Treat workers well, stop relying on jugaad: Jain

Time of India

11-07-2025

At a panel discussion organised by the Chamber of Industrial & Commercial Undertakings (CICU), industry leaders and experts called for a change in mindset, saying that world-class manufacturing was no longer a choice but a necessity.
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Sachit Jain, vice-chairman and managing director (MD), Vardhman Special Steels, said that Ludhiana had no option but to comply with standards of world-class manufacturing. "It is no longer a matter of choice. The way the world is aligned, manufacturing is coming to India from China. Whether it was Covid or the shifting geopolitical landscape, the opportunity is ours to take," he said.
Naming leading international companies, he said that the reason firms in Ludhiana were unable to match their stature was their mindset.
"We here in Ludhiana think of jugaad, which won't take us there," he said. He called for replacing the culture of jugaad with systematic problem-solving. "In Japan, things run on time, while in Ludhiana we settle for somehow in time. That's where the shift must begin. Quality, safety and punctuality cannot be negotiable," he asserted.
Drawing from his own practices, Jain shared that he meets at least six workers every day to understand their concerns and foster a culture of respect and safety.
"If we want world-class output, we must treat our people in a world-class way. That's where the transformation begins," he said.
David William Augustine, who heads the Ludhiana project of Tata Steel said that this was an exciting time for India. "The pandemic disrupted global supply chains and exposed over-dependence on China. With the ongoing geopolitical tensions and trade realignments, the world is looking at India to fill that gap," he said.
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"The Japanese made quality a cultural value. That's what we must do in India. Quality has to become DNA," he said.
Ambrish Jain, a leading industrialist, warned against resisting change. "In 2005, the world started talking about going paperless. We were scared. But we moved forward—started stapling wood, then scissors, blades, and now vacuum bottles. We now export to over 100 countries, with 90% revenue from our own brands."
He said said the biggest barrier to growth was often the mindset of the owner. "If your systems and processes are not strong enough to function without you, your company cannot grow.
The owner must become redundant for the company to scale," he said.
Lokesh Jain, chairman, CII Ludhiana and director, TK Steels, spoke about ESG (environmental, social, and governance) responsibility. He said that sustainability was often reduced to paperwork and compliance, but it must become a lived value.
"We planted over 18,000 native trees using the Miyawaki method. As a result, pollination of the native tree species is happening across a 10-kilometre radius. Giving back to society and the environment should not be a compliance report, it should be our culture and our own moral responsilbity without any need for a compliance or rule," he said.