From plant floor to business view
The shift came when I moved from process parameters to owning cost and P&L. At Emami, leading cost pipeline programs across four plants (₹4.9 Cr in FY20 and ₹6.3 Cr in FY21) showed me that kWh/MT and TPH only matter when they show up in margin. Seeing slag, fly ash, coal, logistics and packing as business levers, not just inputs, changed how I run a plant.
Most misunderstood aspect of cement profitability
That profit is made in many small places, not one big one. Raw material and fuel prices are largely outside our control, but procurement strategy, the blend mix (slag, fly ash), logistics, power, reliability and manpower are within it. Plants often chase production volume while losing margin through breakdowns which should be looked upon.
How the NCR improvement happened
It came from looking at the whole value chain, not one department. We worked on slag and fly ash procurement through business interventions, production cost, plant operating cost and equipment availability (above 95%)
Opportunities others overlook usually sit between functions, so I bring production, maintenance, quality, commercial and technical teams together around one goal.
Balancing cost, quality and customers
I optimise where it doesn’t touch the customer or safety. Energy, idle running hours, false air ingress, procurement and inventory are fair game. Quality systems, safety and reliability are not. At Best Cement, we sustained zero customer complaints while still cutting fly ash cost by ₹100/MT and bag burstage from 1.5% to 0.5%.
The Loesche VRM commissioning in Bangladesh
Commissioning the world’s largest Loesche VRM (9,600 TPD) ahead of schedule meant running a first-of-its-kind project alongside live multi-plant operations. It taught me that ambitious goals need clear ownership, tight planning and a team that is ready before the equipment is. The project didn’t end at commissioning: we raised VRM output from 400 to 450 TPH afterwards.
AI and the future of plant operations
Technology is moving decisions from experience and intuition to data. At UltraTech, AI and reliability programs took MTBF from 590 to 1,556 hours, and digital tools like Digi-Check, EOW, Frinks, Bowser Inspection and Almanac made routine checks visible and traceable. Over the next five years I see the greatest value in predictive maintenance, process optimisation and energy management where gains go straight to cost.
Sustainability: compliance or advantage?
It is becoming a real advantage, and the plants that act early will benefit. Energy efficiency is the clearest example: 32 kWh/MT in PSC grinding against a benchmark of about 35 cuts both cost and carbon. Our low-CO₂ cement earned us the Green Manufacturing Leader award. Sustainability works best when it lowers cost and strengthens the product, not just when it satisfies regulators.
Building real ownership of safety
Standards matter, but behaviour comes from leadership consistency. We have implemented Fatality Prevention Elements like Work at Height, LOTOTO and Machine Guarding systems, and ISO 45001 under IMS. When targets are demanding, safety must never be negotiable. Our Platinum safety award from Green Maple Foundation reflects a culture where people stop work when something is unsafe.
Leading across India, Bangladesh and Qatar
Each market differs in workforce expectations, regulations, systems and pace, so I adapt my communication and style to the setting. What stayed constant is the foundation: clear KPIs, safety first, discipline in systems (SAP, IMS) and respect for people. Those principles worked at Holcim Qatar, Seven Rings and in Indian plants alike.
Managing people through change
Change sticks when people understand the “why” and see results early. I involve teams in building the system, give named owners to each pillar (Clinker Factor, Quality Assurance, MTBF, Cost Pipeline, Reliability) and review them regularly. Embedding changes into SOPs, SAP and digital tools helps them continue after the leadership push fades.
Preparing the next generation
Beyond engineering fundamentals, young professionals should learn data analytics, digital and AI tools, reliability engineering, energy and carbon management, and business finance (P&L, cost pipelines). Just as important are communication, stakeholder management and change leadership, which traditional education rarely teaches. I added IIM programs and an MBA to my engineering base for exactly this reason.
The next chapter of Indian manufacturing
To compete globally, Indian manufacturers must scale up digital and AI-enabled operations, improve energy efficiency, lower the clinker factor and carbon footprint, and keep strict safety and quality systems. My vision is to lead multi-unit operations at cluster or CXO level, using manufacturing excellence, strategy and technology to make plants safer, more profitable and more sustainable. I also want to mentor the next generation of plant leaders.
