By Rtn A.V. Pathy
Is this always true? “Mostly” will be the answer. The current business scenario proves this right. Advent of this phenomenon has certainly taken the Cotton City to a level playing field in the international business scenario.
There is no more organizing business as divisions or groups in the emerging market. They have become independent companies and have one big numero uno – the group centre. The core owner of the group will grab opportunities and embark on new projects, all the while retaining the group’s identity and values.
It takes a long time to acquire capabilities and even longer in a region like Coimbatore where companies face problems like lack of competent suppliers, distribution networks, shortage of power and qualified candidates to fill managerial positions.
What the Coimbatoreans did to overcome this and be on par with global companies or sometimes even excel? A little bit of history of how Coimbatore came on the industrial map of the nation will throw more light on this issue.
The Sahayadris, also known as the Western Ghats, comprise a fragile but vital eco-system of the Indian sub-continent. It also harbours a large diversity of human cultures encompassing an area of 159,000 sq. km. It influences the well-being of the entire peninsula through modulating climate, river water flow, ground water recharge and fertile delta soils. This phenomenal blessing of the landscape is the sole reason for the growth and development of various sectors and avenues in this region.
Coimbatore, being the base of this range, has been endowed with this richness and diversity that has led to a booming textile and cotton industry. It is the climate of Coimbatore and the innovative thinking of the Coimbatorean that brought about this industry. Eventually the adaptability of the entrepreneur gave rise to products and processes that are world class.
Going by history we can see that there have been the good and the bad times here too. But there was never a compromise on the thoroughly researched product and process ideas. The technocrats who built this brick by brick always developed and tested the very best ingredients and methods to produce products of high quality. This, being contagious, has spread over the region like wild fire.
In today’s Industrial scenario how has this region overcome several issues?
With the emergence of a new customer segment with more money to spend, the industrialist realised and grasped the situation. And the companies moved up quickly to cater to this segment.
Shifting to getting the business model right and becoming profitable, they grabbed the situation with innovative product design, engineering and quality management, not just in manufacturing but in other activities also.
Focus on scaling upto becoming leading players in the domestic market and consolidating the position often by acquiring competitors or merging. They kept product lines and markets relatively narrow and filled capability gaps through greater investments in R&D and partnerships.
Generating greater brands and greater services. To generate this kind of breakout growth, they made portfolios of strong brands to compete across multiple price points, innovation capablilities and used advanced technology to develop precision products and sophisticated marketing and thus scaling up.
The Coimbatorean has come a long way and contributed greatly to the nation’s GDP. The faith and positive charge of this clan will lead to a greater, larger and a more scenic future.
* The author is the Managing Partner of Gopinath Enterprises. Industrial maintenance is his vocation and has been at it for the last 20 years representing major companies like L&T