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FURNITURE AND INTERIORS GROUP
Auditor’s Evaluation

he International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 9000 and ISO 14000 series of International Standards emphasize the importance of audits as a management tool for monitoring and verifying the effective implementation of an organisation’s quality and/or environmental policy.

The ISO 19011:2002 Standard provides guidance on the management of audit programmes, the conduct of internal or external audits of quality and/or environmental management systems, as well as on the competence and evaluation of auditors.

Confidence and reliance in the audit process depends on the competence of those conducting the audit. This competence is based on the demonstration of the personal attributes, the ability to apply knowledge and skills.

The process at FIG for evaluating auditors is described below:

Objective of evaluation:
The evaluation of auditors is done to provide an outcome that is objective, consistent, fair and reliable. The evaluation process identifies training and other skill enhancement needs.

The evaluation of auditors occurs at the following different stages:

	The initial evaluation of auditors;
	The continual evaluation of auditor performance to identify the need to improve knowledge and skills.

The evaluation process is as follows:

Step 1 – Set the evaluation criteria
The quantitative criteria selected include number of improvements, quiz marks, audit closing dates; and qualitative criteria include personal attributes and completeness of the audit report.

Step 2 – Select the appropriate evaluation method
All the criteria selected were arranged in descending order of importance. They were as follows:

1. Number of improvements identified

2. Marks secured in quiz

3. Audit date & audit closing date

4. Completeness of audit report

5. Evaluation of auditor by auditee

For evaluation by auditee important attributes required by an auditor were extracted from ISO 19011:2002. Based on these attributes an auditee evaluation form was drawn up. The auditee rated an auditor after audit and gave him/her points on each attribute and then averaged it. An auditor should be ethical, open minded, diplomatic, observant, versatile, tenacious, decisive, self-reliant with knowledge and skills related to applicable laws, regulations and other requirements, processes and products, including services, environmental science and technology.

Table 1: Criteria, Marking scheme, and Weightage
Criteria	Marking scheme	Weightage
No. of improvements identified by auditor	1 mark for each improvement identified	0.4
Marks in quiz	Marks are given out of 40	0.3
Audit date and audit closing date	1 mark for conducting and closing audit on time, otherwise 0	0.15
Completeness of audit report	1 mark for writing report without mistakes / shortcomings, otherwise 0	0.1
Auditor’s evaluation by auditee	Average score comes between 0 to 4	0.05

The marking scheme for each criterion was as given below in Table 1:
After the marks were given for all the criteria, weightages were assigned for each criterion based on its importance. The reason for assigning the weightage was to give advantage for getting higher marks in important criteria.

The variation of marking scheme from one criterion to another was large as can be seen from the above table. Therefore before assigning weightage, the marks were normalised based on the mean and standard deviation of data. Normalising helped to bring the variables (marks) on the same scale. The product of normalised marks and weightage was taken as the score for each criterion. The total score obtained from all these five criteria were used to rank the auditors. The first three pairs (auditee & auditor) are given awards.

NOTE: Special thanks to Dr. B.K. Rai, of the Ford Motor Company, Detroit (USA), who has guided us in providing the methodology of normalisation.

D. N. Deshmukh
Associate Manager
Furniture and Interiors Group

Dhoom Macha De!!

tart of the financial year 2004-05 saw the FIG team imbibe the Chale Chalo theme with a promise to work together and achieve profitable growth. Indeed, each and every member of FIG took up this challenge and contributed in translating Chale Chalo into action as FIG, for the second successive year, showed a growth of over 20 per cent.

Dhoom Macha De was the theme chosen for the year 2005-06 as the need to move towards our vision of being a “total solutions provider” and the most preferred brand in furniture and interior solutions for home and workspaces where faster acceleration of our growth was felt. With this theme and goal in mind, the annual sales conference, dealer conferences at branches and the FIG Annual Day at Head Office were organised to bring together this courageous, competent and confident FIG team to plan and charge its “engines” to “Zoom ahead and create Dhoom in the marketplace”. Sunidhi Chauhan, singer, sang the theme song for the FIG Dhoom Macha De audio-visual which was shot across all plants and Mumbai Branch to capture the enthusiasm of FIGites across all levels in the management and workforce enjoying their work and being members of the FIG parivar, ready to take up the challenges that may come up. Copies of the FIG film were distributed to all the branches so that they could in turn screen it for their team members.

Annual Sales Conference

rganised at the Park Hyatt Resort & Spa, Goa, the FIG team in two batches from 3 to 9 April, 2005 were exposed to product sessions, exciting quiz games as well as a Goa darshan trip and a cruise. Events like Carnival and Pirate Night were thoroughly enjoyed by the team. The conference commenced with an audio-visual film on FIG titled Dhoom Macha De, where team members from across the four plants and Mumbai Branch located at Vikhroli were filmed in action. The grit, guts and enthusiasm of the FIG team to create an explosion in the marketplace was captured in the film. The entire venue, sales kit, stationery, events and gifts were based on this theme.

