A technology-driven global leader in metal forming with its presence across eight manufacturing locations, the Company has expanded its product offerings across both the automotive and the industrial sectors. The company's global expansion reflects India's increasing manufacturing clout across international borders.

"Venturing into new processes and technologies, while experimenting constantly, has been our core strength," he says. The Company has the largest repository of metallurgical knowledge in the region and offers full-service supply capability to its customers from concept to product design, engineering, manufacturing, testing and validation.

While consolidating the Company's manufacturing reach, Baba Kalyani is equally focused on strengthening its balance sheet. For example, he divested 51.85 percent stake in his Chinese JV operations for US$ 28.208 million and reduced net financial debt, both at the consolidated and the standalone levels.

"A strong and robust balance sheet has enabled us to invest in capacities and create full service supply capability, at the same time enabling us to withstand two synchronised down cycles across geographies and segments in the past five years. Diversification and focus on excellence, innovation and customers, have all contributed to our growth and performance," he says.

Today the nation's economic scenario is fast changing thanks to the new government's slew of reforms. "BFL is optimistic of the growth coming in the CV side and an improvement in the industrial capex by the end of the current fiscal year. This would provide a big driver for growth in the Indian revenues. BFL's focus going forward is to increase the content per vehicle by developing new products for the commercial vehicle sector and new customer wins on the passenger vehicles front. This should result in the domestic sales growing faster than the underlying market growth," Kalyani says with certain confidence, now gearing up his organisation for the next phase of growth.

But then, whether it is recession or revival, Baba Kalyani is quite used to it. Perhaps it's got to do with the obsession with machinery and a habit he seems to have developed ever since he was a six-year old. Then, he would pull apart his bicycle only to put it back together again. Now, he is restructuring and transforming organisations and industries.

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