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APPLIANCE DIVISION |
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Double Win For Godrej |
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n
response to a Rs. 50 crore damages suit filed by Godrej & Boyce Mfg. Co. Ltd.,
Appliance Division against Whirlpool of India, for maligning Godrej
refrigerators, the Mumbai High Court has directed Whirlpool to forthwith stop
telecast of its television commercial for Single Door Frost Control
refrigerators on all the channels. Hon’ble Justice J. N. Patel passed this order
on 7 July, 2004.
The High Court had directed Whirlpool to modify the television commercial. Accordingly, Whirlpool has modified the television commercial twice. The modified commercial was approved by Godrej, after which the parties entered into an understanding whereby an undertaking was given by Whirlpool of India, that it shall not use any of Godrej’s products in its advertisements henceforth, to promote its brand. In the true spirit of the settlement, Godrej withdrew its claim for damages of Rs. 50 crores.
The new television commercial of Whirlpool is seen by many in the industry as an attempt to malign competition, and try and gain market share to prevent its precipitous fall as is evident from the table below.
Some of the other key highlights of the ORG-GFK results for the period April-May 2004 are as follows:
All India
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l |
The All India numbers show
that Whirlpool volumes have dipped by 12 per cent over last year, while the
category has grown by 3.3 per cent. Consequently, Whirlpool has now slipped
from Number 1 to Number 2. In the same period, Godrej volumes are up by 10.4
per cent. |
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In the Frost Free segment,
Whirlpool has slid from being Number 2 to Number 4, while the segment
witnessed growth of 18 per cent. Whirlpool Frost Free volumes are down by 6
per cent. Godrej Frost Free volumes, on the other hand, have grown by as
much as 46.4 per cent. |
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In the Direct Cool segment,
Whirlpool has slid from its Number 1 position to Number 2. Against a segment
growth of 1.1 per cent, while Whirlpool has witnessed a volume decline of
12.7 per cent, Godrej has grown by 6.3 per cent. |
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North |
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l |
In the North, while the
category has grown by 2.2 per cent, Whirlpool has declined by 15.3 per cent,
losing 4.5 per cent market share points. Godrej has gained as much as 11.6
per cent. |
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l |
In the Frost Free segment,
Whirlpool has slipped from Number 2 to Number 3. Segment volumes were up by
39 per cent, while Whirlpool volumes were down by 6.3 per cent. Godrej
recorded a 61.2 per cent growth in its volumes. |
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l |
In the Direct Cool segment,
too, Whirlpool has lost its leadership. While the segment witnessed a drop
of 0.7 per cent, Whirlpool volumes are down by 15.7 per cent. Godrej volumes
in the North are up by 9.5 per cent. |
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Overall, the category was
down by 7.3 per cent, while Whirlpool volumes were down by 28.7 per cent,
and Godrej managed to maintain its volumes on par with last year. |
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l |
In the Frost Free segment,
while the segment volumes went down by 9.8 per cent, Whirlpool volumes in
Frost Free are down by 36 per cent. |
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In the Direct Cool segment,
Whirlpool volumes are down by 27.7 per cent. The segment overall degrew by
6.9 per cent. |
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West |
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Whirlpool volumes are down by 3.7 per cent
despite the category being up by 8.7 per cent. Godrej volumes, on the other
hand, were up by 16 per cent. |
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l |
In the Frost Free segment, Godrej overtakes
Whirlpool to become Number 2 with a volume growth of 64.9 per cent, against
a segment growth of 20.6 per cent. |
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In the Direct Cool segment, Godrej is Number
1 in the West with a volume growth of 8 per cent, while the segment has
grown by 6 per cent and Whirlpool has degrown by 4.6 per cent. |
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South |
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Overall, against a category
average of 6.5 per cent, Whirlpool volumes were stagnant over the same
period, while Godrej volumes are up by 8.3 per cent. |
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l |
In the Frost Free segment,
Godrej overtakes Whirlpool to become Number 2 with a volume growth of 55.8
per cent, against a segment growth of 10.6 per cent. |
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In the Direct Cool segment,
Godrej overtakes Whirlpool to become Number 1. |
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|{|{
|
Micro Marketing Initiatives |
fter
launching its new Refrigerator campaign in April, Appliance Division has
launched a string of Micro
Marketing Initiatives targeted at key consumer segments.
Tapping the Replacement Market — Godrej Fresh Zindagi Exchange Offer
2003-2004 has been a good year for Godrej with its Frost Free Sales registering a 20 per cent growth against a market average of 10 per cent. In a bid to continue its focus on the Frost Free segment, Godrej launched a new and irresistible exchange offer — Godrej Fresh Zindagi Exchange Offer — in June 2004. The focus of the Offer was to give consumers the wonderful opportunity to exchange their old refrigerator for a brand new, state-of-the-art Godrej refrigerator. Under this Offer, the consumer could get up to Rs. 10,000/- off on the Market Retail Price of a Godrej refrigerator.
Godrej launched the Pentacool range of refrigerators with the Pentafresh technology in April 2004. The Pentafresh technology has an Electronic Cooling system that allows you to set the temperature inside the refrigerator more precisely than an Electro Mechanical Cooling system.
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Press advertisement. |
Godrej has also launched an amazing Stainless Steel finish in its Direct Cool and Frost Free range. The consumer could choose from this fabulous new range of Frost Free and Direct Cool refrigerators under the Offer, which is available in Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Goa, Indore, Bhopal, Gwalior, Ahmedabad, Delhi, Chandigarh, Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad, Bangalore and Kochi.