Pirate party.

Various awards were also distributed to the sales team for their outstanding performances in the field. The concept of a rolling trophy for the best region was introduced this year. South and West zones jointly qualified for this year’s Best Region Award and F.K. Khapoliwalla and Vinod Kumar shared this trophy.

Best Region Award.

All in all, the conference had an air of informality about it, which the team appreciated and enjoyed.

(Inputs from Bharat Gothoskar and Kanupriya Sindhu, FIG Marketing)

FIG Annual Day Celebrations

IG organised its Annual Day at Head Office on Saturday, 16 April, 2005 on the Udayachal High School grounds where a 1,000 strong FIG parivar gathered to celebrate the continuing success at FIG for the second consecutive year.

Anil S. Mathur, Chief Operating Officer, FIG, welcomes Pheroza J. Godrej and J.N. Godrej at the entrance.

From left: Vijay Salaskar, Ramballi Yadav, Anil S. Mathur, Pheroza Godrej, Jamshyd Godrej, P.D. Lam, N.R. Singh and Balchandra Joshi.

Pheroza J. Godrej lights the lamp at the FIG Annual Day function.	J.N. Godrej, Chairman and Managing Director, G&B, addresses the FIG Parivar.
P.D. Lam, Executive Director, reposes confidence in and encourages the FIG team.	Balchandra Joshi has his say.

A view of the gathering at FIG Annual Day.

The evening began with the lighting of the lamp by Pheroza J. Godrej. Also present were Jamshyd Godrej, P.D. Lam, Dr K.A. Palia and Balchandra Joshi among others. This was followed by the theme address — Dhoom Macha De and a skit titled Lakshya Hamara. The dignitaries were then welcomed on to the dais and various awards instituted by FIG were distributed. The 10-minute theme film on FIG was screened. Anil Mathur, our Chief Operating Officer, welcomed the gathering and addressed the crowd. He spoke about his vision of making FIG a 1000 crore business in another three years and that he was confident that we would make it. He went on to say that if we work together with the single goal of satisfying the changing needs of customers on quality, delivery and price points, we would be able to achieve our objectives. He was confident that we could and would do so. This was followed by addresses by P.D. Lam, Balchandra Joshi, N.R. Singh, Vijay Salaskar and J.N. Godrej. J.N. Godrej congratulated the FIG team and spoke on various issues including the hike in steel prices, which was the single most important raw material in our products. He alerted FIG to the oncoming global competition but appreciated the good teaming at FIG and stated that if we continue to work together, we would be able to achieve success and even surpass the 1000 crore target!

J.N. Godrej presents the S.P. Godrej Award for Social
Commitment to Ravi Baliga.

A karate demo by FIG Parivar kids.	The Super Show Orchestra performs at the FIG Annual Day function.
The crowd dances to the tune of the Super Show Orchestra.	“Man Dance” presented by FIG Team members.

The entertainment programme that followed saw a new trend of amateurs and professionals performing to the beats of the Super Show Orchestra in song and dance. Yes, our very own members of the FIG parivar gave brilliant performances with the orchestra. Not to be left behind, even our FIG kids zoomed into action with their Karate demonstration. The audience was taken back to their childhood days with the Magic Show presented by one of our members, only not to be fooled this time. Dinner too was a lavish spread and relished by one and all. A memorable evening and one that we shall look forward to every year.

Dealer Meets At Branches

he various Dealer Meets opened with the film on Dhoom Macha De and enthusiasm spread among our various dealers across the country to work together and create an explosion in the marketplace. All our branches organised dealer meets at various locations but the theme was uniform across the meets.

Doreen Rosario

SECURITY AND EQUIPMENT DIVISION
The Grand Entry of “Godrej Entranza”

he exclusive tie-up of Godrej Security Equipment Division with Masonite, one of the world’s leading door manufacturers, has brought “Godrej Entranza” — the next Generation Doors — to India. Godrej Entranza presents the original collection of doors from Masonite International Corporation, Canada.

Masonite is synonymous with doors. The Masonite International Corporation have been pioneers in the industry for 80 years, and are the inventors of High Density Fibreboard (HDF) doors. Masonite owns one of the world’s largest private research and development facilities in the door (both interior and entry door) industry consisting of 1,50,000 square feet with 100 employees. They have been continually innovating and developing new products. The company operates over 80 facilities in 17 countries in North America, South America, Europe, Asia and Africa and has approximately 14,000 employees. Masonite currently sells its products to customers in over 50 countries and is known worldwide for its quality products, exceptional customer service and its employees’ commitment to excellence. Their products are designed and constructed to exacting standards and specifications. The company manufactures approximately 45 million doors per year, enough doors to encircle the whole globe!

The stage set-up.

