2010-11 has been a very good year for Cummins India Limited. The
Company resumed its higher growth levels, exceeded its financial
targets, progressed on its non-financial objectives and consequently,
remained a Dependable partner to all its stakeholders. Along the way,
it also crossed significant milestones, the most notable being the
inauguration of the 300-acre Cummins Megasite at Phaltan earlier this
year. The project reaffirms our commitment to profitable growth as well
as our One Cummins approach.
I am pleased to share that Cummins India Limited posted record sales as
well as profits, making 2010-11 the best year in its history. Net sales
for Cummins India Limited grew 39 percent to Rs. 3,945.4 crores. Net
profit before tax at Rs. 802.4 crores increased 31 percent. The
Companys cash position remained strong even as we continued to invest
in our expansion programs.
Maintain or Grow Market Leadership
The Company has nearly doubled its revenues over the last four years.
All four of our businesses: Industrial, Automotive, Power Generation
and Distribution have contributed towards this success with equal
passion. Clearly this type of growth has been at higher rates than the
GDP growth which implies that we have been growing our market share
leadership. With this strong foundation of market leadership, unmatched
technology, scale and customer support footprint, along with time
tested strategies and a stable, diverse leadership team, the Company is
positioned well for another doubling by 2015.
Critical to this high growth have been our new product programs and
fit for market solutions that have helped us increase our share in
the markets we compete in. Classic examples of fit for market
solutions are the mechanically controlled 4B/6B engines that were
developed to meet tighter construction segment emissions norms by our
Industrial Engine Business this year. Likewise, our Automotive Business
redesigned our B series engines to meet the more stringent BSIII
emissions norms with mechanically controlled product leading to lower
cost and ease of maintainability. The new BSIII emissions norms are now
applicable throughout the country, barring 13 major cities, which are
at BSIV. Our preparedness not only helped our customers transition
smoothly to the new norms, but also testified our leadership in
developing clean and green technologies.
I am happy to relay that our Automotive Business also successfully
concluded the requirement of 3,500 natural gas powered B series engines
for low-floor eco-friendly buses. Ordered by OEMs that were fulfilling
the Delhi Transport Corporation tender, these deliveries were staggered
over a three-year time frame.
Our Engine Business grew in the High Horsepower segments by positioning
value packages in the rail (AC- AC DEMU), marine and pump segment. Last
year we had seeded a prototype unit for the Self Propelled Accident
Relief Train (SPART). Following its successful validation, we are now
working on commencing production of these units for the Indian
Railways. The business made further inroads in this segment with major
projects like Diesel Electric Multiple Units (DEMU), Power Car, and 4
and 8 Wheeler Over Head Equipment (OHE) cars.
In order to provide greater value to our customers in the water well
drilling segment our Engine Business introduced new rig packages
powered by our 14 liter and 19 liter engines. For the construction and
mining segments we launched the 15 liter and 19 liter electronic
engines. These engines were on display at the 10th International Mining
and Machinery Exhibition held in Kolkata (IMME). These state-of-the-art
engines reinforce our commitment to the construction and mining
industry, while highlighting our emission leadership and unrivalled
fuel economy.
Our Power Generation Business saw a surge in demand for low horsepower
generator sets, which has led us to plan further expansion in our
capacity. We intend to set up a power generation plant on the Cummins
Megasite in the Special Economic Zone in Phaltan. With an initial
capacity of 36,000 units per annum, and a matured capacity of over
50,000 units, this facility would manufacture generator sets and
generator drives in the low and medium horsepower range for exports.
The business also launched the 78 liter QSK78 generators for the
domestic market, positioning us to become the market leading player in
this range.
Our Distribution Business launched an end-to-end maintenance service
for telecom towers, which is running successfully in 440 locations.
This success offers potential for additional business and also an
opportunity to increase the value of our offering.
For long-term success of an organization, capable leadership at various
levels is fundamental. We have taken a leader-led approach to imparting
these skills in the Company. These Leadership Culture sessions were
initiated by the Cummins Inc. Chairman and CEO, Tim Solso.
Subsequently, the Cummins Inc. President and COO, Tom Linebarger
facilitated Coaching & Developing sessions around the world. He was
followed by our global Business Presidents, Pamela Carter on Talent
Management, Rich Freeland on Fostering Open Communications, Tony
Satthertwaite on Diversity Management and yours truly on Strategic
Thinking/Setting the Aim. I have also been conducting interactive
sessions on Leadership Excellence in the Indian context for managers
across all levels in India.
Furthering our leadership development efforts, we also launched the
Global Leadership Development Program in India. The Program is targeted
towards our senior leaders to help them become more effective in and
outside India. Additionally, the soon to be announced Building Success
in Others program, will provide support to first time managers,
equipping them with skills to provide good leadership to junior level
employees. We are optimistic that these sessions will help develop
excellent leaders capable of leading the Company towards long-term,
sustainable prosperity.