The results: June 2004 sales were up by 20 per cent over last year.
Tapping the Entry Level Direct Cool Segment — Daam Mein Champion Naam Mein Champion
In order to make its mark among the real first time buyers of refrigerators, Godrej launched a unique finance scheme, whereby consumers could buy a Godrej refrigerator for Rs. 399/- only. Unlike regular low Equal Monthly Instalment (EMI) schemes, under this scheme, the consumer had to pay only one EMI at the time of purchase, thus making the product very affordable. The scheme was launched in June and continued in July as well. It was launched in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Orissa, Tamilnadu and Andhra Pradesh.
The scheme has generated a lot of enquiries among consumers and has made the category very exciting for them.
Straddling both these schemes catering to the two ends of the consumer spectrum, Godrej has once again demonstrated its versatility and innovativeness in tapping the real needs of its consumers.
Deepa Krishnan
Marketing
|
Godrej SmartCare Vocational Training School |
s
part of its endeavour to cultivate a customer-focused service culture, Godrej
Appliance Division has set up the Godrej SmartCare Vocational Training School.
Through this initiative, the Division will provide an impetus to branded services in the home appliances industry. With increased penetration of home appliances, services will play an important role in creating a differentiation and an advantage for the Appliance Division.
Branded services are still in their formative stage in the country. The awareness that most customers rely on the technician-next-door for servicing their appliances, led to the introduction of the Godrej SmartCare brand three years ago. So far, it has provided training support to its franchisees across the country. With this foray, Godrej SmartCare will open up new frontiers in the realm of quality customer services. The training school will develop qualified technicians, who will raise the bar for service standard across the industry.
The Godrej SmartCare Vocational School seeks to bridge the gap between the availability of qualified technicians and increasing customer requirements. Batches of 20 to 25 students will undergo six months of rigorous in-house training by Company experts. The "Earn While You Learn" model of the course will provide students with a 3-month stipend based on hands-on practice at SmartCare Centres. Soft skill training is incorporated in the course, too.
Successful students will be recognised as "Godrej Certified Technicians," and will be given the option to join the Godrej SmartCare Team.
Three more schools will be set up in India’s major metros in the next three months. The training schools will not only increase the pool of reliable, well trained technicians for customer service, but will also enhance the employability of these technicians, creating a win-win situation for both.
Godrej SmartCare, a network of 350 service providers spread across the country, rests on the fundamental idea of providing meaningful solutions to the consumer, faster and better than anyone else.
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Anil Verma releases the textbook published by the Godrej SmartCare Vocational Training School, while S.K. Ghatak and I.P. Singh applaud. |
Through this initiative, Godrej has once again successfully amalgamated its social responsibilities with its commercial enterprise. The First Batch of Advanced Training Course in Refrigeration, Air-conditioning and Washing Machine Service was inaugurated on 5 July, 2004 at Pirojshanagar, Plant – 1.
During the inauguration programme, S.A. Juvekar, Deputy General Manager (Service — Training), while welcoming the students and guests, said that the Godrej SmartCare Vocational Training School was born after a decade of Refrigeration, Air-Conditioning and Washing Machine service training activities within the organisation for a restricted group of trainees.
A.G. Keswani, Vice President (Service), introduced the course objectives and pointed out the enviable infrastructure Godrej has built over the years. There were many suggestions that the kind of intensive training given by Godrej would also help the many freelancers. By embarking on this project, therefore, we are fulfilling a long-felt need. The kind of spread of appliances in our country has enough room for all — yet the key need was competence and, at Godrej, we recognise that. A few students also stood a chance of being selected by our Authorised Service Providers. The "Earn While You Learn" scheme is also path-breaking in this industry.
I.P. Singh, Consultant, Anil Verma, Executive Vice President and Head, Personnel & Administration, A.G. Keswani and G. Sunderraman, Vice President (Purchase), Appliance Division, joined S.K. Ghatak, Executive Vice President (Marketing, Sales and Service), Appliance Division, in lighting the lamp, thus signifying Gyan (Knowledge).
Ghatak, in his inaugural speech, said that this direction was in tune with the Company’s policy of Giving Back To Society. The Company is acknowledged as a good corporate citizen. Godrej has believed in looking beyond business and has made a mark with contributions in the fields of environment, wildlife, conservation, etc.
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S.A. Juvekar (right) explains to visitors the use of various working models in training students. |
I.P. Singh said that Godrej’s mission is "Enriching the Quality of Life Everyday, Everywhere". The key value is to Serve. And, who else but the customer, is the focus of all our endeavours. This obviously requires skills and techniques on the job, but it also means that one needs the right attitude of serving and caring.
Anil Verma talked of the transition of times when employment is no more the permanent or certain thing it used to be in the past. Today, what gives security is not employment but Employability. With employability, one could never be unemployed. He then presented the first copy of the textbook covering the course subjects to the guests.
G. Sunderraman, Col. K.S. Prabhu (Retd.), In-Charge, Security Department, and other invitees then visited the School, including the laboratory to see the arrangements for practice sessions. It is noteworthy that many working models are installed for ease in learning various concepts.
The Godrej SmartCare Vocational Training School has started functioning.
S.A. Juvekar
Service — Training
|
PRECISION COMPONENTS AND SYSTEMS DIVISION |
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Excellence in Aerospace Indigenisation |
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he
Society for Indian Aerospace Technologies & Industries (SIATI), Bangalore, has
presented an Award to Precision Components and Systems Division for its
outstanding contribution in developing the Vikas Engine, the Cryo Engine and
critical components for the various programmes of the Indian Space Research
Organisation (ISRO), for the year 2003.
