|
Opportunities
An interview with Mr. Janak Mehta, Chairman & MD, Total Quality Management International (TQMI)
In which industries is Total Quality Management applicable?
Total Quality Management began with the automotive, space and aeronautical industries. It has gradually spread to encompass other areas such as manufacturing, the service sector and now the IT industry. The manufacturing sector however remains its chief domain.
How different is Quality Management from re-engineering?
Not much different, we use the same approach. Most people would say quality management is slow improvement while re-engineering is breakthrough improvement. For instance if you consider TVS, they haven't done re-engineering but have improved much faster than many other companies. We use either of the processes as required for they involve the same methodology.
Where does India stand internationally? How competitive is the future going to be for quality providers and in what way?
India is at a stage where it is about to enter the international market. The future is going to be far more competitive with 4-5 companies emerging as the leaders. It's a continuous struggle and we have to keep on coming up with new products to meet customer requirements. That's the only way to succeed and that's one of our core strengths. We have always come up with new products and done it without the help of any foreign company.
In such a niche area, what factors define the competitive edge for a TQM provider? And what are the trends you foresee in the field?
I think the major factor is that of market credibility. Secondly, our counsellors spend a lot of time in the industry. That's where we score over multinational and other companies who mostly recruit people with little or no industry experience. Finally, we do more application-oriented work and honour our commitments.
We have done presentations in different parts of the world about how the quality profession is going to change over a period of time. Over a period of time every professional will have to become a quality conscious professional. He has to use information technology to survive amidst the tough competition, become an all-rounder.
How do you pick a quality professional to work with you? Do you think there's a dearth of quality counsellors in India?
Typically, we hire people we know. We look for counsellors who have worked with somebody else or someone who has good references. We can train a person in quality management, but they must possess inherent domain knowledge. We'd rather take someone who specialises in some aspect of management and then train them in aspects of quality management which we have.
There is no dearth of counsellors in the country but maybe there is a shortfall of good `quality' counsellors! A holistic approach is needed to overcome the problem.
How important is TQM during recession? How do you as a quality management company sustain yourselves during such times?
There is a general saying that when you're in recession it's time to invest so that you're ready when the turnaround comes. That's how successful companies think. Unfortunately during recession the first thing that takes a budget cut is training.
I agree that it becomes extremely difficult to survive in such times. The market determines the prices. In a competitive market we have a choice of whether to accept the market prices or not. When we're short of work we do consider giving concessions because customer value is necessary for quality management.
There must've been times when you've had to offer your services by compromising your revenues. How do you cope during those times?
Yes, we have had to cut costs. For instance, one of our important clients wanted us to implement quality in an area that was unfamiliar. Although we agreed we had to compromise on our revenue structure since we could assure only a 40 to 80 % growth. However, I like to think that we gained in other ways such as new learning and opportunity gains.
SAMYUKTA KODA
samyukta.hyd@cnkonline.com
Printer friendly
page
Send this article to Friends by
E-Mail
Opportunities
|
