Another major concern is controlling the fixed cost. Ghosh believes in keeping it lean. "Following Toyota WCM, there is obvious focus on Lean manufacturing practices. Daily practice of tools like 5S and Kanban ensure good control on cost. Total strength of workmen has been restricted, considering the cyclical nature of the capital equipment market. All demand surges are handled by hiring trainees as well as by outsourcing," he explains.

How about handling customer issues? "Through very strong tracking, review process, root cause analysis, problem solving techniques, each and every customer related problem is handled. A monthly review meeting, attended by the MD and other senior management team members, critically analyses the customer issues and resolution," Ghosh says.

It is a highly competitive world and Ghosh believes that the only way to stay ahead of competition is to innovate and to bring in new technologies. "Disa has been a leader in this for over 113 years. There is a big focus to develop the mindset of our employees towards innovation and new products.

We have run very successful technology transfer programs, wherein, several products from our European and American technology centres have been indigenised. The R&D facility at Bangalore has also developed high-end technologies, suitable for India and Asia. Moreover, our team has been trained on new technologies in India and abroad and has very successfully embraced the same."

Success of any organisation entirely depends upon the success of its team. "At Disa, we are fortunate to have a strong team, which helps in overcoming any challenge. Yearly target of training man-days are fixed at the beginning of the year after a detailed competency mapping and training need identifications. Through various internal and external trainings, knowledge and skill levels of our workmen and staff are continuously upgraded."