am back home for almost all the weekends. It is the only time I get to catch up on my favourite hobby which is stamp collection. My father encouraged me to take up this hobby in 1978 and since than I have followed it passionately for all these years. I can spend hours together putting the stamps in order. On Saturdays, I am working until 4.00 pm and in the evenings, I prefer to stay home and relax. Sunday mornings is hobby time and on a few Sunday evenings we go for movies or a good English / Gujarati drama with friends. I do not prefer dining out on weekends as I cannot eat peacefully in crowded places.
Amit Ray
Group President
UFLEX Limited, Noida
I have a short weekend i.e. Sunday. I endeavour to keep Sunday’s free of any official or social engagements. Reading, watching a movie, introspecting, having a coffee at the club and spending time with my daughters and grandchildren is what makes me feel complete and ready for the next gruelling week.
LITTLE ACTIONS BIG RESULTS
Responsibility A Big Virtue
Responsibility can not only make us a good leader, but also
can make us a better and respectful person. It is a choice that an individual needs to make in order to excel.
I
n these challenging times, we come
example, if one is a sales engineer,
things on a daily basis. Some of them
is accountable for the given targets in
across many important and urgent
are equally urgent to address within a
short time. It is important to prioritise and handle these day-to-day issues with clarity. For effective outcomes,
we need to be both, accountable and
responsible. But first, one needs to clearly understand what we mean by accountability and responsibility. Accountability
is
what
we
are
answerable for. We do have our role
defined in our organisation. It is very important to focus on our role, the
priorities and promises we have made
to ourselves as well as others who are our customers (internal and external) in an organisation. Many a times, we have
multiple roles too. In such situations,
we need to trust our conscience. By being sincere, truthful and transparent, many Shirish V. Divgi Managing Director Plastics Machinery Asia Ahmedabad
82
difficult
situations
handled effectively.
can
be
Responsibility is one’s choice. We can always see what better we can
contribute while doing our role. For
getting orders is his primary role. He sales. Along with this, he can also be
responsible for helping customers in providing added knowledge, helping
in his pain areas, exploring new
business opportunities, sharing market updates etc. While
accountability
is
basic,
responsibility is ownership and passion in all that we think positively and do!
Points to Ponder Some thoughts to think and deliberate on this important parameter for success, that is responsibility:
l
While working on our job, having basic understanding and clarity of accountability
and
responsibility
is good. But is it good enough to excel in our challenging work To know more, please subscribe to POLYMERS Communiqué at
subscriptions@polymerscommunique.com
POLYMERS Communiqué l August - September 2017
SIVARAM SPEAKS
High Temperature Polymer Fuel Cell Membranes
Fascinating World of Invisible Polymers
F
and
POLYMERS
Communiqué
uel cells are marvels of modern
operation
integration of many disciplines
stationary power generation applications.
day technology representing an
of
science
engineering
(Refer
Figure 1). In the previous issue of
magazine
(June - July 2017), I described the use of perfluorinated ionomer membranes Dr. S. Sivaram Former Director, CSIR-NCL Honorary Professor and INSA Senior Scientist Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Pune
in fuel cell applications for conversion of hydrogen to electricity. Such membranes are
branched
polymers,
consisting
of only carbon - fluorine bonds with a pendant sulfonic acid group. Fuel
for
5,000
hours
for
transportation and 40,000 hours for However, proton transfer across such a membrane requires that the sulfonic acid
group in the polymer be fully hydrated,
thus, making available an abundant supply of protons which is required for
high proton conductivity. Fully hydrated
Nafion® will absorb twenty-one molecules of water per sulfonic acid group. Thus, the membrane can be considered as a
cell operates under extreme oxidative
To know more, please subscribe to
the polymer is an essential prerequisite
subscriptions@polymerscommunique.com
conditions; hence oxidative stability of for a good membrane material. Polymers
POLYMERS Communiqué at
containing only carbon - fluorine bonds are,
therefore,
ideally
suited for this application.
A commercially useful fuel
Many of the drawbacks of the low temperature fuel cells can be obviated if they can be operated at temperatures higher than 100° C. Operation at higher temperatures also results in better reaction kinetics for both, hydrogen oxidation and oxygen reduction at the electrodes. The waste heat generated is also of higher quality.
POLYMERS Communiqué l August - September 2017
cell is expected to have an uninterrupted
Figure 1: Material science and engineering in fuel cells.
