Hindalco
The year 2016 was a volatile year, as we witnessed many geo-political and economic events. The metals business has a strong linkage to such global developments, since LME currency governs both, aluminium and copper prices. “Adapting, for us means, balancing the business footprint globally in terms of resource base for the upstream businesses and customer proximity for the downstream business. This has to be supported by best in class capabilities,” professes Pai.
Pai adds that India’s strength lies in vibrant growth opportunities that the economy provides, good quality resources and her huge talent bank. “The foundation therefore, for an Indian MNC, is a solid India revenue stream, cost competitiveness, and institutionalised capabilities to build global revenue streams. Think world class on environment friendly technology adoption, quality-cost-delivery, and above all, listen to the customers’ voice,” he advises.
In fact, the biggest change that they incorporated has been to focus on 3Cs – Customer, Cost and Cash. For instance, focus on customer through consistent product quality and on-time delivery and emphasise on excellence in operations. In addition, Hindalco believes in looking at things through the lens of the customer, has a world-class mind-set in manufacturing, standardises processes, optimises inventory, controls cost through zero-based budgeting and works within the limits of safety. The other aspect that they emphasised upon was on people – talent development, training and communication.