The Award was received by I.P. Singh, the then President of the Industrial Products Group, and Kaustubh Shukla, Chief Operating Officer, Industrial Products Group from Dr. K. Kasturirangan, Member of Parliament and Former Chairman, ISRO, on 24 May, 2004 at Bangalore. Kasturirangan was all praise for Godrej for its commitment to programmes of national importance. His vision for Godrej: "A successful organisation for contributing in future programmes of ISRO/DRDO (Defence Research & Development Organisation) and rest of the aerospace business".
S.M. Vaidya
|
MATERIAL HANDLING EQUIPMENT DIVISION |
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Exploring Rough Terrain |
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nfrastructure
development, particularly in roads, bridges, power and water-shedding projects,
has been given top priority by the Central and State Governments in India.
Construction and mining sectors have shown robust growth during the last
financial year. Buoyed by this, construction companies are willing to invest in
technologically superior equipment to cut labour costs, besides meeting project
deadlines.
Against this backdrop, Godrej has entered into a sales agency agreement with Manitou of France for marketing and distribution of their Rough Terrain (R.T.) Forklifts and Telescopic Handlers in India. These equipments find application in construction, besides mining, agricultural, forestry and defence industries.
Manitou is a French organisation with a turnover of over 680 million Euros. They are market leaders in R.T. Equipment and have presence in a hundred countries across the world.
H.N. Khumbatta, Vice President and Business Head, Material Handling Equipment Division, recently shared his views with the magazine, Construction World: "Our long experience, wide geographical reach, our customer base in almost all industries and vast service network, all make Godrej MHE a natural partner for Manitou to enter the Indian market … We are the largest manufacturer of Forklift Trucks and Tyre Handlers in India and enjoy 55 per cent of the market share. Marketing and distribution of Manitou Rough Terrain Equipment complements our business. It will help us widen the basket of offerings to our existing customer base, besides helping us gain entry into new market segments."
Maniscopic, a Telescopic Handler, is one of Manitou’s most successful products. With 4-wheel drive, all four steerable wheels and high ground clearance, it is a true R.T. vehicle. It has four progressive hydrostatic speeds, making it versatile for use on construction sites and on the road. It has been designed for use by builders and can lift pallets to the third floor. The equipment can also accept a wide variety of accessories like forks and buckets.
Manitou is very bullish on Indian market and sees a great potential for R.T. Equipment in future. Maniscopic (Model MT 732) has been kept for demonstrations to prospective customers at Pirojshanagar.
Abhijit Ambekar
Marketing
|
Capacity Expansion |
he
Godrej Material Handling Equipment (MHE) Division, which deals with Forklift
Trucks and warehousing equipment, has doubled its business volume over the last
three years, mostly by taking up a major share of the growth in the market and
successfully tapping markets abroad.
To meet this increased demand, it was the need of the hour to augment capacity in precision machining. The Management’s confidence in sustained growth in industrial activity, and in an efficient sales and marketing team, enabled it to take the step of investing in a new Vertical Turning Centre (VTC). Besides cutting delivery times for Forklifts, this VTC will further tighten component accuracies and consistency.
The VTC is from Hankook, South Korea, a Company of the Hyundai Group. This multifunction machine was installed and commissioned at MHE Division last month at an investment of over Rs. 1.34 crores (U.S.D. 3,00,000). It is probably the only machine where large diameter components can be turned and machined in the same set-up. This ability of the VTC improves throughput and eliminates the need for multiple set-ups.
Turning, drilling, tapping and end-milling operations can be executed on the component in the same set-up. Each axis movement is controlled by an AC (Alternating Current) servomotor and provides very accurate positioning. Work efficiency is improved by intensive control of important functions such as table-turning by independent control of every axis through the control panel.
The latest machine controller from Siemens (Model: 840 DE) greatly enhances operator convenience and user-friendliness.
The machine was commissioned on schedule and is giving desired results.
N.D. Engineer
Manufacturing
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|
An owl spotted at Material Handling Equipment Division, Plant – 16, on 14 June, 2004. |
|
SECURITY EQUIPMENT DIVISION |
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Localising Parts For ATM Manufacturing |
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CR
Corporation India (P) Ltd., for whom and with whom the Security Equipment
Division has (jointly) developed ATM Safes, has awarded the Division a
Certificate of Excellence for "Best Support in Localising the Parts for ATM
Manufacturing" during the year 2003. This Award is a recognition of efforts
made by the Security Equipment Division in stabilising indigenous supply lines
of ATM (Any Time Money) Safes for NCR, India.
This achievement is a part of the journey, which started over two years ago. NCR, India was in the process of setting up a manufacturing facility in Pondicherry with an eye on the fast-growing Indian ATM market. The key to success lay in the extent of indigenisation NCR, India, could achieve, considering the high import duties of various components of ATMs and the severe price competition characterising this industry. ATM Safe, being a major component of the final ATM machine, was a priority for indigenisation. NCR had been considering several options, including imports from their supplier in U.K. Despite fierce competition for this business transaction, Security Equipment Division qualified to become their exclusive supplier in India on account of its expertise in Safe-making and the strength of its processes. NCR, India’s consultant from U.K. also inspected the Division’s facilities. The consultant was highly impressed by the Division’s manufacturing capabilities and practices, and, based on the good report given by the consultant, the Division could enter into a long-term contract with NCR.