As we all know, the term “security” in India is synonymous with one name: Godrej. The vision of the Security Equipment Division (SED) for doors is to be a leading manufacturer and marketer of doors for the commercial, industrial, institutional and home segments. Masonite, the company leading the global (door) market for years, was the ideal choice for us.

This wide variety of Masonite doors will now be available in India under the brand name Godrej Entranza. Designed for commercial, in institutional and primarily household segments, these doors will be available at exclusive Godrej showrooms, Godrej perfect home outlets and various other building material outlets in a wide variety of styles, to suit the most discerning builder or home buyer.

The grand entry of Godrej Entranza.

The wide range of exclusive designer doors include both interior and entry doors. The interior doors comprise a series of designer types which are

• Designer Moulded Panel series
• Moulded Panel series
• Flush Door series
• Wood Door series
• French Door series
• Louvered series

Each of these types, with its unique features, is worth its classification.
The entry doors give a strong yet elegant look to the entrance of your home, design being their distinctive quality. They are categorised as follows:

1. Steel series

2. Fibreglass series

3. Solid wood series

Godrej Entranza, the result of the merger of the two industry leaders, made its grand entry with a launch event held at the five metros of the country — Chennai, Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai and Bangalore, spread over the months of April and May.

The marketing plans explained by Neville Bachana.

The array of events began in Chennai on 9 April, 2005 followed by Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Bangalore, on 11 April, 15 April, 3 May and 10 May, 2005 respectively. All these events were held at premium locations in the city, like the Taj Coromandel in Chennai, Hyatt Regency in Delhi, Hilton tower (Oberoi) in Mumbai, Hyatt Regency in Kolkata and Taj West End in Bangalore.

At each location there were a prominent set of speakers from both Godrej and Masonite. From Godrej Security Equipment Division, Neville Bachana (General Manager, Marketing) made a presentation on the marketing plans, while Roy Manion, Vice President-Export Sales, and Sudeep Chaterjee, Export Sales — Masonite International Corporation, made presentations on Masonite. They enlightened the audience about the company, its products and the tie-up between the two companies.

While making the presentation Roy Manion justified the tie-up by making the following statement, “Globally, Masonite is synonymous with doors and Godrej with security solutions. This is therefore an ideal partnership for Masonite in India. With modular kitchens already making headways into Indian homes, standardisation of doors and windows is another step forward towards beautiful homes. All in all, we’ll provide consumers with a high quality product that can be installed in minimal time, allowing them to save on overall site and installation costs.”

Sudeep Chatterjee added, “Made of the most durable materials like fibreglass, steel and high-density fibre, GODREJ ENTRANZA ‘Ready-To-Fit’ doors are part of the original collection of doors from the international Masonite stable.”

Roy Manion and D.E. Byramjee “spreading the light”.

P.D. Lam has a discussion with Pheroza Godrej (left) while Jamshyd Godrej and Roy Manion exchange views on doors.

All the events were a great success and had a very innovative approach. The event left visitors eager to know more, which resulted in many queries, which were answered. There was extensive use of laser storyboard and audio-visuals to imbibe the feel of the next generation doors. D. E. Byramjee, Vice President & Business Head, Godrej — Security Equipment Division, and Roy Manion, Vice President-Export Sales, Masonite International Corporation, invited the audience to “spread the light”. They came centre stage and raised the light through the torch and the visitors were asked to raise the mirror placed under their seat, thus spreading the light across the room. This symbolic act led to a lot of excitement and was an extraordinary experience for around 800 builders and architects.

There was a press conference held in the afternoon at each location, with reporters from all the leading newspapers. It was extensively covered with approximately 125 articles in the newspapers. In addition, the electronic media too covered the event at length.

Our dealer community is also extremely positive and excited about the product offering and are looking forward to getting these doors for display very soon.

Mehernosh Pithawalla
SED, Marketing
For further details contact: entranza@godrej.com

APPLIANCE DIVISION
Godrej Microwave Ovens — The Healthy Way To Tasty Food!!

et another first from Godrej, the Appliance team ushers in the microwave oven era — an era of good health and fine cooking combined!! Godrej, the most trusted Indian brand in the consumer durables market, has now stepped up its product portfolio to include the microwave oven. The product is finding ready acceptance in the changing lifestyle and food habits of the average Indian family, particularly in the bigger cities. For Godrej, the decision to move into the microwave category is a case of marrying emerging market opportunity with inherent brand strengths.

Dipti Kurup demonstrating the product.

The Godrej Microwave Oven, a 20-litre grill + combination microwave oven, is now available across the country. Priced extremely competitively, the product is definitely going to redefine the microwave market.

To support the introduction of Godrej Microwave in Mumbai, the Mumbai branch organised demonstration-cum-cookery classes. The common myths that Indian cooking is not feasible in a microwave, that it is a complicated gadget to be used on special occasions and that the food does not taste “homemade” were put to rest while demonstrating the product.