85
HEAD TALK
Yukio Iimura, Chairman Toshiba Machine Group Japan
88
POLYMERS Communiqué l August - September 2017
Toshiba Machine to Increase Production Capacity in
India by 30%
“Toshiba Machine deems India as an especially important market, and the unit sales for fiscal 2018 in the country is
estimated to rise to 1.5 times that for fiscal 2017,” points out Yukio Iimura in dialogue with POLYMERS Communiqué.
Q. What global trends are you witnessing in injection moulding machines? Approximately, what would be the number of injection moulding machines that Toshiba would have installed, worldwide?
Q. You have been ‘Making-in-India’ for a while. What has been your experience of producing locally here? What has been the biggest benefits you have drawn?
As the development of more lightweight automotive
is famous for machines with the latest technologies,
parts
is
accelerated,
components
that
are
traditionally made of metal are being replaced with resin-made ones.
Further efforts are necessary, considering that more
lightweight moulding resin is made with injection moulding machines, the strength needs to be improved with metal parts replaced with ones made
of fibre-reinforced resin, and there is a need to better respond to the IoT+m platform.
Toshiba Machine Group has sold approximately 73,000 units of injection moulding machines to date.
Toshiba Machine is a globally renowned brand, which
a high level of quality and excellent performance. Toshiba Machine manufactures machines for the
Indian market in the country, and the experience has
allowed us to establish a good track record there. Our products have been well accepted by Indian
customers as machines with the highest performance. As we succeeded in maintaining price competitiveness
in the Indian market through local production, the
sales of our products have risen 15 per cent or more annually since their sales started in 2013 under the
Toshiba Machine brand name. In addition, Toshiba
Machine is highly appreciated as a Japanese machine
We estimate 3,000 units will be produced in fiscal
maker that has a broad network in India, which allows
fiscal 2018.
valued customers.
2017, while 3,700 units are planned to be made in
us to provide after-sales-services quickly for our
Toshiba Machine deems India as an especially
The biggest benefit from our local production in
2018 in the country is estimated to rise
machines have become a core product for Toshiba
important market, and the unit sales for fiscal to 1.5 times that for fiscal 2017.
POLYMERS Communiqué l August - September 2017
India is that India-made hydraulic injection moulding
Machine Group. They have already been exported
89
Toshiba Machine Group has sold approximately 73,000 units of injection moulding machines to date. We estimate 3,000 units will be produced in fiscal 2017, while 3,700 units are planned to be made in fiscal 2018.
but also because the unit sales of machines in the nation account for a large portion of Toshiba Machine
Group’s total sales. The Indian market will continue to grow in the future, so machines equipped with
the latest technologies will surely be more accepted
by moulders in India. Toshiba Machine is currently in a good situation to tap into this trend. We are now
proceeding with plans to expand production space and improve manufacturing efficiency, so we will
increase our production capacity by 30 per cent. We
will carefully monitor the growth of our Indian plant in the coming three years. We are also planning an extra investment to market die casting machines and other new products.
Toshiba Machine (Chennai), abbreviated as TMIC, is
Q. If you would like to invest USD 100 million in business, would your preference be to invest in making your existing machines cheaper for the market or invest in newer technologies?
Group’s hydraulic injection moulding machines.
would not be good. Toshiba Machine is working to
from India to Southeast Asia and the United States. regarded as the production base for Toshiba Machine
Q. With an increasing advent of local manufacturing in India, especially injection moulding machines, do we see newer strategies being worked out? Do you foresee that margins would be under pressure? Toshiba Machine is the front-runner company that
has constantly developed new technologies, and this technical superiority has enabled us to win over many customers. For Toshiba Machine, new
Investing huge funds only in one of the two options meet requests from our customers to become their
best partner under the slogan, ‘Best Partner of Leading Industries’. Requests from customers are different,
depending on the region, the customer product and the future strategy of the client. I believe Toshiba
Machine, as the best partner of our customers, will
need to make efforts to develop new technologies as well as to lower prices, so we can have them buy our products.
development and engineering projects are part of continuous processes to review manufacturing costs.
Q. What does ‘sustainable business’ mean to you?
New strategies are continuously adopted by business
types and segments. For example, our products are
To enable a company to continue existing, keeping on
also sold to companies in the polyvinyl chloride
generating profits is essential. A sustainable business refers to one that can continue generating stable
moulding industry, because we can offer a high level of moulding quality with Toshiba Machine’s unique
screw technology. Meanwhile, as many new local manufacturers emerge, adding pressure on us to
further slash costs, Toshiba Machine has continuously been promoting cost reducing measures so we can generate profits by cutting costs in various fields.