The process of Safes Development and manufacturing line establishment was completed in rapid time of just four months as against NCR’s international benchmark of six to eight months. In fact the ATM Safe was the first component to be indigenised by NCR, India, which is recognised and acknowledged by the NCR team. Over the last 18 months, the Security Equipment Division has developed considerable expertise in this line of business, not only in terms of consistency in quality, but also in meeting large demands.
The Division is currently satisfying all the requirements of NCR, India’s operations and is poised for large growth in this business. The current population of ATMs is estimated at 15,000 numbers across the country and the growth is projected at 30 to 40 per cent per annum for the next few years. NCR is also in the forefront of launching innovative solutions for the Indian market. The Division is confident that NCR would grow from strength to strength in this industry. Godrej’s Security Equipment Division, too, would grow with NCR Corporation India (P) Ltd. in the true spirit of partnership.
Mehernosh B. Pithawalla
| Annual Dealers Conference |
he
venue was the picturesque Blue Country Resort at Panchgani. The event was the
Mumbai Branch Annual Dealers Conference on 17 and 18 July, 2004, flagged off by
Barinder Singh, Branch Manager, Mumbai Branch, who gave a welcome speech and
presented the last financial year’s performance of Mumbai Branch, the Branch’s
goals for the current financial year as also the plan to achieve those goals.
This was followed by F.K. Khapoliwalla, General Manager (West), presenting the
dealers with an overall scenario of the latest Company happenings such as
restructuring of the Branch, etc. The respective deputy managers then gave
presentations on the Furniture and Interiors Group (Institution and Home)
products, Security products, and also covered the important aspect of Service.
Mumbai Branch thanks D.B. Chhapger, Assistant General Manager (Marketing Services), for giving an impressive presentation on the usage of Web-Based Distribution System to the dealers.
The top three dealers, each from FIG (Institution), FIG (Home) and Security Equipment, were given special trophies recognising their valued contributions to Mumbai Branch for the last financial year.
Team games, sightseeing and boating were organised to entertain the dealers. The event was a success, and all our dealers really look forward to the next year’s Conference.
Percy B. Master
Mumbai Branch
|
FURNITURE AND INTERIORS GROUP |
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|
All-India Top Wholesale Dealers Meet |
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nnovation,
some say, cannot be defined, but it is also true that one cannot lead without
innovation. The theme at this year’s All-India Top Wholesale Dealers Meet
organised by the Office & Consumer Products Group (OCP) at Hotel Grand
Intercontinental, Srinagar, Kashmir from 12th to 15th June, 2004 was "Leadership
Through Innovation".
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In front of Hotel Grand Intercontinental, Kashmir. From left: A.N. Choksey, Vice President, Raviprakash Gupta, General Manager (Marketing), FIG, K.M. Vinod Kumar, General Manager (South), Anil S. Mathur, Chief Operating Officer, FIG, A.I. Buvaneshwar, General Manager (East), and D.B. Chhapger, Assistant General Manager (Marketing Services). |
Various businesses of the Group presented their plans to innovate and lead in the future. The Furniture and Interiors Group’s (FIG’s) message to the Wholesale Dealers was "Don’t Wait, Innovate." So, whether it is new products or manufacturing processes or point of purchase, one can innovate. We presented our ideas for new products, a path-breaking project tracking system for project management and various other initiatives planned for our dealers. Broad directions were given on the various fields in which one could innovate, along with examples of the 4 Ps viz. Product, Place, Price and Promotion, wherein innovation is a must if we want to continue to lead.
|{|{
|
Product Testing Laboratory |
|
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| Anil S. Mathur, Chief Operating Officer, FIG, inaugurates the Product Performance Testing Laboratory at Pirojshanagar, Plant – 14. |
nil
S. Mathur, Chief Operating Officer, FIG, inaugurated the Product Performance
Testing Laboratory at Pirojshanagar, Plant – 14, on 19 June, 2004. The
Laboratory is equipped with state-of-the-art product performance testing
equipments for Seating and Storage products. It also has the facility to carry
out shipping tests, and is equipped with testing facilities for metal finishing
processes such as pre-treatment and powder coating, and various other platings.
Test procedures are set to meet international performance standards such as
BIFMA (Business & Institutional Furniture Manufacturer’s Association), B.S.
(British Standards), SEFA (Scientific Equipment & Furniture Association), SEMA
(Storage Equipment & Manufacturer’s Association), etc. Bharat Mistry, Assistant
General Manager (Quality Assurance) heads the Quality Assurance Department,
which houses this Laboratory.
|{|{
|
Knowledge Development Programme |
ur FIG (Institution) Marketing team comprising Swapneel Nagarkar,
Deputy General Manager (Marketing), Ravi Menon, Assistant General Manager
(Marketing), Ratul Mazumder, Senior Manager (Key Accounts), along with other
team members, organised a Knowledge Development Programme for young architects
from M/s. Edifice on 3 July, 2004. The aim behind this exposure was to not only
enlighten the young architects about Godrej and the FIG, but to enable them, in
turn, to share their experiences with their contacts.
Visits to FIG’s Plants 4, 13 and 14 were conducted. Architects were shown our Knowledge Centre where we shared knowledge of our products right from design to finish. They were also addressed by Anil S. Mathur.
The Programme was appreciated by all. Ravi Sarangan, Ramji Sarangan and Laxmi Menon, senior members of M/s. Edifice, were also part of and present for this Programme.