The demonstration-cum-cookery classes were held at the Godrej Showroom, Vikhroli, and the Godrej Hillside Club. The classes were conducted by Dipti Kurup — an expert chef on MWO — who took the guests through 12 inviting recipes over a period of two and a half hours. The guests watched with rapt attention as the Godrej Microwave dished out chikki, palak paneer, pizza and more. Both the classes were attended by an enthusiastic group of guests, who took the opportunity not only to learn the new recipes but also clarify their doubts. Amidst an environment of fun-filled healthy cooking, Dipti Kurup answered all the queries of the guests and provided simple and practical tips about the utility and maintenance of the microwave.

While on the one hand the classes demonstrated the versatility of microwaves, it also provided a platform to get a first-hand feedback from users. The product was well received by one and all. Suggestions were made to provide the buyers with a cookbook.
Keeping in mind customer requirements, MWO will soon be complemented with a cookbook to serve as a ready recipe guide. Besides, it is also looking at options of putting together a kit of microwaveable accessories to be available by June. Given the enthusiastic response to the two classes, Godrej will conduct such classes at several venues across Mumbai.

Deepa Nair
Appliance Service
 

Retirement Marcus M. Pereira joined Godrej & Boyce Mfg. Co. Ltd. on 4 August, 1969 as a Draughtsman and worked in the Foundry Department. Marcus M. Pereira He retired on 20 May, 2005 from the Delivery Department, Plant 13. Doreen Rosario S.R. Paranjpe joined Godrej & Boyce Mfg. Co. Ltd. on 3 March, 1972 in the Design Department which was a common department as we were not divisionalised then. After divisionalisation, he worked in the Locks Department and later in 1999 joined the Office Furniture Division where he worked in the Order Booking Cell and finally retired S.R. Paranjpe from the Furniture & Interiors Group on 3 May, 2005. His colleagues will always remember him as a peace-loving, practical and process-oriented person. Doreen Rosario

LOCKS DIVISION
BRANCH EVENTS IN FOURTH QUARTER

BHOPAL BRANCH
 

Retailers selling the displayed products at the Bhopal Retailer Meet on 24 February, 2005.

rganised a Distributor Meet and new product launch on 24 February, 2005 at Hotel Noor-us Shabha in Bhopal. The meet was attended by our distributors in Madhya Pradesh and Chattisgarh. On the same day a Retailers Meet and Showcase was organised along with our distributors M/s. Bhartiya Traders, Bhopal. In Indore a similar meet for retailers was held on 25 February, 2005. New products were displayed and the programme comprised of product detailing, spot booking, lucky draws, feedback sessions, etc.

MUMBAI BRANCH

Two Retailer Meets were held in Mumbai along with local distributors :

1. M/s Prime Distributors: Retailer Meet was organised on 22 February, 2005; and

2. M/s Yatra Arcade: Meet was organised on 17 February, 2005 at Maharaja Agrasen Bhawan, Ghatkopar and was attended by 46 retailers.

AHMEDABAD BRANCH

etailer Meet was organised in Surat for about 175 retailers on 19 March, 2005 at Hotel Yuvray along with our local wholesale dealer, M/s Deepak Khanna & Company.

Two Carpenter Meets were held :

1. In Baroda on 18 March, 2005: The meet was organised at Hotel Surya by our local wholesale dealer, M/s Mahesh Vidhyut, and attended by 27 carpenters and

2. In Ahmedabad on 21 March, 2005 at Hotel Utopia: The programme had 75 participants and was organised along with our distributor, M/s Sunij Sales Corporation.

BANGALORE BRANCH

The first-prize winner receiving his prize from Aravind Karnad,
proprietor of M/s. Sales & Service, our wholesale dealer at
Udipi, on 6 March, 2005 at the Retailer Salesmen Meet.

rganised Retailer Salesmen Meet on 6 March, 2005 in Udipi to enable retailer sales help customers understand “Why they should buy Godrej Locks.” About 35 salesmen attended the meet. The programme comprised of product training, quiz, feedback sessions, etc. One of the participants at the programme mentioned the “good initiative from the company on product knowledge enhancement”. Other programmes conducted by Bangalore Branch were:

A Retailer Salesmen and Carpenters Meet was held in Mangalore on 6 March, 2005 and in Mysore on 20 February, 2005. A Carpenter Meet was held at Bijapur on 9 January, 2005.

COCHIN BRANCH

ome of the promotional activities carried out by Cochin Branch in the month of February 2005 along with local distributors M/s Alappatt Traders (Cochin and Trichur) and M/s. Sangi & Company (Kannur) were:

A roadshow was organised in Cochin at Hotel Woodlands, M.G. Road from 12 to 14 February, 2005. About 500 people visited the roadshow during the three days. The entire range of Godrej Locks and Cartini items were displayed.

