India – A beacon of light in the gloomy world of economic turmoil
India – A beacon of light in the gloomy world of economic turmoil
On the occasion of 76th Independence day, Rahul Garg talks about India’s unprecedented growth.
On her diamond jubilee of Independence, India is setting the pace for science, technology, manufacturing and a collective rise in the quality of living for the world to follow. When we won our independence in 1947, the share of national investment in science and technology was 0.1 per cent of the GDP. After a fractious partition and centuries of a colonial hangover, we immersed ourselves into a mode of nation-building that can serve as an example for any young nation todav.
Digital nirvana enabled by startups
As more quintessential Indian consumers shift to a digitally native approach, startups are fulfilling this transformation by addressing the consumer experience gap. The B2B and D2C category provides a secondary business substrate to a new generation of creators with unlimited reach. Startups are at the heart of India’s service-oriented economy’s transformation into a product-led behemoth.
Moglix- Fueling the Next Generation of Digital Supply Chain
Moglix- Fueling the Next Generation of Digital Supply Chain
Rahul Garg, CEO and Founder recently shared his vision
Moglix is an ecommerce company intensively inclined towards helping business procure industrial supplies, in particular MRO, safety, electricals, lighting, cleaning and housekeeping, office stationary and supplies, power tools and many more business essentials.
”
Talking about the spectrum Moglix covers, Founder and CEO, Rahul Garg said: “Today, we serve 5 million MSMEs and over 1,000 global enterprises to digitise their procurement and supply chain at more than 3,000 plants across auto, pharma, chemical, infrastructure, metals and mining, oil and gas, FMCG and many more sectors.”
Moglix On A Mission to give back to the Community of Armed Forces, Announces Internship Program
Moglix On A Mission to give back to the Community of Armed Forces, Announces Internship Program
Moglix has launched Shaurya, a 3-month internship program in supply chain and procurement for the children of armed forces personnel of all three wings namely, the Indian Army, the Indian Air Force, and the Indian Navy.
The internship program will provide a platform to the children of defence personnel to get exposure to the functioning of the new age supply chain industry for three months.
Introduced on the occasion of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav that marks the completion of 75 years of India’s independence, Rahul Garg, Founder & CEO, Moglix, said, “We have envisaged this internship program to give back to the community of armed forces personnel by enabling access to career opportunities in the supply chain industry for their children. Candidates with relevant educational background and a zeal for the supply chain industry will become future ready through this program,” he added.
In search of holy grail of employee wellbeing – Workplace Safety
In search of holy grail of employee wellbeing – Workplace Safety
The rate of change in the workplace is at an all-time high. We all know that change is inevitable and necessary to stay ahead of the competition, but change can induce fatigue across all workforce levels. Gartner’s 2022 report on Top HR Priorities lists change management and redesigning the organisation to be future-ready as critical focus areas for HR leaders.
An excellent first step for talent leaders at organizations’, both big and small, is to define what constitutes employee safety and well-being. A few parameters that can help determine this can be:
1. The nature of work – implications of employee safety for a heavy industry manufacturing facility and a large IT firm are obviously different. The correlation between the business model and employee behavior is affected by nuances like a field workforce, travel, distributed work facilities and man-machine interaction.
2. The intensity of work – Some roles can be more demanding and have longer-lasting implications on people’s physical and mental states. organisations need to be mindful of how much stress various roles can generate.
The concept of Zen derived from Mahayana Buddhism is based on strict principles and virtues, and yet, it retains fluidity to allow disciples to achieve a higher state of mind. Similarly, organisations can seamlessly tie workplace safety and employee well-being with their purpose and culture
Moglix enroute the next wave of rapid growth
Moglix enroute the next wave of rapid growth
Rahul Garg, CEO and Founder recently shared his vision on how Moglix is gearing up for the next wave of rapid growth. He also mentioned that based on various strategic initiatives and strong financial performance last year Moglix is planning to break even in 18 months.
Expanding to newer geographies will also part of his rapid growth strategy, though he believes that it won’t be as straight forward as it sounds, since there aren’t many companies in the similar space.
