Though the product was one of import substitution, competition was intense as the market size was limited those days. But we had an excellent, committed and aggressive team bent on not losing a single order and it was no surprise we had much higher market share.
In order to achieve this in major projects we made a three- pronged attack on project owners, OEMs and consultants. I cannot forget the likes of Subramaniam, Sankaralingam, Varma, Kalyan, Das, Patwardhan, Ananth, Suresh Bhat, Harish, Prabhaker, and Rajda who made this happen. We had excellent relations with Durametallic Corporation. In those days there was a very healthy practice of deputing any senior executive to the JV partner’s place a year after he joined. I went to Kalamazoo (MI) in 1983 and received all the support from the seniors there: Jim Ware (President), Ray Battilana, Bill Adams (VP Eng), Fritz Boos (in charge of European operations). Tibor Kiss, the marketing head then, was with me from the time I landed to the time I departed.
He was a great guy but a maniacal driver, a taste of which I got driving from Kalamazoo to Chicago (a distance of 350 miles) in three hours fl at during a weekend sojourn. Tibor left soon after and Tom Haan took over as VP (Marketing.). I would be remiss if I did not mention dear old Sesh here, the gentleman with a foul tongue and a heart of gold. He personifi ed “man” in the word manager and he was someone who genuinely cared for all those who worked in the organisation.
I reported to him directly in my role as VP (Group Mktg.) and thereafter as Sr VP Fisher Xomox (SBU head) and have many memories of our fruitful interactions. May his soul rest in peace. Some others I had close contacts with were Aravamudhan, Achuthan, Ramani, Venkatramani, Kumar, Vasu, Chakra, Kaul, the late Narayan, Rajda, K Ramesh, KS Ravindran, Kesari Prasad… the list is endless. We were one big family and often had many get togethers outside the offi ce.
‘A healthy mind in a healthy body’ was something we never lost track of. We had a tennis court at Karapakkam in the early days. We conducted annual tournaments in tennis, table tennis and carrom, with employees at all levels participating. We even had a cricket team in the league and a rowing team winning laurels in the Merchants and Bankers Regatta at the Madras Boat Club.
I had the privilege of being closely associated with developing the concept of projecting the various companies as a group, and thereby came into being Sanmar Engineering Corporation. I look back with pride and happiness having been instrumental in bringing out the fi rst promotional material for Sanmar Engineering. My days in SEC will always remain close to my heart. One of the greatest compliments I have received was from Sesh in my farewell party. He said, “I have no hesitation in saying Thiagu was one of the co builders of Sanmar Engineering Corporation”.
S Subramaniam
Vice President, Accounts, Corporate
Division 35 years in Sanmar
I joined at Dhun Buildings, and was sent to Karapakkam within two months. I was there on 1 July 1976 when Durametallic was inaugurated.
Construction work was going on and there were imports of goods for the new project. I was a stenographer but learned the nuances of the work I was handling. I was also handling term loans and other advances at the bank.
We had to take the 19B route to reach Karapakkam, but we often got lifts in the cars of N Kumar in the morning, and the company car or Matador van in the evening. Karapakkam was a lonely spot then, and the factory compound had a few snakes in it. What I remember most about the time is the team spirit. SR Seshadri was a great leader who motivated us all.
N Sankar, N Kumar and other top management treated us a close-knit family. Seshadri was a strict disciplinarian. He insisted on keeping the shop fl oor clean. He was niggardly about company property and insisted that the need for every part, every component must be justifi ed. “What makes you think this casting is not good enough?” he would tell a worker, “I’ll show you how it can be used,” and volunteer to machine it himself.
I learnt a great deal from S Prasad, the fi nance manager. Each of the managers was an inspirational character—SRS, Prasad, Sundaresan, Gopinath, Chandar, Srinivasaraghavan. A memorable experience was to work briefl y with Robert Thompson of Durametallic, who complimented me on my work. Ayuda Puja and Factory Day on 1 July 1976 were very happy occasions.
The festivities were marked by a very special camaraderie. When in 1979, Prasad asked me to join NS’s offi ce at the headquarters, I was reluctant, not only because I was happy at Karapakkam, but also because I was nervous. But NS gave me a lot of confi dence and encouragement in my new assignment. I joined armed only with a B.Com degree and I have now grown to the level of a Vice President. I would have never received such opportunities in any other organisation.
Kutti Mari
Operator, Flowserve Sanmar
35 years in Sanmar Engineering
I joined as a helper on 1 July 1976, with no educational qualifi cations. Mr N Kumar brought me to SR Seshadri and entrusted me to him.