Q. What does your Indian market mean to you today? What growth plans do you have for your Indian operations? India is a large promising market and is expected to
grow 12 per cent annually, so many manufacturing companies throughout the world are trying to
expand into the Indian market. India is important
90
for us, not only because the market is large in size,
profits into the future. To realise such a business, it is necessary to bring benefits not only to the company’s
customers, but society and people connected to the company. What is essential is that the business
is beneficial to all relevant parties, including the company, society, the environment and people.
Q. Your direction to the group that could serve as a guiding vision for the next 25 years would be... Toshiba Machine Group - a general machine maker To know more, please subscribe to POLYMERS Communiqué at
subscriptions@polymerscommunique.com
POLYMERS Communiqué l August - September 2017
CREATING MARKETS
Building a Customer-centric Organisation The Taj Approach
Lessons in marketing tell us that good
companies meet needs and great companies create markets. Adding relevant scale to
operations that gives loyal consumers access to new products and locations is important in order to stay relevant in an increasingly competitive market place.
B
ill Gates could not have been more accurate when he
said, “Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning.”
In this era of hyper-connected and increasingly brand-agnostic
customers, all brands need to work harder than ever to stay relevant in the market place. There are multiple case studies
available of traditional companies not evolving in a timely fashion to match customer needs and squandering away their
market share to a new breed of agile companies that become increasingly more relevant in the market place. All successful customer-centric organisations have one thing in common - they
are obsessive about their customers. The DNA and culture of Chinmai Sharma Chief Revenue Officer Taj Hotels Palaces Resorts Safaris Mumbai
POLYMERS Communiqué l August - September 2017
these companies reflect the fact that their products, solutions
and processes revolve around their customers. Invariably, the
senior management team at such companies is directly involved
in handling customer issues and consumer feedback metrics are fully engrained in their organisations key result areas.
93
The hospitality industry is a labour intensive
their stakeholders. Taj Hotels Palaces Resorts and
Many things can go wrong and hotel operators
of hotels and has been the custodian of Indian
industry with multiple customer touch points. need to run a tight ship in order to ensure
consistency in service delivery. In addition, the industry is in the process of being transformed
from a product-focused, physical-asset-intensive
business to a more customer-focused and
experience-centric one. It is this customercentricity that builds long-term customer value and eventually differentiates one company from another.
Safaris is one of Asia’s largest and finest group
hospitality with its rich portfolio of iconic hotels, authentic palaces, idyllic resorts and luxurious safari lodges for many decades. Taj creates value
for its guests by offering them meticulously curated experiences, sincere service, world-class amenities
and local flavours. Taj’s culture of sincerely caring
for all their stakeholders; inspired by the nobility
of the Tata Group Founder Jamsetji Tata runs deep in the organisation and all its associates.
‘Putting the customer first’ is a Tata group
In order to run a successful, customer-centric
encompassing and critical role in today’s
products and services, empowered employees
philosophy
which
has
assumed
connected world. All Tata companies are
reinventing
themselves
strengthen their relationship with their customers their most important stakeholder - to create long-term value for all
to
an
all-
organisation, it always helps to have great and
acute
customer
listening
skills.
Using
technology as an enabler always helps and
can make the processes around employee and guest engagement, a lot more efficient. Here
are a few areas that successful customer-centric organisations, like Taj, focus on.
Employee and Customer Engagement The Taj group continues to lead its effort with recognition programmes and awards for
employees, a strong focus on
learning and development
along with continuous support
that keep the teams empowered,
motivated and inspired round the
year. The group recognises that a
demotivated employee is as good as
a dissatisfied customer. Thus, rewards
and recognition go a long way and are
effective ways to ensure that employees
get on board the customer-centricity
journey. It is important to create an environment
where
if
something
simple can be done for a guest that can
add value, it should be done without layers of unnecessary approvals. The company
moments awarded
celebrates internally
to
guest
and
exceptional
delight
stars
are
associates
who go above and beyond their call
of duty to help our guests, thereby developing internal role models and standards
for
customer-centricity.
Happy employees do translate to happy customers.
Sheer customer delight.
94
POLYMERS Communiqué l August - September 2017
Customer Satisfaction Metrics and Senior Management Involvement Monitoring and analysing consumer feedback can be one of the most important business drivers. Taj
uses some technology solutions that are helpful in gauging valid, reliable and comparable guest data in real-time – which lead to competitor benchmarking
and
also
the
Net
Promoter
Score (NPS). These solutions also provide hotel managers with empirical evidence for operational
improvements including better informed marketing and sales strategies.