“There are a lot of things that we need to do as an organization to expand [such as] grabbing more of the market share. We have the best global names that can be on any cap table. So, I think working together to expand globally is the key thing for us”
Pitching For A Procurement Transformation? Here’s Your Checklist Before You Take the Big Leap
Pitching For A Procurement Transformation? Here’s Your Checklist Before You Take the Big Leap
Procurement transformation is a continuous process evolving with technological leaps and digital revolutions. Touchless procurement, ease of discovery, catalog-based buying, sustainable procurement, catalyzed ESG policies, and visibility across the value chain are some benefits that can emerge from a procurement transformation if executed with precision and fastidiousness. However, pitching for procurement mutation can be a tricky task.
Pitching to the Manufacturing Head
A presentation is more likely to succeed with the manufacturing chief if it pivots around the overwhelming importance of digitization and decentralization. A catalog-based purchase platform will tabulate and digitize the list of reliable vendors, which will, over time, aid in filtering out suppliers whose performance and cost-effectiveness outmatch others.
Pitching to the CFO
If a pitch must be made to the CFO, the procurement transformation is more likely to come to fruition if it emphasizes the anticipated cost reductions that will accompany the weeding out of teams engaged in non-value-generating activities.
Pitching to the CEO
A procurement transformation prioritizing customers and their responses will draw greater attention from the CEO.
Why Does Your Company Need A Procurement Transformation?
1. Evaluating the Topline and Profitability Impact of Procurement Transformation
2. Measuring Success at Each Milestone of the Project
3. Avoiding Common Roadblocks
4. Getting Quick Wins
The Final Word
In the new scenario, a procurement officer will have to forego the reliability, stability and predictability of the old matrix and anticipate new seismic shocks to the procurement chain from all corners. These shocks could be systemic, as was the case with the pandemic or financial, as is the case with inflationary pressures or triggered by larger geopolitical tensions. The work of tightening the nuts and bolts of a procurement pipeline is seemingly unending and is a part of the business hygiene of a company.
The Periodic Table of Leadership: Observations from the Laboratory of Indian Cricket
The Periodic Table of Leadership: Observations from the Laboratory of Indian Cricket
As you go from left to right on the periodic table, the acid-base character of elements goes from basic to acidic. Can leadership be defined in the context of the chemistry laboratory setting? Is there a litmus test for leadership in an organization?
What lies beneath this base to acid transformation is a display of multiple elements in leadership among individuals with diverse natures: acidic, basic, and inert. It is also a catalysis of controlled experiments to trigger responses and movements to achieve targeted outcomes.
Three Key Leaders of Team India and the Chemistry They Brought to the Dressing Room
Through the early and mid-nineties, Indian cricket fans remained glued to their television sets to watch one cricketer deliver their hopes and dreams: Sachin Tendulkar. Giving the master blaster good company was his perfect foil and the wall of Indian cricket.
Rahul Dravid, a lone warrior for the Indian cricket team, watching him bat was no less than a pure transcendental meditation.
The third leader in the Indian cricket team is “Lord Snooty.” When Sourav Ganguly captained the Indian side on the field, he had a message for his opponents: “Either you respect Team India out of your volition, or we will make you respect us.”
Testing the Elements of Human Behavior in the Laboratory of Organizational Development
Is it possible to apply the template of the periodic table of human elements of behavior to a real-world laboratory setting of organizational leadership development in the same way as the Indian cricket team discovered its next big leader, Mahendra Singh Dhoni? The answer is hidden in the elements of the periodic table and the behavioral patterns they form.
Need for Speed: Digitalization in the Automotive Industry
Need for Speed: Digitalization in the Automotive Industry
The automotive industry has emerged as a force to be reckoned with, propelling the economy’s growth narrative with enthusiasm and vigor. According to RBI figures, the industry contributes a significant 10-12% of the GVA of the manufacturing sector, underlining its importance to the economy.
Goals and objectives that automotive firms’ CPOs aim to carve out an intelligent, agile, and future-ready unit.
1. Building Resiliency in Supply Chains, Procurement, and Manufacturing
CPO now needs an anti-fragile supply and value chain that can embrace and adapt to the demand of supply chain flexibility.
