Milon Nag is the Chairman & MD of KK Nag which pioneered the use of Fiberglass Reinforced Plastic (FRP), Expanded polystyrene (EPS) and Expanded Polypropylene (EPP) in India. Mr Nag guides the organisations core business strategy, marketing and public relations. He presided the CII Maharashtra State Council in 2010-11 as Chairman. He has also been appointed to the board of many multi-national companies and business schools. We recently had the pleasure of speaking to Mr Nag. Here are the key takeaway
Q: What prompted you to seek Vedzen's services? What situation or problem did you need to solve?
Milon: We were facing a very difficult market situation where there had been no growth for a few years resulting in a declining bottom line, and consequently, declining morale. In such a scenario, with no growth prospects, the only way we could remain competitive was by becoming more efficient and reducing waste. My friend, Dr Naushad Forbes, told me what an outstanding job Vedzen was doing at Forbes Marshall with respect to these same parameters, which is what prompted me to call Mr Yogesh Vaghani.
2. How did you benefit from working with Vedzen?
Milon: Vedzen gave us a very structured methodology to becoming lean. The best aspect was that, unlike earlier consultants we had used, theirs was a more hands-on approach with minimum time spent in conference rooms and maximum time spent in the Gemba.
3. What are the two most significant improvements that have resulted from your work with Vedzen?
Milon: We are a multi-divisional and multi-locational company so the results varied depending upon the commitment levels of the leadership at each factory (as well as on the approach of Vedzen's own consultants). But, the two most significant improvements across the board were inculcating a mind-set of continuous improvement through Kaizens and harnessing the brain power of the entire organisation, starting from the workmen.
4. What exactly did Vedzen do to contribute to the outcome you wanted?
Milon: The Gemba Kaizen Workshops are a very effective tool for implementing a lean approach. Vedzen's consultants actually worked with our teams on the shop-floor to identify and solve problems. Once our members, especially the workmen, realized that they could actually contribute to improving efficiencies, they felt much empowered which, in turn, gave a big boost to their morale.
5. What were the results of working with Vedzen? Describe why you feel that working with us was successful.
Milon: Like every family has a religion, we have come to believe that every company also has to have a religion that determines how it will conduct itself. After working with Vedzen, TQM/ Kaizen/ Lean became completely ingrained in our DNA and we now say that that is the official religion of the company which every member is expected to follow. This was possible because of the complete commitment of the Vedzen team with frequent interventions by Mr Vaghani himself.
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