Given the shorter attention spans and a crowded market place, it is imperative for companies to listen. Apart from the hotel leadership teams,
the senior management at Taj including the Managing Director, the Chief Revenue Officer and Senior Vice Presidents of operations make it a
point to interact with guests, loyalty members and
diners on a regular basis every week for feedback and to help resolve queries or complaints. Their
involvement has twin impacts – it helps bolster the
confidence of the line associates and also sends the right message to the consumers.
Reaching Across All Platforms In today’s hyper-connected world, it is important for all companies to develop platforms for employee and customer engagement. Smartphone
usage is rising exponentially and user adoption
rates are the highest for solutions that are intuitive and mobile-friendly.
For Taj, the traveller experience begins with
the company’s digital touch points - the new tajhotels.com and the new mobile app. These are the frontline tools to deliver an experience to guests which build the bridge between
the virtual and the physical stay at a Taj hotel. To know more, please subscribe to POLYMERS Communiqué at
subscriptions@polymerscommunique.com
Optical Surface/Web Inspection Systems Rapidly, precisely detect, classify, document and record all optical defects across a wide range of materials. ► Paper, film and foil ► Plastics ► Nonwovens ► And more... Engineered by Making Light Work www.ndc.com
POLYMERS Communiqué l August - September 2017
97
THOUGHT OUT
Privately Owned
Professionally Managed Those, who manage to break free and move on to become
significant players, are able to do so because they overcame the
‘one-man show’ syndrome; setting up a structured organisation, professionalising the way the company is managed.
Looking Deep If India has a distinct national competitive advantage amidst comity of nations, it
is the private entrepreneurship. Every student dreams of starting his own Shailesh Sheth Corporate Strategy Adviser Management & Manufacturing Technology, Mumbai
98
business one day, becoming his own
master. Willing to take risks, stories abound of how many people used their
last savings, their pension and provident funds, even their wife’s jewellery to start out on their own. Many succeeded. Many
did not. Yet, millions of such businesses
form the backbone of modern Indian
industrial economy. Mafat Gagal to Mafatlal Industries, Dhirubhai Ambani to Reliance and Karsan Patel to Nirma,
there are hundreds of such inspirational rags to riches tales. Looking deep into how a small entrepreneur grows his
business, and with it his enterprise, we can formulate an entrepreneurial stages (Refer Figure 1).
Somewhere after stage 4 or 5, these
entrepreneurs hit a roadblock, the ceiling.
POLYMERS Communiqué l August - September 2017
Table 1: Characteristics that Typify the Owner and a Professional Manager Owner
Professional Manager
Do whatever needs to be done
Don’t do work; delegate everything
Negotiate everything
Hire talent better than you and pay up
Cash is king: Protect your downside risk
Always be recruiting and fund raising
Nobody else will figure it out for you
Define objectives, provide resources and step aside
Personality matters
Give praise, share credit, encourage critique
Fortune favours the bold
Cultivate culture
Nothing is ever quite good enough
Hold others’ accountable for results, but encourage
What are you waiting for: Do it now
Coaching and cheerleading v/s Doing and directing
Build something to pass on
Have a big vision: Plan out the next 5 - 10 years
mistakes
Very few break this ceiling and continue their growth
journey. Most get stuck and remain there, fighting daily battles to stay ahead of inflation pushing and shoving growth with great difficulty.
Those, who manage to break free and move on to
become significant players, are able to do so because they overcame the ‘one-man show’ syndrome,
setting up a structured organisation, nurturing strong second line of command, leveraging power of
partnerships and above all, empowering his people.
In short, professionalising the way the company is managed.
Professional management does not mean divorcing
the owner. It is how decisions are made, how planning is done, how execution is carried out. Essentially,
there are three distinct facets to professionalisation. These are organisational culture, skill set of its managerial personnel and strategic thinking.
“Professional management is a function, a
discipline, a task to be done; and managers are
the professionals who practice this discipline, carry out the functions and discharge these tasks. It is no longer relevant whether the manager is also an owner; if he is, it is incidental to his main function, which is to be a manager” Peter Drucker.
Organisational Culture The fundamental difference in an owner-driven company and a professionally-managed one is the organisational culture. A professionally-managed company, for example, will have more ‘open’ culture,
permitting people to air their views freely, even if
they are at variance with the owner; discourage yesmanship, let individuality blossom and foster team
work. This means the owner needs to transform
The biggest issue with many family businesses is that they get struck doing things the same
way they have operated for years even when the business outgrows that structure. The founding generation holds on to the reins of leadership too long and will not pass control.
To know more, please subscribe to POLYMERS Communiqué at
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POLYMERS Communiqué l August - September 2017
99
EXTRUSION | PRINTING | CONVERTING
What do you get when teams of brilliant minds scrutinize each component of the proven VAREX range to make it even better? Higher output, superb ergonomics, improved safety and a new world of energy efficiency. More than just a pretty face: VAREX II.
