Conceived, Designed and Implemented Integrated Strategy for Product and Process Improvement through Innovative Methods to Ensure that M1 Division of Crompton Greaves Successfully Prevented from Slipping into Loss

Crompton Greaves a Multi-Product Organisation in 1970s had its Manufacturing plants located only in
Bombay at Worli and Kanjur locations. It entered expansion mood in early 1980s and 1990s and
under this programme, it established Manufacturing units at different locations like Nashik,
Ahmednagar and Aurangabad (in Maharashtra State), Indore, Gwalior and Bhopal (in Madhya
Pradesh State), Bangalore (in Karnataka State) and at Goa.
Under this programme, M1 Division belonging to Industrial Products Group was moving out the more
profitable products to newly created M3 Division at Ahmednagar from July 1979. After joining M1
Division in 1973, I had established Production Planning and Control System where I got a broad hint
that delivery of Custom built Motors always got delayed. However, I could not make out why? When I
took over Production – under job rotation programme - I got exposure to the full issues of low
productivity and low quality that had led to lot of rework resulting in delayed deliveries. At the same
time, I witnessed stiff struggle to maintain production level of beyond 4000 per month while Market
needed Motors of this range about 5000 per month. This became unacceptable to my mind as I knew
how working differed from that of at Kirloskar Electric was where similar range of Motors was being
produced.
I opened this topic with my senior, Works Manager and forecasted that after reorganisation from July
1979, M1 Division would walk straight into loss zone right from the first year itself. On examining my
statement, he checked as to whether I have any solution in mind. I explained that low productivity was
the key burning point and suggested that the solution lies in enhancing Productivity. As labour
productivity rise was unthinkable in view prevailing Industrial relations environment, I recommended
that this could be achieved through enhancing Management Productivity.
This was achieved through implementing Integrated Approach to enhance Quality and Productivity
through Improvement programme. Thus, I was made solely responsible for launching this programme.
Within 3 years of working resulted in achieving desired objective of retaining Profit by enhancing
Productivity by 35%, Quality by 9 to 10 times which resulted into significant Cost Reduction by 25%.
Thus, slipping into Loss was prevented for at least 6 to 7 years.