1. Retailer Salesmen Training Programme was conducted at Hotel Luciya Palace, Trichur on 19 February, 2005. Eighty-seven salesmen from different parts of Trichur District attended the programme.

2. Retailer Salesmen Training Programme was conducted at Hotel Malabar Residency, Kannur on 24 February, 2005. Seventy-two people attended the programme.

3. Carpenter Meet was organised at Hotel Regency, Manjalikulam Road, Trivandrum on 22 February, 2005. Forty-five people attended it. A new innovative scheme, “Godrej Locks Vishu Bumper Scheme” for carpenters, was introduced for the first time in Kerala through M/s. A.C.R. Distributors (GLT), Trivandrum.

CHENNAI BRANCH

rganised Carpenter and Retailers Salesmen Meet at Erode (distributor Surabi Agencies) on 13 February, 2005 at Hotel Chimny. About 40 carpenters and 50 retailer salesmen attended the Meet.

Sales Team, Locks Division

Carpenter Panel — A New Initiative

n 15 March, 2005 we achieved a milestone by inaugurating the first ever Carpenter Panel of 16 expert carpenters from Pune and this was inaugurated by B.K. Rajkumar, our Business Head and Vice President.

The panel carpenters were selected by our Pune team members from a group of more than a hundred carpenters. We had arranged a full day’s training programme for them including a visit to our factory. During the feedback session, all functional heads from Marketing, Design, Quality, Manufacturing and HR were present. There were many suggestions given by the panel members.

Carpenter Panel of Pune Branch.

The objective is to get feedback from this panel on the current market trends viz. the type and size of doors being preferred by customers, change in door thickness, etc. This also gave insights into various practical difficulties faced by them while fitting locks and the improvements required. A number of buyers totally depend on this community for buying decisions on locks and latches. They are attached to builders and furniture manufacturers in the local market. By giving them regular training and promoting them through different schemes, we expect to generate a tangible loyalty resulting in better business volume.

Their input will be taken into consideration while designing promotional schemes on different models of door locks. They can also be attached to some of our main hardware counters in the market.

We plan to have similar panels not only in major cities, but also at a regional and national level soon. This will go a long way in our attempt to popularise Godrej door locks.

T. Sashi Kumar
Service Head
 

Annual Sales Conference

he Annual Sales Conference of Locks Division was held in Manas Lifestyle Resorts, Igatpuri from 9 to 11 May, 2005. The entire Locks team participated:

1. To celebrate the efforts and achievements for the year 2004-05.

2. To communicate marketing policies, expectations of the business for the year 2005-06.

3. To reward the team members who contributed to achieving the business objective in a noteworthy manner during 2004-05.

Devendra Verma (SSO — Mumbai Branch) in the centre receives
a certificate of merit and medal for Most Outstanding Senior Sales
Officer for All India. (From left-right): B.K. Rajkumar, Business Head
& Vice President, and Kartik Modi, General Manager — Sales & Marketing.

The focus was on learning and experience sharing, so that all are enriched. Sharing of best practices one per zone and the feedback session with divisional management committee members on the contribution of their department’s inputs and its effect on sales were the highlights. DMC members also took feedback from the sales team on various issues, which are of importance to growth.

The success of the programme was largely due to the “Team Godrej Locks”, which was charged up with the inputs for the financial year 2005-2006.

Vishal Mathur
Marketing, Locks Division

Donation for the Tsunami Victims

(From left-right): Dattaram Haldankar, N.R. Singh, Balchandra
Joshi from Godrej & Boyce Shramik Sangh, donate Rs. 5 lakhs
for tsunami relief to the Governor of Maharashtra, S.M. Krishna.

Godrej & Boyce Shramik Sangh donated Rs. 5 lakhs towards the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund for the tsunami victims.

Nagendra R. Singh
General Secretary, GBSS

 

ZONAL UPDATES

NORTH ZONE
Changing Face of Retail

etail is the buzz in today’s marketing environment. Companies are experimenting with different retail formats and different retail concepts. Even speciality malls with specialised focus like Wedding Malls and Home 2 Home Malls, etc. are coming up.

We at Godrej Chandigarh are also experimenting with a different format in retailing, where apart from catering to the regular footfalls, we are making a dedicated effort to develop the accounts of the showrooms, which can give us bulk business.

A dedicated and very focused effort is made to understand the business and the hidden needs of the customer, while developing excellent relationship by becoming a consultant and a solution provider.

It is because of this approach that a customer (Principal of Yadavindra Public School), who came to buy only one Storwel, was converted into a potential bulk order of school furniture and lab furniture worth Rs. 60 lakhs.

We at Godrej have a very unique store format, which is different from most of the prevailing retail formats in the country. Thus we are looking beyond the traditional meaning of the word “retail” and also beyond the existing “retail” format prevailing in the country. And with this vision in mind, we at retail are confident that we will make retailing a great success.