VAREX II’s modular design provides flexibility for producing blown films from diverse resins. With the new ENERGY MONITORING module, you get real-time data, making it easier than ever to identify potential savings. And that’s just the beginning ...
Windmöller & Hölscher India Pvt.Ltd. Level 6, Punj Essen House · 17 – 18 Nehru Place · New Delhi 110019 · India Phone: + 91 11 41618273 / 74 · Fax: + 91 11 41618275 · info.whi@wuh-group.com
NEW DIMENSION
RBSM at
PLASTINDIA 2018
The Reverse Buyer Seller Meet (RBSM) aims to bring a huge
contingent of 600 specially selected and hosted international
buyers to meet and trade with exhibitors at PLASTINDIA 2018 thereby building a strong ground for business, networking
Rajeev Chitalia Chairman - NEC PLASTINDIA 2018
102
and tie-up for a better bilateral understanding that would
help both, the hosted buyers and the exhibitors to extract maximum value from this business-oriented initiative.
POLYMERS Communiqué l August - September 2017
W
ith business being the prime factor
at PLASTINDIA events, and with the continued intent of adding business
convenience and opportunities for its exhibitors at
PLASTINDIA
with
the
B2B
Connect
2018,
support
of
Plastindia its
Special Entitlements Each hosted buyer is entitled to:
l
Foundation
founder –
upto USD 1000 or actual cost of return economy
class air ticket from their destination of origin to
Meet-2-Trade:
The Reverse Buyer Seller Meet for the hosted
international buyers to meet the exhibitors of
Ahmedabad, whichever is lower.
l
PLASTINDIA 2018.
Belarus and Uzbekistan), ASEAN + 2 Countries
buyers to meet and trade with exhibitors thereby
(Thailand,
building a strong ground for business, networking
from their destination of origin to Ahmedabad,
business-oriented initiative.
whichever is lower.
l
along with Plexconcil is facilitating, promoting and
relevant documents by uploading the same.
l
This programme is only open for international
buyers (i.e. buyers who are holding an Indian passport and residing in countries outside India
l
Transfers from hotel to exhibition venue and
Transfers from airport to hotel and back.
Breakfast, lunch and dinner on all days of stay
Visa invitation letter.
Factory visits to exhibitor facilities (Subject to
l l
Each company will be allowed to nominate only
The said application will be scanned by
the screening committee appointed by the Meet-2-Trade RBSM Authorities and every applicant accepted will be notified in writing
along with visa invitation letter to facilitate
his/her participation.
POLYMERS Communiqué l August - September 2017
accommodation in a 4-star hotel for 3 nights
l
one person for the hosted buyer programme. It
Each hosted buyer will be provided hotel and 4 days in Ahmedabad.
l
are not eligible to apply).
maker should be nominated for the same.
to Ahmedabad, whichever is lower. l
l
is strongly recommend that a purchase decision l
of actual air ticket from their destination of origin
Each applicant for the hosted buyer programme
published in the online form and submit the
Lanka and Bangladesh) and General Countries reimbursement of airfare upto USD 650 or cost
programme through its website.
will have to fill all the mandatory fields that are
Buyers from SAARC Countries (Nepal, Bhutan, Sri
(USA, Germany, Italy and UK) are entitled to a
inviting genuine buyers to apply for the hosted buyer
Indonesia,
airfare upto USD 650 or cost of actual air ticket
exhibitors to extract maximum value from this
l
Malaysia,
Zealand are entitled to a reimbursement of
that would help both, the hosted buyers and the
The criteria for selection is as follows:
Singapore,
Vietnam and Myannmar), Australia and New
and tie-up for a better bilateral understanding
Selection Criteria
Egypt and Oman), Africa (Nigeria, South Africa,
Ethiopia), CIS Countries (Russia, Georgia, Ukraine,
of 600 specially selected and hosted international
and with their grant received, PLASTINDIA 2018
Buyers from West Asia (UAE, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Kenya, Tanzania, Algeria, Ghana, Uganda and
This unique initiative aims to bring a huge contingent
With the support of the Ministry of Commerce
(Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, Uruguay and Argentina)
are entitled to a reimbursement of return airfare
member
Plexconcil introduces for the first time a unique Programme
Buyers from Latin America and Central America
back.
in India.
feasibility, time, travel and connectivity from the exhibition venue).