2. Building Data and Digital Capabilities in The Value Chain
Digitization took the front seat in the wake of the first lockdown. CPOs across the automotive industry had to think on their feet and ensure that their stalled supply chain remained visible and traceable across the value chain. The right approach to digitization includes the extended vendor network to avoid silos of data collection and visibility down to the last mile.
3. Using Data for Seamless Physical – Digital Integration
A smarter data-intelligent business helps automotive firms eliminate price variations across plants while improving plant visibility and tracking real-time orders. It also sets up evolved ERP planning as a norm across the value chain universe of the automotive firm. High-quality data collected from vendors, OEMs, and suppliers deliver actionable insights to large firms.
The Final Word
Automotive firms were dealt a tough hand during the pandemic, and the more agile among them have responded by initiating a paradigm-changing transformation in the supply chain. Setting aside the threat of disruptions, elevating businesses to achieve holistic data intelligence has yielded impactful results such as improved supply risk management, robust savings on outlays, inventory reduction, and a dramatic fall in supply line choke-ups.
Things CIO Should Know About Procurement Transformation
Things CIO Should Know About Procurement Transformation
Three years back, we chanced upon an opportunity to collaborate with a leading FMCG company in India to fulfill their procurement mandate. However, there were a set of challenges, which could have given the next level of productivity to the business.
- It took 7 days for the procurement team to create the contract since buyers had to use a complex multi-screen application for doing the same
- When buyers logged onto the system, there were 100s of contracts waiting for their attention, with no intuitive way for them to prioritize.
- Buyers were required to fill values for which they had to refer to other systems or offline documents, making it very time-consuming
- Buyers were required to make certain decisions while creating the contract e.g., “mode of shipment”, but they didn’t have sufficient data points around costs and lead time to make the right choices.
- After submitting the contract, they had to wait for a validation report from another team. The team used to revert to them after 2-3 days with errors in their entries.
While the above case is cited in a specific context, the same set of problems are hampering productivity across the procurement function. These problems can be addressed by using 3 simple concepts.
- Super-app Experience
- Procurement Control Tower
- Risk Watcher
Bridging the Divide: Challenges at the doorstep of chemical procurement leaders
The life of procurement officers is challenging and simultaneously demands innovation and efficiency.
Summary
There is still significant room for improvement. And the road to such improvement passes through the office of the CIO.
Procurement challenges and the future of digitalization in the Indian chemical industry
Procurement challenges and the future of digitalization in the Indian chemical industry
The role of the CPO in a critical sector like chemical goes beyond the apparent cost reductions and stability of material sourcing. The new-age CPO in the chemical industry needs to accept supply chain complexities, vendor consolidation, and innovations in packaging and distribution to tap the tremendous growth potential in the sector.
Bridging the Divide: Challenges at the doorstep of chemical procurement leaders
The life of procurement officers is challenging and simultaneously demands innovation and efficiency.
The ever-broadening scope of the supply chain
Chemical handling complexities create a need for specialized lab equipment, safe transportation, and storage options.
The complexities of vendor management
With many specialized vendors, organizations will face challenges of timing, logistics costs, dependability and quality. Transportation of materials is a crucial challenge. Material and human safety, temperature control and brittleness of packaging are essential to smooth operations. Real-time tracking and predictability of bottlenecks alleviate these procurement challenges.
Need for innovation and stability in packaging
As every chemical industry CPO will attest, spillage continues to be a significant concern for every industry player. Due to the hazardous nature of chemicals, storage and transportation is very complex and need specialized training to manage. While glass is the primary choice of storage due to its excellent properties, it is also brittle and prone to breakage.
A shift in global procurement trends
The CPO needs a robust end-to-end procurement platform to help navigate international policy and multi-vendor management.
A positive shift towards sustainability
Innovation requires agility as the nature of procurement could change based on supplier location and pricing considerations. Sustainability is the future and could soon become a higher prioritization parameter than even price.
The advent of digital transformation in the chemical industry
Though the chemical industry is no stranger to digitalization, the pandemic has accelerated the adoption of innovation-led technologies, including but not limited to remote operation centers, industry 4.0, robotics, and autonomous operations in warehouses and logistics.
Back