Schaeffler India – Sameer Mathur, COO

The lockdown period gave enough time and scope for to prepare and re-tool for the new normal. There was time to reassess business strategies, needs and approaches. This has had a positive impact not only on the organization but also on the business.

Across all levels, everyone has shown tremendous resilience and agility in quickly adapting to the new normal. Empowering and trusting each other has been their strength in overcoming the crisis.

For the manufacturing industry the lockdown phase was a unique experience by itself. Then came the Unlock days in terms of change the biggest change was in the attitude. Manufacturers are now able to operate within uncertainty and still manage to satisfy customers. Another drastic change that confronted with was restricting people interaction. There were times to restrict people and split them in small groups to reduce interactions. Previously, they were looking at lean manufacturing, Chaku-Chaku principles, etc. but now there is a complete change in mind set. The company is focussing on safety of employees and that is a primary responsibility but at the same time they want to have a sustainable and stable operation along with following protocols that are laid out by the authorities.