Doreen Rosario
|
LOCKS DIVISION |
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Contractors Meet in Ludhiana |
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e
have trained carpenters, technicians… before. But, for the first time, top
contractors were briefed about our entire range of Locks. The training programme
was organised on Saturday, 12 June, 2004 at Hotel Imperial, Ludhiana,
along with our distributor M/s. Esskays. The idea was to bring the top
contractors in Ludhiana under one roof for an informal evening get-together and
brief them about our entire product range, prices and service aspect.
As the evening progressed, interaction level with the contractors was on a different plateau. The feedback was positive, and one of the contractors instantly called up after the Meet to install Ultra Tribolt in one of his projects instead of the competitor’s product.
Atul Tripathi /
Rajesh Ohri
North Zone
|
Training For IOCL Officials |
n
our recent tour to Ladakh region in June 2004, Locks Division organised two
training programmes in Leh and Kargil for Indian Oil Corporation Limited
officials, their customers (retail outlets) and their consumers (defence
establishments).
This was the first time that training was successfully completed at the highest terminal (Leh) in the world — at an altitude of 11,350 feet. The participants appreciated the locking mechanism and were in agreement that this will ensure fair deliveries of motor spirit and aviation fuel to them. The programme was well received and IOCL Leh terminal has already confirmed the same to Punjab State Office (PSO) at Chandigarh. In their message to PSO they have mentioned the fact that only Godrej could reach places like Leh and Kargil.
Atul Tripathi
North Zone
| From Taiwan To India |
aiwan
External Trade Development Council had organised "Taiwan Hardware Products Trade
Mission to India 2004". A delegation of 13 entrepreneurs from Taiwan and China
visited Godrej Locks Division on 16 June, 2004 as part of
their mission to India.
B.K. Rajkumar, Vice President and Business Head, Locks Division, addressed the group, and briefed them on the Company and the Locks Division. The Division’s as also the centenary CDs were shown. While two delegates stayed back to discuss in detail about their products, the rest of them were taken around the Godrej premises and shown the Knowledge Centre, the Corporate Showroom, the Udayachal Schools, the residential Hillside Colony and the Godrej Hillside Club.
|
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A delegation of entrepreneurs
from Taiwan and China watch the presentations at the Conference Room |
The next visit was to our Bangalore office on 19 June. Thomas Chang, Director, Taipei World Trade Centre — Liaison Office in India, along with other 19 delegates from Taiwan, visited the Bangalore Branch.
Our Branch Manager S.P. Sarma extended a warm welcome to the delegates and spoke about the various Branch activities. We also took the team to various retail and wholesale markets to help them get an idea of the hardware business.
K. Nair
(Purchase Department) /
K. Mohan Kumar (Bangalore Branch)
|
Naada Habba |
arnataka
celebrates the annual State festival, Naada Habba, during Dussehra.
During the
festival, people come together and join in prayers, fun and
frolic. Similar to Naada Habba, our Bangalore Branch organised their
yearly meet, calling it Naada Habba. It was a get-together and training programme for the sales and service teams of our Wholesale Distributors (WDs),
wherein we celebrated our sales achievement of 2003-2004 and discussed
activities for the forthcoming year.
The programme was organised at Sunny Holiday Village and Convention Centre, Bangalore on 13 June, 2004. We had invited distributors across the State, and 55 members representing 15 different WDs participated in the programme. The first half had participants involved in sporting events such as adventure sports, cricket, swimming and volleyball. In the post-lunch session, our team members comprising R. Jayant, Senior Sales Officer, Narasimhan Venkat, Senior Sales Officer and S. Sreejith, Institutional Sales Officer, spoke on sales, service, and customer satisfaction and institutional sales, respectively. The presentation was about how to counter competition and how to achieve customer satisfaction through sales as well as service. The whole presentation revolved round the concept of matching performance to the expectation of customers. Later, Sashi Kumar, Head — Service talked about the service aspects.
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Distributors’ sales and service personnel enjoy rope climbing during the Naada Habba get-together and training programme at Sunny Holiday Village and Convention Centre, Bangalore, on 13 June, 2004. |
Our Bangalore distributors M/s. Shantilal & Bros. and M/s. Heera Agencies also actively participated. There was also a presentation-cum-demo by the representatives of M/s. Mico Bosch on the availability and usage of high-tech, battery operated/electrically operated drilling machines, which are useful in fixing locks.
K. Mohan Kumar
Bangalore Branch
|
RETAILING DIVISION |
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|
The hand
that rocks the cradle … |
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e
it a roadshow or rangoli of the Godrej refrigerators and washing machines
or paying homage to our Late Chairman, Mr. S.P. Godrej, by drawing a beautiful
rangoli mural, or festooning a showroom for Diwali, nothing can tame the
effervescent enthusiasm or dampen the spirit of the Dombivli Showroom team. The
team throws its heart into making such occasions successful. The Showroom has
always been in the frontiers.
Dombivli Showroom has forayed into yet another venture of setting up a duplicate key-making centre for locks. Under the auspices of the Godrej Retailing and Locks Divisions, and the competent guidance of R.H. Ansari, Associate Manager, Locks Division, a duplicate key-making centre was recently opened at Dombivli Showroom.
|
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| Rajashri Jog, Sales Executive, Dombivli Showroom (centre), undergoes training from R.H. Ansari, Associate Manager, Locks Division (second from left). Seen on extreme ends are (left and right) Aatish S. Ganoo, Canvasser and Ulhas Tare, In-charge, Dombivli Showroom. |
Making duplicate keys no longer remain the absolute domain of men, believes Rajashri Jog, Sales Executive, Dombivli Showroom, who earns the distinction of being the first lady to make duplicate keys at Dombivli Showroom, amongst all the 33 Showrooms in India.