Balwinder Singh
Chandigarh Showroom

SOUTH ZONE
Wholesale Dealer Meet

he Vizag branch had its first wholesale dealer meet in this new financial year at Hotel Taj Residency, Visakhapatnam on 5 May, 2005.

(From left-right): B.P. Chinoy, Branch Manager, Godrej —
Vizag, V.V. Sreenivas, Branch Manager, Southern Agencies,
Anakapalli (wholesale dealer), receiving the prize for best
performance in sales from Vinod Kumar, General Manager,
Godrej — Southern Region.

B.P. Chinoy, Branch Manager, welcomed the group, apprised it of last year’s achievements of the Company and its growth plans. Vinod Kumar, General Manager, stressed the need for a better working capital for wholesale dealers, to look at ways of pooling manpower for better utilisation and to meet the current urgent/unforseen requirements of Southern Agencies Group, and the need to look into additional inflow of their finance in view of expected growths. He also highlighted the need to be number 1 in the products and services being offered by us, as we were a few years back.

This was followed by crisp presentations by Anantha Rao for FIG(H), Ramaswamy for FIG(I) and Syed G. Mohmmed for Security Business on strategic business plan, annual business plans and product introductions.

In the second half all the dealers participated enthusiastically in the quiz on product technical details and commercial aspects of sales conducted by Deepa Rao and Kamesh. During the Service session, our Service Executive, Guvaiah, addressed some of the product problems and mentioned measures being taken to prevent them occurring. Web Based Distribution System (WBDS) clarifications were addressed by Deepa Rao.

Vinod Kumar distributed the prizes to last year’s sales performers and the quiz winners.

Visual Merchandising — its importance in the current market scenario, and the need for good showrooms — was highlighted by Suresh Babu with the support of Ar. Manu’s slides.

The meeting was attended by our wholesale dealer, Southern Agencies’ General Manager, Rama Chandra Rao, and Assistant General Manager, Chowdary, along with branch managers and sales officers. Ravi Godey, Managing Partner of Modern Trendz, attended along with his sales team.

The session ended with a vote of thanks by Suresh Babu.

Inauguration of Grid Modular Workstations

(From left-right): B.P. Chinoy, Branch Manager, Godrej — Vizag,
wih A.K. Dhar, Director, Finance Dredging Corporation of India
(with the bouquet), and other officials at the inauguration of
the Modular Workstations office.

he inauguration of the Grid Modular Work-Stations, Loose Furniture and Interiors at the Operations wing of Dredging Corporation of India took place on 6 May, 2005. The inauguration was by their Director, Finance, A.K. Dhar, and was attended by all senior officials. B.P. Chinoy, Branch Manager, congratulated A.K. Dhar and appreciated his efforts in providing state-of-the-art workstations and a good ambience for their employees for better performance. Suresh Babu answered their queries and explained the wide range available to the customer from Godrej. The concept of Formula “S” was also highlighted. All visitors appreciated the layout and the aesthetically pleasing workstations. Ashok Kumar, the Administration, Deputy Manager, even invited us to discuss some more requirements in different wings.

Suresh Babu
Vizag Branch, Visakhapatnam

Wholesale Dealer Conference of FIG and Security

his year’s wholesale dealer conference for FIG and Security Equipment products was held in Hyderabad on 12 May, 2005 and was attended by 41 dealers and branch teams.

The Meet started off with Srinivas Manda’s welcome address and a presentation on the FIG group’s strategic plans as well as the Annual Budget Plan for this year. Kaizad Eduljee presented SED’s sales plan, followed by detailed presentations on FIG Home and Institution by Raman Iyer and Badrinath.

Newly launched products of FIG and Security Equipment were put on display for dealer information and feedback.

Vinod Kumar, General Manager, South (centre), hands over the
award to Ganesan and Balahussain Reddy of P. Obul Reddy &
Sons, Tirupati Branch. Also seen (from left) are Srinivas Manda,
FIG Head, Raman Iyer and P.D. Mehta of FIG, Home.

Sumeet Barua, Branch Commercial Manager, addressed the wholesale dealers with their plans to improve service levels.

Vinod Kumar, General Manager (South), in his address stressed the importance of growing at a faster pace, quality of display and customer care, etc.

In the later part of the conference a quiz was conducted for the delegates and was well received by them. The winners were honoured with prizes. K.M. Vinod Kumar presented awards for excellence in sales to the dealers.

The conference ended with a visit to Snow World, where the dealer delegates had an enjoyable evening.

Srinivas Manda
AGM & Head, FIG, Hyderabad

Wholesale Dealer Meet

he Annual Wholesale Dealer Meet was held at the Taj Malabar on 19 May, 2005. FIG and Security Equipment Business Dealers across the State attended the meeting. Anil S. Mathur, Chief Operating Officer, Subodh Mehta, General Manager (Marketing), FIG, and K.M. Vinod Kumar, General Manager (South), addressed the dealers.

