Baba Kalyani
Baba Kalyani
Babasaheb Neelkanth Kalyani is an Indian businessman who served as the chairman and managing director of Bharat Forge, the flagship company of the Kalyani Group and the world's second-largest forgings manufacturer after ThyssenKrupp of Germany...
NationalityIndian
ProfessionBusinessman
Date of Birth7 January 1949
CountryIndia
build business call capable challenged colonel companies defence heads indian programme prove
We passionately set up a programme that we call the Indian gun programme. I challenged Colonel Bhatia, who heads our defence business, that let's build an Indian gun. There's a belief that Indian companies aren't capable of this, and we want to prove them wrong, as we did in components.
countries defence examples private
We need to just study what other countries have done. There are examples of a strong partnership between the defence establishment and the private industry.
almost commercial components critical diesel domestic engine engines entirely including market medium parts passenger portion relatively till
We manufacture automotive components including critical engine and axle parts for passenger cars, diesel engines and medium & heavy commercial vehicles. Till 1997, our focus was almost entirely on the domestic market with a relatively insignificant portion of revenues from exports.
basket cost export factors fixed includes increasing industrial ourselves railways reducing work
We have done a lot of work on cost reduction, getting ourselves lean, reducing our breakeven, reducing our fixed cost and increasing exports. All of these factors help because our export basket is not just automotive but also includes industrial products, railways and others.
backward benefit sections society
We are a heterogeneous society. We have to accept that. Growth has to be such that the most backward sections also benefit from it. Otherwise, it will be a very imbalanced growth.
anticipate capacity cater countries heavy increasing power spending
We anticipate countries increasing their spending on infrastructure like railways, airports, power plants and ports. Our heavy forging plant has the capacity to cater to each of these segments.
break brush capability defence equipment feeling money prove spent system
There is a feeling within our system that defence equipment can't be made here and should be imported. I wanted to break this myth, so we spent our money and made a product to prove we have capability in this country, so don't just brush us aside.
best build built business created footprints global period
The period from 2002 to 2007 was probably our best period. We created a strategy to build global scale, footprints in each of the geographies and dramatically built our international business.
business commercial contracted domestic far grown heavy largely medium vehicle
The Indian business has largely grown on the back of exports. The domestic markets, as far as our Indian business is concerned, actually have contracted because of the contraction in the medium and heavy commercial vehicle space.
cheap germany india industry labor low move people plant quite reactions saying steal technology
The first reactions from Germany and German industry was quite negative. People right from the start were saying that we will steal technology and take it away and move the plant to India and use low cheap labor to compete.
business railways trying united
We have got into Indian railways and are trying to get into the railway locomotive business in Europe and the United States.
agile business
We can reorient our products and business strategy because we are an agile organisation.
exports fixed market rate spot
We book our exports forward for more than a year, and so we have a fixed rate. We do not get the spot rate that we see in the market every day.
believe joint proposed step venture vision
We believe in the vision of 'Make in India,' and our proposed joint venture with Rafael is a step in this direction.