At the Bangalore air show, we got a contract from Boeing for supplying structural components, and we are already supplying jet engine components to Rolls Royce. Both these are titanium-based, not steel components. – Baba Kalyani
In 2006, the global economy was doing well. In India, the political and economic situation was stable. All key macroeconomic indicators reflected an economy that was in robust good health. – Baba Kalyani
Everywhere in the world, whether manufacturing, trade or whatever, it is controlled by one apparatus and one policy perspective. Here we have one prime minister with good intentions, and six ministries running their own empires. This creates problems including the import culture. – Baba Kalyani
With liberalisation, Indian industry gained international exposure because of which it became imperative for companies to rework their strategies to become globally competitive. – Baba Kalyani
From an operational perspective, exports challenge companies to design, develop, manufacture and supply products to discerning customers in global markets. This, in turn, motivates companies to scale up the value chain, which results in higher realisations. – Baba Kalyani
Our strategy should be based on indigenisation and import substitution. The government must provide opportunities for domestic companies to participate in sectors in which the country continues to depend on imports. – Baba Kalyani
I am able to compete not because my labour is cheap, but because I can use technology better than others. – Baba Kalyani
Fundamentally, we have broken our aerospace business into three parts – large parts which go into the wings and fuselage, components for jet engines, and specialised structural components for landing gear. – Baba Kalyani
I don’t think one party has a bad vision over the other party. I have no doubts that every Indian and every Indian political leadership would like to see this country get to a much better level. We would all like to see inclusive growth. – Baba Kalyani
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. – Baba Kalyani
I had my own motor boat which we would take to Khadakvasla, but that was 40 years ago. – Baba Kalyani
I had the option of building a career in the U.S. Many of my friends who went at the time did not come back, but for me, building the family business and being with family was worth it. I became a general manager within four months, as I used my education to improve productivity and output. – Baba Kalyani
The commodity price easing really does not play too much role in our margins because our basic raw material – steel – is not really a commodities engineering steel. – Baba Kalyani
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. – Baba Kalyani
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. – Baba Kalyani
I am sick and tired of the process where everybody tells you that Indian companies don’t have the technology and capability. We need to put money where our mouth is and make things happen, and that is what we are trying to do. – Baba Kalyani
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. – Baba Kalyani
We’ve made two products; one is a 155 mm 52-calibre gun with self-propelling and towing capability. This is a field gun – the mainstay of the Indian army like the Bofors guns. Our gun is similar but of a longer range. That was 39 calibre; this is 52. The calibre denotes the length of the barrel and the range. – Baba Kalyani
Subsidies on petroleum products and fertilizers should be phased out in a defined, time-bound manner. The resources that would get freed up could then be used to fund various social sector programmes in education, healthcare and other priority sectors. – Baba Kalyani
Import and substituting imports with domestic production are a big opportunity. With a devaluation of the rupee, imports get expensive, and for Indian manufacturers, this creates a huge opportunity. – Baba Kalyani
It’s the adventure, the adrenaline-flowing, risk-taking in outdoor activities that attracts me. – Baba Kalyani
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. – Baba Kalyani
If India has to achieve exponential growth, it would have to be on the back of strong growth in the manufacturing sector. – Baba Kalyani
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. – Baba Kalyani