Anil Mathur stressed the need for Kerala to step up performance levels by capitalising on the opportunities available. Subodh Mehta, while congratulating the Kerala wholesale dealers on the performance on Home Storages, stressed the need for focusing on Home Furniture too. Vinod Kumar in his brief address requested the wholesale dealers to modernise their showroom and plan their business with a long-term vision.

FIG and Security team made presentations on the sales plan for the year. The Commercial team made a presentation with special emphasis on Web Based Distribution System, Value Added Tax, and Service Tax.

Anil Mathur was also interviewed in the Business Vision Section of India Vision, the leading news channel in Kerala in their news roundup at 7.00 p.m. on 19 May, 2005.

Versa 2004

A.S. Mathur handing over the key of the Versa 2004 contest.
(From left-right) — Joy Kuriakose, M/s. Alappatt Traders Pvt. Ltd.,
George C. Joh, BCM, Kerala, K.M. Vinod Kumar, General Manager
(South), Subodh K. Mehta, General Manager (Marketing), G. Venu Gopal,
FIG Head, Kerala, Jithin Joy, Alappatt Traders Pvt. Ltd., and Suresh
Namboodiri, Deputy Manager, Security Equipment Business, Kerala.

t was indeed a proud moment for the wholesale dealers of Kerala and the FIG team when Joy Kuriakose of the Joy Alappatt Group was handed over the keys of the car by Anil Sain Mathur, Chief Operating Officer, FIG. The Alappatt Group was the winner of the Versa 2004 Scheme for Home Storage with a record-breaking business of Rs. 79 lakhs during the scheme period. K.M. Vinod Kumar, General Manager (South), and Subodh K. Mehta, General Manager (Marketing), also attended the function held on the lawns of the Taj Malabar, Willingdon Island, Kochi on 19 May, 2005.

G. Venu Gopal
FIG Head, Kerala

Governor Visits Thiruvalla Perfect Home
 

Governor Shri M.M. Jacob lighting the traditional lamp. Seen from left to right are Chandrabhabu, Sashidharan and Raju, Managing Partner Mohan Brothers, and S. Krishnamoorthy and G. Venu Gopal of Furniture and Interiors Group, Kerala.

M.M. Jacob, Governor of Meghalaya, visited the Perfect Home Showroom of Mohan Brothers, Thiruvalla on 25 April, 2005. The Governor was received by, among others, K. Raju, Managing Partner of Mohan Brothers, and G. Venu Gopal, Senior Manager, FIG Kerala. The Governor appreciated the display of new products and also enquired about the business of Home Furniture during his brief visit.

S. Krishnamoorthy
FIG, Kerala

Change in Address

he “Godrej Perfect Home” Showroom has now been shifted to the following address which may please be incorporated in all future correspondence.

P. OBUL REDDY & SONS 6-5-54, 5th Lane, Arundelpet GUNTUR — 522 002, ANDHRA PRADESH

M.M. Basha, Branch Manager

 

EAST ZONE

Exhibition at “Inside Outside Mega Show”

olkata Branch Security Equipment team put up a stall at “Inside Outside Mega Show” in March 2005. In this stall the main focus was given to promote our home range of products, E-swipe, Rhino Safe, Safire range of products, Alarm System, Time Attendance and Defender Safes.

A few leading architects/builders and many interior decorators visited our stall and appreciated the range of products. Total enquiry generation through this exhibition was over Rs. 10 lakhs. Our stall got the First Prize for “Best Display”.

Ishwar Pahlajani, Sr. Sales Manager

Siliguri Exhibition

odrej Locks (Kolkata branch) in association with the local distributor M/s. M.B. Traders participated in Build Drop — an exhibition of Hardware items held at the Kanchanjanga Stadium, Siliguri between 25 and 28 February, 2005.

Naresh Giria, Projector of M/s. M.B. Traders (third from left),
explains the products to visitors, as Presenjit Dey (fourth from left)
and the staff of M/s. M.B. Traders look on.

During these four days the entire range of Ultra locks were displayed. Ultra products attracted the most attention. The newly introduced satin range finish of Mortise locks was also well accepted by the customers. Overall, it was a well-coordinated effort by the distributor and our Senior Sales Officer, Presenjit Dey.