As Dombivli Showroom emerges with one more first to its credit, it also fulfils the needs of Dombivli locales and prospective customers of the vicinity areas like Kalyan, Ambernath, Badlapur, etc. for a minnow but vital services.
Ulhas Tare
Dombivli Showroom
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NORTH ZONE |
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Annual Wholesale Dealers Meet — 2004 |
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every year, this year too our Branches in the Zone organised their residential
Wholesale Dealers Meets, mostly in the hilly areas and away from the workplace,
to have business discussions on various issues relating to last year as also the
plans for the next year, apart from having fun. All the important Wholesale
Dealers (WDs), senior Marketing personnel from Head Office and Sales/Support
staff from their respective Branches participated. To motivate and recognise
outstanding achievements of dealers, Branches used ideas like distributing award
trophies/gifts/certificates to the WDs on the basis of Best Sales/Best
Service/Best Display of products, organised indoor/outdoor games, conducted a
quiz to enhance/test product knowledge, organised a DJ with cocktails and
dinner, etc. These Meets definitely help in maintaining good business
relationships as also in increasing business.
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L-R: Pawan Arora of Ashoka Steel Enterprise, Amritsar, receives the award for his good performance in FIG (Home) from Bibhash Biswas, Senior Branch Manager, Chandigarh Branch, while Satish Dogra, Deputy Manager, FIG (Home), applauds. |
P.P. Nath, Senior Branch Manager, Faridabad Branch (right) gives away the trophy to Ambala WD M/s. Bhrigoo Enterprises (left), for their best display of the Home range of Godrej products in the Showroom, while Amit Menon, Senior Sales Executive, looks on. |
Faridabad Branch organised their Meet at The Claridges Corbett, Ram Nagar, District Nainital from 11th to 13th May, 2004. Chandigarh Branch at York’s Resort, Nolta, Pinjore, in the foothills of the Himalayas on 14 and 15 May, 2004. Ghaziabad Branch at The Claridges Corbett Hideway, Ramnagar, District Nainital from 17th to 19th May, 2004. Delhi Branch at Timber Trail, Parwanoo, Himachal Pradesh from 21st to 23rd May, 2004, and Lucknow Branch at Suman Royal Resorts, Kausani from 7th to 9th June, 2004.
Veena Babbar
Zonal Office
| Convergence |
new
warehouse of Ghaziabad Branch was inaugurated on 2 July, 2004 by Dhruv Sharma,
General Manager (North). Naveen Malik, Assistant General Manager (Finance),
landlords of the new premises and the local dealers, graced the occasion. The
warehouse activities of erstwhile Office Equipment and Appliance Divisions will
be taken care of from this warehouse. A hawan was performed in the
premises. Sharma planted a sapling on the occasion.
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Dhruv Sharma plants a sapling on the inauguration of a new warehouse of Ghaziabad Branch. |
This is a bigger warehouse where we have already planned to have a conference/training room for dealers. Also, a display centre is under construction for walk-in customers.
Rajiv Vasudeva
Ghaziabad Branch
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Inauguration of Godrej Perfect Home Showrooms |
eeping
in view the objective of increasing awareness outlets at prime locations for
Perfect Home products, our Jaipur and Ghaziabad Branches have taken the lead in
opening Showrooms in their territory.
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| The Godrej Perfect Home Showroom of M/s. Raisal Arts & Crafts at Jaipur. |
Jaipur – M/s. Raisal Arts & Crafts, who deal in colonial/British era furniture, and have close relations with the Jaipur Royal family, inaugurated their new Showroom on 22 May, 2004 with the State Minister of Industries, Narpat Singh, in attendance. The Showroom is located at Vaishali Nagar.
Pran Mitra
Jaipur Branch
Ghaziabad – Dhruv Sharma, General Manager (North) inaugurated the Godrej Perfect Showroom of M/s. Shri Sai Enterprises, followed by a press meet where correspondents from all the leading local dailies were present, and were addressed by Sharma and Rajiv Vasudeva, Sales and Service Head (FIG), Ghaziabad Branch. We received good coverage in the media on the Perfect Home concept. Most of the prominent architects and builders of the nearby areas attended the function, and were impressed with the range of Godrej Furniture. Thanks to our Head Office team for all the support to make the function a success.
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| The Godrej Perfect Home Showroom of M/s. Shri Sai Enterprises. |
Another Perfect Home Mega Showroom of M/s. Vikas Furniture & Decorators, Noida, was inaugurated on 14 July, 2004. Our special thanks to Subodh K. Mehta, General Manager (Marketing) for coming down to Noida for inaugurating the Showroom along with Dhruv Sharma.
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| L-R: Rajiv Vasudeva, Sales and Service Head (FIG), Ghaziabad Branch, Dhruv Sharma, General Manager (North) and Subodh K. Mehta, General Manager (Marketing), during the press conference at the inauguration of the Godrej Perfect Home Showroom of M/s. Vikas Furniture & Decorators, Noida. |
A press conference was held on this occasion with emphasis on the newly launched Perfect Home products. Dignitaries including local politicians, prominent builders and architects of Noida/Ghaziabad were invited on this occasion.