I worked hard and received every encouragement from the company. Soon, I became a section head and within two years in charge of a special project. I was in that project making an important part of a mechanical seal for ten years. The next 25 years, I have been involved in making special process bellows seals.
I have taught what I know to everyone in my section. My fi rst guru was Mr N Kumar. After he handed me over to him, it was SRS all the way. I also owe a lot to TR Narasimhan, who would often tell me that I was the most talented chap, and gave me responsibility.
The company has exposed me to some very good training programmes, internal and external. I have lectured and demonstrated on mechanical seals at customer locations like ONGC. I have been deputed to Reliance, Jamnagar on a troubleshooting assignment. At Surat, I fi nished in ten days what I was expected to take 20 days to do. My fi rst rule for myself was, and still is, that I must not let down my boss, my company. I have never been late for work. I aim at 100% accuracy in my work.
K Kumar Manager, Accounts, Flowserve Sanmar 35 years in Sanmar Engineering
I joined as a stenographer, along with S Subramaniam and R Subramaniam.
We were empowered to grow beyond our initial roles. It was a great team effort that kept us going in the initial years.
There was no transport other than
19B, but our bosses NS, NK, RR, SRS
invariably made life comfortable for us
by getting into one car and leave the
other cars for dropping us at Adyar in
the evenings. In the mornings, we either
took 19B or a lift from N Kumar. As a
stenographer, I was not attached to an
individual but assisted NS, SRS, or RR.
We were a highly motivated lot. I
remember NS assuring us all one day:
“Don’t worry. I’ll take care of you.
We’ll grow together.” It was the kind of
inspiration that we needed. I am very
comfortable working in this group,
which has given us all
opportunities to grow, professional freedom to perform our functions well, in a non-hierarchical set-up. We all knew that if we did well the company would grow and if the company grew, we would grow.
The whole environment was charged with positive thoughts. If Sesh was my mentor offi cially, NS involved me in the sporting activities at Karapakkam—tennis and cricket. We played every weekend and I later played for Chemplast second XI in the Hindu Trophy. The top management was friendly and simple. One of the early moments of excitement was preparing the literature for a prestigious industrial exhibition inwhich Durametallic was participating. I also acted as a part time stenographer to Paul Jackson of Durametallic on a visit here. “You make the same mistakes my secretary does,” he joked.
S Gopinath
Senior Operator, BS&B Safety Systems 26 years in Sanmar Engineering.
This job requires great care and hard work, like the work of a potter. We need to mould and shape our employees. SRS treated me like a son, right from the beginning, when I joined the company. Whenever I committed mistakes, he corrected me immediately and likewise he appreciated me when I did excellent work. I admire his concern towards each and every employee of the group.
I was the fi fth employee to join. Today, all fi ve employees in my team have great knowledge in their disciplines. I am the seniormost of 29 employees. All these years, my aim has been to impart quality training to the employees and nurture them to the highest standards of work. I tell my team that we work for an MNC. We make sure that each product that we roll out satisfi es our customers.
I have a little experience, in every department like engineering, planning, quality control and marketing. My team and my seniors have complete faith in the quality of my work. They say, “Once Gopi approves something, it is fi nal.”
J Badhragiri
Master Operator, BS&B Safety Systems
25 years in Sanmar Engineering
I had nine years of work experience when I joined Sanmar. For the past 25 years, I have felt I work in a family. This work atmosphere is the handiwork of my superiors Mr Varadan, Mr Arya and Mr Ravindran. We have a very good team and we have all learnt a great deal from our bosses.
The Bhavini project has been a special project. We successfully completed the supply of rupture disks for the project recently. We developed the product from scratch. It involves high temperature and minute pressure. It was really a very special project. I went to sleep every night thinking about this project. We planned it well before the execution of the project. Till date I haven’t received any complaints from our customers. In 1991 we had to supply six rupture discs to NPCL in record time. We started the work in December and completed it in January.
I have never applied for leave or permission for the last 18 years. I am proud of my involvement, dedication and commitment. It is a challenge to instill these values in today’s employees. I try not to behave like a boss, but treat them as my colleagues. I share my own experiences with them, I tell them about the challenges I faced initially, about the lack of conveniences in the early days, and try to inspire them.
Among the more interesting projects has been the Bloom Box project for BHEL. Other major assignments have been the projects at Reliance Jamnagar and NPCL.