Bikas C. Konar
Locks Division, Kolkata Branch

Wholesale Dealer Meet

A wholesale dealer receives his award from Manoj
Ganjawala and A.I. Buvaneshwar.

olkata Branch organised their Wholesale Dealer Meet on 22 April, 2005 at Shantiniketan. Thirty-two wholesale dealers attended the Meet. Manoj Ganjawala, Vice President (Marketing), also attended, and briefed the wholesale dealers on the overall all-India scenario. A.I. Buvaneshwar, General Manager (Sales), also addressed the wholesale dealers and acknowledged their efforts. Ruru Banerjee, FIG Head (Kolkata Branch), P.K.Banerjee, Sales Manager, FIG (I), Sayan De, Assistant Manager, FIG (H), and Vijay Kumar, Assistant Manager, FIG (I), made presentations on sales plans, new product introduction and schemes. Demonstrations of certain new products were also given. Special awards were given to performing wholesale dealers in various segments. The wholesale dealers and other participants were also given a tour of the museum of the great poet Rabindranath Tagore the next morning.

Ruru Banerjee
Kolkata Branch

WEST ZONE

Perfect Home Showroom Inauguration

umbai Branch FIG — Home team adds one more feather to its cap with the inauguration of a new showroom at Chembur, M/s. Prime Style. This is the first showroom in this financial year but the sixth since the last financial year.

(From left-right): Soneshwar Prasad, Vinay Salastekar,
Manish Parekh (Dealer), Freddy Khapoliwalla and Barinder Singh.

Inaugurated on 27 April, 2005 by Freddy Khapoliwalla (General Manager Sales — West Region), the ceremony was attended by the Mumbai Branch team along with Vinay Salastekar from FIG Home Marketing.

This showroom was furnished with our home range of products with lots of props, etc. It has become the talk of the town in the area in less than one month and everybody visiting it has appreciated the products on display.

Furniture and Furnishing Fair — 2005

umbai Branch Home team along with our Dealer, M/s. M.L. Home Products, participated in one of the biggest fairs for furniture in Mumbai, held from 5 to 9 May, 2005.

Furniture and Furnishing Fair — 2005.

We had taken a stall of 1,350 square feet area and had filled the entire area with our Home furniture and Home Storage range of products. Approximately 1 lakh customers visited our stall, and this generated a good amount of business, apart from enquiries and awareness. We had excellent feedback from the customers and the same has been submitted to our Head Office. This time we also sold our services through the Furniture and Furnishing Fair and generated good business.

Barinder Singh
Deputy General Manager, Sales & Service

Godrej & Boyce Wins First Prize in First Aid Quiz Contest

odrej & Boyce won the first prize in the First Aid Quiz Contest organised by the Mutual Aid Response Group (MARG) Mulund-Kurla, and Directorate of Industrial Safety & Health (DISH) on 15 April, 2005 held at the Godrej Memorial Hospital. The team consisting of D.B. Dangat (Supervisor — Surface Coating Department, Plant 13) and Chandrashekhar Kudav (Workman — KD Final Fitting & Packing Department, Plant 13) represented G&B at the contest where a total of 15 industries took part, including Johnson & Johnson Ltd., Merind, FIAT, CEAT Tyres, Wyeth Laboratory, GKW, etc. among others from the Kurla Mulund industrial belt.

Dr. S.R. Mhaskar, P.S. Telrandhe — Joint Director, DISH, and Jawahire — Deputy Director, DISH, were also present.

Our hearty congratulations to the winning duo!

(Inputs from J.L. Lad/Hemant Sheth, Safety Department, FIG)

Doreen Rosario

FIG Cricket Festival

ricket crazy FIGites (both Management and Workmen) had a field day at the FIG Cricket Festival, which was held from 4-13 April, 2005 at the Godrej Hillside Colony grounds. Four plants (Plants 1, 4, 13 and 14), 17 teams and nearly 500 FIGites were involved, making it truly a people event, which was enjoyed by one and all as it brought about a feeling of unity between the Management and Workmen to work as well as play together for a common goal (or is it wicket!! since it’s cricket).

Anil S. Mathur, Chief Operating Officer, FIG, congratulates
the winning team at the FIG cricket tournament 2005.

Anil Mathur, our Chief Operating Officer, inaugurated the tournament. Mathur as well as Balchandra Joshi, President, Godrej & Boyce Shramik Sangh, along with other top members at FIG and GBSS were present on the closing day. It was announced that a rolling trophy would be instituted for the winning team at this mega event from next year onwards. This year’s winners were the team from Plant 13.

Anil S. Mathur, Chief Operating Officer, FIG (centre), Balchandra
Joshi, President, Godrej & Boyce Shramik Sangh (right), N.R. Singh,
Ramballi, Vijay Salaskar, Vice President, GBSS (left), along with
other union members.

The organising committee comprising Mangesh S. Ambre, Mahadev Sawant, Vijay Salaskar, Ramballi Yadav, Vilas Bhangar and Tej Bahadur Yadav along with the active involvement and support of Anil S. Mathur and Pradnya Salastekar made this event a “happening” one. We would also like to place on record our thanks to Anil Verma, Executive Vice President, Corporate Personnel and Administration, for sanctioning the use of the Hillside Colony grounds for the FIG cricket festival.

(Inputs from M.S. Ambre, Personnel Department, FIG)

Doreen Rosario

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