Note: The air tickets will be paid in accordance to
the norms and guidelines laid out by the Ministry of Commerce, Government of India and the RBSM
Authorities. To claim the reimbursement, the hosted
buyer is requested to submit all necessary documents which will be notified at the time of approval of application of the hosted buyer.
103
OUT-OF-THE-BOX
HR Roadmap
An Enabler in Building Competitive Advantage Human resources
management leverages
human capital to achieve
the firm’s strategic business objectives and can help achieve considerable
success in the marketplace. Conversely, failing to do so,
through lack of planning or poor implementation, can
result in reduced productivity and profits, and even a poor brand reputation.
T
he father of modern management,
not only to achieve market leadership,
of those great historical periods
products, services and competitors
Peter Drucker said, “We are in one
that occur every 200 or 300 years when
people don’t understand the world anymore, and the past is not sufficient
to explain the future.” Unremitting, unpredictable and sometimes alarming change
makes
it
difficult
for
any
organisation to stay current, to accurately
104
are emerging with tremendous speed. Therefore,
today,
more
than
ever
before, it is important to understand
the sources of competitive advantage and disadvantage.
The Other Angle
predict the future and to maintain
In today’s highly competitive world,
of most planned organisational change
organisation is, “What will be the human
constancy of direction. The failure rate Dr. Naveen Malhotra Group Head HR & CC Sintex Industries Ltd. Kalol
but also to remain in the market. New
initiatives is dramatic. Today,
competitive
a key question facing virtually every To know more, please subscribe to
pressure
is
intensified and it is becoming harder
POLYMERS Communiqué at
subscriptions@polymerscommunique.com
POLYMERS Communiqué l August - September 2017
NEW BOBST K5 EXPERT VACUUM METALLIZER
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www.bobst.com
EXTRUSION
Choose Your Best Answer
Mastermind: Prof. (Dr.) D. D. Kale
A quick check on how updated you are, a few not so difficult questions. A 3-minute quiz...give it a try! 1.
Small diameter single extruders (diameter about 1 inch or less)
5.
are typically run over the speed
6.
is...
a) Longer than that for polyethylene
1: c; 2: b; 3: a; 4: d; 5: b; 6: a; 7: b; 8: d; 9: d; 10: a; 11: c; 12: b
7.
c) Is due to uneven opening of the die causing excessive flow.
d) Is the thermal effect of the
material in the die and can offer orientation.
Compression ratio is a ratio of...
11.
b) Leakages from the die.
to that in feed zone.
melted properly.
c) Defect due to excessive tensile
b) Flight depth in the feed zone to
force beyond a certain value for
that in metering zone.
Root diameter of extruder screw...
the specific material.
c) Pressure upstream of screen pack
d) Breakage of volatile bubbles in
to pressure in the die.
a) Is same as barrel diameter.
d) Barrel diameter to root diameter.
b) Is numerically equal to square root
8.
Sizing plates are placed...
Melt fracture is... a) Frequent breaking of extrudate.
a) Flight depth in the metering zone
d) Ensures that all the plastic is
flight depth.
the elastic nature of plastic.
b) Is a defect in the extrudate.
d) It is smaller for smaller size screws and longer for longer screws.
Die swell... a) Is a material property related to
screw.
b) Pushes the screw forward and
of screw depending upon the
10.
c) Shorter than that for polyethylene
backwards and absorbs the thrust.
d) Is less than the outside diameter
fall on the ground.
polyethylene screw.
a) Prevents screw from moving
screw.
cooling bath so that it does not
b) Of same length as that for
Thrust bearing...
c) Is same as outside diameter of
extrudate after its exit from the
screw.
d) 400 – 500 rpm
108
Feeding zone for nylon extruder
b) 30 – 100 rpm
of barrel diameter.
d) Pulls the sufficiently cooled
the flights.
c) 600 – 700 rpm
4.
cooling bath and guides it.
d) Mixing of plastic melt between
a) 500 – 600 rpm
c) Reduces the speed of the motor.
screen pack.
c) Pulls the material inside the
metering zone.
Large diameter extruders
increases the output.
die so that it flows smoothly.
c) Connecting feed zone to the
d) 400 – 500 rpm
3.
b) Pulls the molten mass from the
forward direction of screw.
c) 30 – 100 rpm
more) are operated typically at...
b) Excessive heating of plastic preventing flow of feed in the
b) 600 – 700 rpm
Puller unit... a) Pulls the molten mass out of the
material in the feed zone
a) 500 – 600 rpm
(diameters around 12 inches or
9.
screw.
range of...
2.
Bridging in extrusion is... a) Connecting the motor to the
the material.
12.