Rajiv Khanna
Ghaziabad Branch
| SALES PROMOTION ACTIVITIES |
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Roadshows |
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Furniture and Interiors Group Products:
For the prestigious "Married Accommodation Project" of the Indian Army for setting up 2,00,000 units of fully furnished accommodation for their married officers, we had arranged a Roadshow in approximately 6,000 square feet area on the third floor of Godrej Bhavan, New Delhi. Here, five complete sets, each set comprising bedroom, dining room and living room along with different styles of furniture, were displayed. The entire arrangements and décor were taken care of by Manu Mansheet, Visual Merchandising Consultant for Godrej & Boyce Mfg. Co. Ltd. Needless to say, it was spellbinding! The Director General, Maj. Gen. Y.K. Jain, with a senior team of Brigadiers and other "Married Accommodation Project" officers, visited on 12 July, 2004. They were deeply impressed. So much so that even their wives came the next day to have a look!
The Roadshow continued till 25 July, 2004.
Dhruv Sharma
Zonal Office
The Lucknow Branch, FIG team, had also organised a Roadshow in front of its
Hazratganj Showroom from 19th to 21st July, 2004.
This Show gave added mileage to the "Sofa Exchange Offer" announced recently, the advertisement of which, for the first time, is being relayed on Radio City (F.M.). We have got about 30 Sofa Sets enquires, and are hopeful of converting approximately 10 enquiries into orders (worth Rs. 4,00,000/-, approximately). We have got a couple of good enquiries for our Kitchen products as well.
On similar lines, M/s. New Popular Furnishers, our dealer at Lucknow, has come out with an Exchange Offer for Godrej Steel Cupboards.
Vipin Tyagi
Lucknow Branch
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| The Country Modern style of Godrej Furniture displayed at Godrej Bhavan for the Indian Army’s "Married Accommodation Project". |
Amitanshu Mishra, Sales Canvasser at Lucknow Branch, talks to visitors at the Roadshow at Hazratganj, Lucknow. |
Security Equipment Division Products:
Delhi Branch had participated in three Roadshows in the first quarter of this financial year, along with the Delhi Police at Vasant Kunj, Vasant Vihar and Lajpat Nagar-III residential areas to promote the Godrej Secure Home range of security equipment. These Roadshows were organised with the focus on addressing old couples of South Delhi where, recently, some burglaries and murders had taken place. Our Rhino Safe, Premium Coffer, Treasure Chest, etc. were displayed. We received a lot of enquiries from the residents, and our team contacted the Presidents and Secretaries of the Resident Welfare Associations for promotion of our products on mass scale basis.
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| Sales Canvasser Pradeep explains the Godrej Security products to senior police officials of Vasant Vihar (South District) and residents. |
We would like to place on record excellent efforts put in by our Senior Sales Executives, Upendra Khurana and Chiranjiv Singh, in close coordination with our Wholesale Dealers, M/s. Comfortnet Traders and M/s. Big Base, to make these Roadshows a success.
Ajay Mathur
Delhi Branch
| Bankers Meet |
haziabad
Branch Security Equipment team had organised a Bankers Meet at Meerut on 25
June, 2004.
Besides bankers, some key non-banking customers such as leading jewellers, the Life Insurance Corporation of India and other insurance companies from nearby districts of Ghaziabad, Noida, Bijnor, Moradabad and Muzaffarnagar were invited. The Chief Guest was Dr. Arvind Kumar, Superintendent of Police, Meerut. It was a well-attended Meet with over 125 guests.
On behalf of the Head Office team, Sushil Kadam, Associate Manager (Marketing), Security Equipment Division, gave a presentation on upgradation and strengthening solutions. The Chief Guest stressed on the importance of monitoring and reviewing the security measures at regular intervals. He also spoke on Godrej’s experience in providing security solutions and the reliability which the name carries.
A special POP material, prepared by the Branch for this occasion, highlighting Time Locks, Currency Counters, High Security Doors, Defender Plus range of safes, Banding Machines, Alarm Systems, Data Safes, etc. was displayed. A special binder was also distributed to all the participants, which contained the certifications and differentiators vis-à-vis the competition. Several queries raised by the bankers were addressed on the spot by the Branch team.
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| Front Row, R-L: Ratan Thapa, Deputy Manager, Security Equipment products, Ghaziabad Branch, with Chief Guest Dr. Arvind Kumar, Superintendent of Police, Meerut. |
Meets of this nature go a long way in establishing closer ties with the customer. This Bankers Meet being a great success, we are trying to cash in on this event in this financial year itself.
Ratan Thapa
Ghaziabad Branch
Training Programme |
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Anil Munjal |
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| SOUTH ZONE |
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Interior Exterior Expo |
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s part of
our Annual Business Plan, Chennai Branch participated in the Interior Exterior
Expo at the Cennai Trade Centre from 24th to 27th June, 2004.
We as a team, comprising the Furniture and Interiors Group, Security Equipment Division and Appliance Division, had taken a 210-square metre stall in a prime position, right at the entrance. We had got a temporary sales tax registration as well, to enable us to sell our products from the venue itself with provision to accept credit cards at no extra charges. We also ensured that all the promotion campaigns of the exhibition carried our name as co-sponsors, which gave us good publicity. The Retailing Division took care of booking orders.
His Excellency Rahardjho Mustad Jab, Consul-General of Indonesia, inaugurated the Expo. The response to our stall was excellent. We had a booking of Rs. 5.5 lakhs (Basic) for all products of which FIG (Home) had a major share. The new range of sofa sets, kitchen products, home entertainment furniture, beds, Rhino Safes and Seating Systems received good response. We had good number of enquiries for our Air-conditioners as well.
K.M. Vinod Kumar
Zonal Office
| Annual Wholesale Dealers Meet |
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| Group photo of Kochi WDs and Branch team. |
he Annual
Wholesale Dealers Meet for Kochi Wholesale Dealers (WDs) was held at Kings
Court, Riviera Suites on 28 May, 2004.
