Apparent in hindsight

Second Edition

By Vector Consulting Group | Published by
Rupa Publications Founded more than eighty years ago in College Street, Kolkata, the company has been at the forefront of Indian publishing throughout its existence, finding and promoting the most exciting writing talent the country has to offer. Over the years, the company has published numerous acclaimed novelists and non-fiction writers, including well-known sportspeople, politicians, economists, journalists, actors, entrepreneurs and industrialists. As a result of this consistently strong publishing programme, the company has registered robust year-on-year top-line growth over the years, at a level unparalleled in the publishing industry.

The book delves deep into the chronic problems faced by almost all companies in the Indian automotive industry. It closely examines and challenges the fundamental assumptions that have held firm since time immemorial and guided the management of these companies in procurement, operations, distribution and sales. The book is also a commentary on the state of the much haloed improvement techniques being employed by companies for decades—large and small alike—with little improvement to show for the humungous effort being put in. What it presents is the only practical way to improving the state of affairs of such companies—which is extremely powerful because it is very simple. Presented as a story of two key managers of a company, the narrative follows their personal and professional struggles as they deal with conflicts and contradictions that life throws at them and try to surmount their problems. Do they redeem themselves?

Publishing Year:

2022

No. of pages:

256 pages

Language:

English

Binding:

Paperback

ISBN:

978-93-5520-376-2

Preview chapters

Foreword

By Vinod K Dasari

I found this business novel to be an engaging read for two reasons. Firstly, I could easily relate to the setting of the story, i.e. the automotive industry. The authors present issues and facets of an auto components company in a way that leaves you feeling as if they were present in some of your meetings. Secondly, the style of storytelling is such that the reader is led step by step—through a series of disagreements, missteps, unexpected inspirations, and lightbulb moments—towards the logic of the solution for some of the chronic issues faced by the auto companies.

However, I should also mention that while the logic is compelling and simple, and the benefits to be reaped bountiful, the implementation is challenging. That said, the book offers an insight into the functioning of auto companies, and is a must-read for anyone aiming for operational excellence in the auto industry.

What’s more, the narrative of the book can also be enjoyed by a manager in the sales, distribution, or production departments of most businesses, as neither the problems, nor the solutions are necessarily unique to the automotive industry. They are bound to be present in almost every organization that sells their products through channel partners

Vinod K. Dasari

Vinod K. Dasari has served as the CEO of Royal Enfield, Managing Director and CEO at Ashok Leyland, Joint Managing Director at Cummins India and President (Rail) at the Timken Company. He has completed his MBA from the Kellogg School of Management.

About The Author

Vector Consulting Group is a management consulting firm with a focus on single solution offering—helping clients build unique operations and supply chain capabilities that can be leveraged as a competitive edge in the market. Vector uses platform of Theory of Constraints (TOC) solutions and thinking processes for developing these capabilities for its clients. Vector Consulting Group is widely known for being an implementation-focused consulting firm with a unique risk-sharing model of consulting, unprecedented in the Indian industry.

Founded in 2006, Vector has come to be one of the largest and fastest-growing management consulting companies in India, well within its first decade. Vector has pioneered Theory of Constraints implementations in companies belonging to large corporate houses in India like Tata Motors, TVS group, Cummins, Kirloskar and Larsen & Toubro, among many others.

More about Vector Consulting Group

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