Screen pack is placed... a) Between hopper and feed zone.
a) Just before screen pack.
b) Before the breaker plate.
b) After the breaker plate.
c) After the exit from the breaker plate.
c) Just before the exit of the die.
d) Just before the material leaves
d) Inside the cooling bath.
the die.
POLYMERS Communiqué l August - September 2017
IN PERSPECTIVE
Framing Petrochemicals Vision 2030
IOCL’s 6th Petrochemical Conclave
T
he 6th edition of the Petrochemical Conclave
The petrochemicals industry has the potential
to make greater impact through collaboration and innovation among industry members
through forums such as the Petrochemicals
Conclave,” highlights Dharmendra Pradhan, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for
Petroleum & Natural Gas as he inaugurates
the 6 Petrochemical Conclave at Mahatma th
Mandir, Gandhinagar, Gujarat.
on the theme, ‘India Petrochemicals 2030 Opportunities and Challenges’ held on 29th July,
2017 at Gandhinagar got off to a rousing start with the
lighting of the lamp by Dharmendra Pradhan, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Petroleum and Natural
Gas in the presence of Mansukh L. Mandaviya, Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilizers, Government of
India; Nitinbhai Patel, Dy. Chief Minister, Gujarat; senior government officials and heads of PSU oil companies.
In his inaugural address, Dharmendra Pradhan said that the petrochemicals sector is contributing in a big
way to all major sectors such as textiles, agriculture,
healthcare, consumer durables and packaging. “With
increase in the per capita income and discretionary To know more, please subscribe to POLYMERS Communiqué at
subscriptions@polymerscommunique.com
POLYMERS Communiqué l August - September 2017
109
MEETING POINT
Plastic Pipes 2017
SPE India’s International Conference
The Plastic Pipes 2017 international conference will provide a comprehensive overview of the market and help identify challenges and opportunities in the plastics pipe industry.
S
ociety of Plastics Engineers India
manufacturers,
Plastic Pipes 2017 international
and certification bodies, infrastructure
(SPE
India)
is
organising
the
conference to be held between 23rd and 24th November, 2017 at Hotel
Leela, Mumbai. The
Plastic
international
Pipes
2017
conference
will provide a comprehensive
overview of the latest materials,
additive
manufacturers,
producers, testing
projects management and consultants, pipe processors, officials from
associations and institutions, end-users and government
agencies, among others. The
conference will help identify
challenges and opportunities in
technologies, business trends
the plastics pipe industry.
offer
The Current Scenario
and
applications.
a
unique
It
will
networking
opportunity for delegates from a wide
Worldwide the demand for plastic
resin manufacturers, pipes and fittings
per annum through 2019 to about
spectrum of the industry which includes
112
machinery
pipes is projected to grow > 5%
POLYMERS Communiqué l August - September 2017
20 million kms. from the current size of about
Registration Fee
14 million kms. Construction applications make up the largest share of plastic pipes demand.
Delegates: Rs. 9,500 + 18% GST or USD 180 or
decelerating in China - the world’s largest plastic
SPE Members: Rs. 9,000 + 18% GST or USD 170
is still projected to rise by about 9%, annually.
l
Although construction spending is reportedly
EURO 160
pipe market, plastic pipe demand in the country
or EURO 150
Due to the ongoing efforts to expand the access
for
to potable water and sanitation systems, growth
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Technological advancements and improvements
energy, among others.
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pipes in 1960s. The sector has grown substantially in the last 5 decades and has reached the size of
the major factors facilitating the growth of the plastic
pipe industry in the country. Announcements from the government on development of smart cities,
AMRUT Yojana, Swachh Bharat Abhiyan will also create excellent demand for plastic products, in general and pipes, in particular. Some Topics of Interest
Practices in HDPE Pipe Welding
Innovation in Plastic Pipes
Your Know-how Partner for Manufacturing DWC
Plastic Pipe Downstream and the Future
Polyethylene Pipes for Gas Distribution, Current
HDPE Effluent Water Pipeline Off-shore Project
Foam Core PVC Pipes
PVC 4 Pipes
Indian Plastic Pipe Industry - Road Map to Growth
Quality Joints for a Leak-free System
The Evolution of Elastomeric Seals in PVC Pipes
NSF/ANSI Standard 14 - 50 Years of Service to
Smart Cities, Concept and Evolution
Misconceptions in the Design of PE and Other
Urban Utility Rehabilitation Renewal and Role of
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Pipe
Status and Outlook
Innovation and Trends in Underground Drainage
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India’s First Full City 24/7 Water Supply Project
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Application of Large Diameter Pipes
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Polymer Piping in Gas Distribution
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Microducts and Telecom Revolution
PE Piping Desalination Projects in India
Corrugated Pipe: A Niche Product for Wide Range of Applications
About SPE
O PVC Pipe Technology
Society of Plastic Engineers is a global leader in
Total Automation Producing Plastic Pipes
PVC Heat Stabilisers: The Economic and Technical
Role of Impact Modifier in Pipe Formulation
Importance of Welding Standards and Best
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Group Rates: For companies wishing to discounts are available.