Thirty-five WDs from North and Central Kerala attended the Meet. The Furniture and Interiors Group (Institution and Home) and the Security Equipment team had made detailed preparations such as presentations on new products, the need for Perfect Home and Secure Home outlets... throughout the State. While the FIG (Home) team put up the "Chale Chalo" audio-visual presentation, the Security team presentation had video clippings of the Defender Plus manufacturing processes. This was followed by an open session.
The evening came alive on the dance floor with WDs and the Branch team enjoying themselves.
G. Venugopal
Kochi Branch
| EAST ZONE |
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Patna Wholesale Dealers Meet 2004 |
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holesale
Dealers Meet 2004 was organised by Patna Branch on 5 July 2004, at Hotel
Chanakya, Patna. 19 dealers participated in the programme. N.S.N. Moorthy,
Senior Branch Manager, Patna Branch, welcomed the participants. A.I. Buvaneshwar,
General Manager (East) and Subodh K. Mehta, General Manager (Marketing), FIG
(Home), addressed the dealers. The various business presentations by the
respective sales executives were well appreciated. Abhijit Bhattacharya, Sales
Executive, FIG (Institution), took the opportunity to book some orders from
those present for the latest models of desking and seating. We also had the
benefit of the latest update on the commercial structure of the Company from
George M. Menezes, Vice President (Commercial), who joined us in the latter half
of the programme. Awards were presented to various categories of dealers who had
achieved the desired business targets for the previous financial year. The day
wound up with variety entertainment by an amateur troupe, followed with
cocktails and dinner.
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Exclusive Perfect Home |
ubodh K.
Mehta inaugurated the first exclusive Perfect Home showroom of Bharat Commercial
Agency in Patna on 5 July, 2004. A.I. Buvaneshwar presided at the function.
Located at S.P. Verma Road, near our Branch office, the showroom is spread over
a thousand square feet. The latest range of Godrej’s glass dining sets, sofas
and bedroom suites, caught everybody’s attention. Ali Imam, Sales Executive, FIG
(Home), had taken the lead and helped the Wholesale Dealer in tastefully
decorating the showroom, which was well appreciated. The function was covered in
leading local Hindi dailies. This has also helped generate good enquiries for
our Perfect Home product range. We hope to announce the presence of some more
Perfect Home showrooms in the near future.
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We Welcome Our New Dealer |
/s.
Ganpati Enterprises has been appointed as the new Wholesale Dealer at Sitamarhi
District, North Bihar. A.L. Chowdhury is the Proprietor. Bhushan Kumar, District
Magistrate, inaugurated the showroom on 16 June. Kumar expressed appreciation at
the new range of Perfect Home products recently launched by the Company. The
function was well covered in the local media, both press as well as cable
television. We wish M/s. Ganpati Enterprises all success.
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Teamwork Pays Dividends |
fter
19 years of having a C&F (Clearing and Forwarding) Agent to take care of our
Logistic requirements, from 1 April, 2004 onwards, we started our own operations
as per Head Office guidelines on convergence. A salute to the back office and
Logistics team (though it sounds grand, there are only two people in our back
office and one in Logistics), who have endured very long hours and various
obstacles in the first quarter to ensure that our new and very own warehouse
operations function smoothly. Despite teething problems, the members have proved
that teamwork and dedication does pay dividends. Kudos to all members of the
Sales and Service Departments, too, which have chipped in their individual
efforts at times of need!
N.S.N. Moorthy
Patna Branch
| WEST ZONE |
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Major Order Bagged |
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rima
Division, Pune Branch, won a major order for Panasonic Projectors (LB-10V - 18
numbers) worth Rs. 20 lacs from Bajaj Allianz Ltd., Pune. The efforts put in by
Vikram Walia, Deputy Business Manager, and his team deserves appreciation and
encouragement.
| Conquest 2004 |
hannel
Meet, "Conquest 2004", was held on 16 June, 2004 at Hotel Aurora Towers, Pune,
by our Principals, Brother International, wherein the latest models of
Multifunction devices were displayed. Anand Kumar, Country Manager, Brother
International, made an impressive presentation to all the 40 channel partners.
There were spot discount offers as well. Many channel partners booked their
orders. There was also a lucky draw, which was won by M/s. Vrishabh Electronics.
Neville Daruwalla, Product Manager (Brother Fax Range), followed by Vikram Walia, Deputy Business Manager, gave a brief introduction on Brother Faxes and Brother Multifunction range of products. Vijay Agarwal, Senior Executive, delivered the vote of thanks.
Shanta Mohan
Pune Branch
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Congratulations! |
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Udayachal High School
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Natasha Mistry
daughter of Farokh D. Mistry, Senior Executive, Personnel Department,
Godrej Bhavan, has secured 85.43 per cent, standing ninth in the order of
merit at the B.Com. Examination held by the University of Mumbai in March
2004. She also stood second in the order of merit in Financial Accounting
& Auditing, securing 95 per cent in the subject. Natasha was a student of
R.A. Podar College of Commerce & Economics, and has been a good performer
throughout her educational career. She intends to pursue her studies in
Master of Computer Applications. CHANGE wishes her all the best in
her future endeavours.
Sonali Parekh
daughter of Sunil Parekh, Senior Manager, Appliance Division, Quality
Engineering Department, is a former Udayachal student, diligent to the
core, possessing a creative bent of mind. She is goal-oriented and strikes
a perfect balance between academics and extra-curricular activities.
