We at weighing news appreciate the work of our industry leaders and aim to share their stories and experiences under ‘Indian Weighing – Our People’. We would recommend our readers to watch the interview for more stories and better insight. Today we were delighted to have the CEO of EHP India, Ravas India and Shri Narayani Associates, Mr Sridhar Theivannan with us. When asked about how his journey started he said-
In a true sense, my journey in the industry started when I was in Germany, where I saw a door to the world of technology open in front of me. My eldest brother advised me to learn one more European language other than English. Back in those days in Chennai, we had exposure to french and german language. I happened to be an acquaintance of a professor who did his doctorate from Germany who helped me with additional classes and recommended I go to Germany. As a kid, I loved visiting the libraries to read books about countries where I got fascinated by the beauty of the German landscape. I was fortunate enough to arrive in Germany as a student as I could explore the German culture. During my course, I got the chance to visit nearby museums, factories and also the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt, where I saw a Gyroscopic System and Quartz Oscillator. Afterwards, I keep looking and updating myself with new technologies, which ultimately became the foundation of my life in the industry.
While talking about Germany, we asked him about the time when he joined the industry to which he said – I started working at a time when things were analogue. It was the time when we were in conversation with people from IITs and ETDC, converting mechanical weighbridges into electromechanical weighbridges by introducing loadcells. This shift made the equipment more accurate and efficient. With the advancement in technology, things started looking even better. The new technology helped to bring down costs enabling more people to get their hands on better equipment. That not only helped the weighing industry but provided an opportunity for other industry to grow and advance. For example, because the cost of digital weighing machines has come down, many small vendors are acquiring and making their systems more efficient. In hospitals, due to new technology, the beds also have a weighing system installed in them for real-time monitoring of the weight.
When we asked him about his experience working with an international company he explained – That Working with a German company afterwards was one of the most important learning experiences of my life. They provided me with all the necessary disciplines like punctuality, commitment to quality and delivery and even for the smallest of communication that they went into a lot of detail. These companies pay keen attention to the quality and procedure standards. Even if you show that you are supplying to big companies but the auditing team does not find the standards according to the template that they provide, they will mark you negative. I believe that working with them made it easier for me to work with brands from other countries.
To what we can do to increase the standard of the industry, his view was that everyone should be aware of their capabilities, capacities and limitations. Even if a company has a smaller product line and a smaller market, instead of just expanding their territory, they should first check whether they can deliver the best quality and can attend to all the queries in a given time. This practice will increase the standard of a company. There are other factors as well that could be improved. For example, one should have a team that is equally committed. He had a German consultant, the sight of some of their employees sleeping in the afternoon was unimaginable to the consultant. When he was in Germany he saw that people are so self-motivated that they do not need supervision on the shop floor. It is the mixture of multiple values that needs to get inculcated in the workforce. To tackle the problem the industry has multiple clusters which have an association. In these associations, the key players of the industry get together and invite specialists. These professionals provide the workforce with Seminars, Workshops and webinars. These practices help the people inculcate the necessary values and skills which in turn, increases the standard of the industry.
The new generation has the gift of knowledge, they have the access to world’s information at their fingertips. They have the exposure with access to guidance from people from the industry. The only thing is they should know how to plug and play. If a person wants to advance in the industry, they should first know about the nuts and bolts of the operation. This will only come when the person keeps his mind open to learning and pays attention to detail. Today’s news focuses on people who have made a lot of money and it excites the younger generation when they see their progress. But as a result, the young population is only being exposed to finance and tech companies and the other industries are overshadowed. There are so many industries with opportunities for entrepreneurial progress. I believe that a businessman is the guardian of wealth and whatever God has given us, the money, the knowledge and experience which should help the industry and society around us. After a point of time money does not do any value anymore but when you impart your knowledge your experience and share your wealth back to society, you feel the true sense of value.
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