established product since the first installation of PVC
irrigation and the ‘Make in India’ drive are some of
Early Bird Registration: Register before 15th
register two or more delegates, group
As far as India is concerned, plastic pipes is a well-
increasing urbanisation, government’s focus on
lunch
or EURO 10 on registration fees.
share of plastic pipes in sectors including telecom,
Nationwide infrastructure development, rapidly
sessions,
October, 2017 and save Rs. 500 or USD 10
in polymer resins have caused an increase in the
the awareness towards the ‘life cycle cost’ concept.
conference
conference proceedings.
to be robust in many developing countries.
the long-term performance, ease of installation and
all
and refreshment breaks and a set of
in the plastic pipe demand is also expected
~ 2.5 MMT. Their acceptance is increasing due to
The registration fee includes attendance
to Use Trenchless Installation With PE100 Pipes
Importance
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Plastic Pipe Industry
Plastic Pipes
Plastic Piping Systems
successfully managing seminars and technical
conferences. They have always managed to create a platform for techno-commercial discussions within
the plastics industry. Being a recognised body, there is no doubt that participants will go back with a lot of information and knowledge after the event.
POLYMERS Communiqué l August - September 2017
Supported by
Government of India
Organised by
SHOW PREVIEW Powered by
www.custage.com
It’s time for PLASTINDIA, it’s time for business! The PLASTINDIA Show Previews and Show Dailies are important business enablers. Helping you reach far and wide, starting August, 2017, the 4-issues of the PLASTINDIA Show Previews brought out by POLYMERS Communiqué will provide you just
A PLASTINDI EWS I V E R P W O SH LAUNCHED
the right platform to build momentum for the mega event that the industry always looks to…PLASTINDIA Exhibitions. The Show Previews will reach out to the industry vide the print and digital editions and thus be a very enviable communication platform for you to reach out to the industry with your latest developments. With advertisement tariffs starting from as low as Rs.18000 per insert, you can extend your reach at a minimal cost! The space is limited, but not the opportunity… HURRY AND BOOK YOUR AD SPACE TODAY… For quick advertising, Call: Bhavesh +91-96640 61103; Vinisha +91-88790 50327 Email: vinisha@custage.com CUSTAGE Marketing Solutions LLP 401, Vikas Classic Building No. 4, 4th Floor, Near Cubic Mall, Dr. C. G. Road, Chembur, Mumbai 400 074, India.
Events 6th Speciality Films & Flexible Packaging, Global Conference 2017 14th – 15th September, 2017 Grand Hyatt, Mumbai, India
Plastic Pipes 2017 23rd – 24th November, 2017 The Leela Hotel, Mumbai, India
NPE 2018
Indplas’18
7th – 11th May, 2018 Orlando, Florida, USA
30th November – 3rd December, 2018 Eco Park Exhibition Ground, Kolkata, India
4th Plastivision Arabia 2017
PLAST 2018
26th – 28th September, 2017 NEC, Birmingham, UK
11th – 14th December, 2017 Expo Centre Sharjah, UAE
29th May – 1st June, 2018 FIERA MILANO, Italy
25th Fakuma
PLASTINDIA 2018
Non Woven Tech Asia 2018
17th – 21st October, 2017 Friedrichshafen, Germany
7th – 12th February, 2018 Gandhinagar Ahmedabad, India
7th – 9th June, 2018 Bombay Exhibition Centre, Mumbai, India
28th February – 4th March, 2019 India Expo Centre, Greater Noida, NCR Delhi, India
CHINAPLAS 2018
IPLEX 2018
K 2019
24th – 27th April, 2018 National Exhibition and Convention Center Hongqiao, Shanghai, PR China
3rd – 6th August 2018, Hitex Exhibition Centre, Hyderabad, India
16th – 23rd October, 2019 Düsseldorf, Germany
Interplas 2017
PLASTIMAGEN MÉXICO 2017 7th – 10th November, 2017 Centro Citibanamex, Mexico City, Mexico
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11th PLASTIVISION INDIA 2019 28th February – 4th March, 2019 Pragati Maidan, New Delhi, India
Indiaplast 2019
POLYMERS Communiqué l August - September 2017