TAKING RESPONSIBILITY

It is very important as a senior management member on how we respond to these challenges and overcome this situation, says Sanjiv Paul, Sr. Vice President, India Yamaha Motor

- Niranjan Mudholkar

How did the Covid-19 Pandemic affect India Yamaha operations and how did you deal with it?

We all know how the Covid-19 pandemic has caused disruptions globally in the normal routine of everyone whether it is individuals or to the industry or any business. Most important is how quickly and effectively efforts are being taken to install all possible precautionary measures to minimise the impact of spread of infection. As you know, the Indian manufacturing industry is purely dependent on large workforce requirement for parts manufacturing and assembly line operations. So, it is very important as a senior management member on how we respond to these challenges and overcome this situation.

I personally believe an organisation attains the level of excellence by strong management will and leadership by demonstrating proactive preventive measures. Safe workplace for all at Yamaha was the highest priority for us. Being a Japanese MNC, ‘Plan-Do-Check-Action’ principle is in our DNA. Covid-19 was not an exception. We focused on the planning part and to do this, a Task Force comprising of members of top management was formed before the lockdown was declared in India. Cross functional groups developed plans and ideas for improvements to deal with the Covid-19 situation.