Right talent is an essential element to driving high growth that is
profitable. The Company is likely to increase its employee strength by
over 700 this year. Compared to historical levels this is a very
significant increase in hiring volume, and I am happy to relay that
numerous initiatives and investments are currently underway to enable
us do this well.
We believe diversity leads to innovation and excellence. Clearly, in
order to succeed in todays competitive environment, it is essential to
have individuals representing diverse backgrounds at all levels of the
organization. Being passionately driven by the senior leadership and
embraced by all others in the organization, the year saw us improve
representation of women to 19%, with almost 25% women employed in key
leadership roles. We are committed to and are working determinedly
towards achieving our target of 30% women representation by 2012. We
also continued to make progress in expanding the representation of
employees from different regions of India.
Given the positive market conditions, coupled with investments that we
are making in our people, products, technologies and infrastructure, we
believe the Company is poised to achieve another doubling of revenue in
the coming four years.
Exceed 40% Return on Average Net Assets (ROANA) and 16% Profit Before
Interest and Tax (PBIT)
One of the most visible initiatives to supporting the above objectives
is the investment in the Cummins Megasite at Phaltan. Besides
augmenting capacities, the considerably leaner and efficient facilities
built on this site are geared to help us significantly from a cost
perspective. Moreover, by virtue of their location all the expansion
projects stand to benefit immensely from the incentives offered by the
State Government.
The Cummins Megasite was inaugurated on January 14, 2011, by
dignitaries; Shri. Sharad Pawar (Union Minister of Agriculture), Shri.
Prithviraj Chavan (Chief Minister of Maharashtra), Smt. Supriya Sule
(Member of Parliament) and other senior ministers of State, in the
presence of the Cummins Inc. Chairman and CEO, Tim Solso. With this
inauguration we launched the first three expansion projects at the
Cummins Megasite, marking the beginning of a Campus that will see
nearly 10 facilities operating from one location in the coming few
years. All of these projects will have a positive impact on your
Company.
High Horsepower Rebuild Center: This Center rebuilds mechanical and
electronic engines from 19 liters up to 60 liters, and repairs all
Cummins engines helping our Distribution Business meet the requirements
of our rapidly increasing customer base.
Tata Cummins Limited: This project is an expansion of the joint venture
Tata Cummins Limited for manufacturing the B series and ISB electronic
engines. Built to cater to the surging commercial vehicle, power
generation and industrial markets, this expansion will help the Company
serve its customers, more effectively.
ReCon: This plant is a state-of-the-art remanufacturing facility for
parts and engines up to 19 liters in size. This allows the Cummins
India Limited Distribution Business to serve its customers with cost
effective parts and engines that offer similar warranty as a new part
or engine.
Other than these three initial projects, the next unit to commence
operations this year will be a common Parts Distribution Center (PDC)
that will serve all Cummins businesses in India. This unit aims to
improve supply chain efficiency in aftermarket parts distribution and
warehouse operations. In addition to supporting our Distribution
Business, the Center will offer optimal warehouse space to all the
businesses in India, bringing significant improvement to our inventory
management. The Center will have the Cummins Inc. global processes as
well as IT. infrastructure that will enable excellent delivery
performance to our customers.
Next in line is an engine upfit plant to cater to the growing
requirements of the construction, compressor, and marine segments.
Apart from upfitting mechanical and electronic B and L engines for
various applications, the facility will also manufacture C series
engines. Upon completion the plant will produce 20,000 engines
annually.
I am happy to share with you our plans to expand the laboratories and
engineering facilities at our Kothrud site into a global, full-fledged
India Technical Center. The India Technical Center would support the
growth plans of our Industrial, Power Generation, Automotive and
Components businesses in India and globally; designing solutions that
are cleaner, healthier and safer, and most of all cost effective,
giving the Company a competitive advantage in the domestic markets.
I am very optimistic about all these projects and their collective
contribution to ensuring our Companys sustained growth in a profitable
manner.
As we go about growing our businesses, it is equally important to lean
ourselves out. Aligned to our low cost producer strategy, initiatives
such as ACE-II (Accelerated Cost Efficiency) which began in 2008 and
TRIMS (Total Cost Reduction in Indirect Materials and Services) which
we launched in 2009, continued to help us maintain our low cost
leadership position in the domestic markets, and remain the preferred
source for exports to our parent.
I am delighted to share that we concluded ACE-II having achieved 96% of
the targeted cost reduction, generating accrued savings of Rs. 53.8
crores during 2010-11. ACE-II aimed at reducing total cost of
ownership of direct materials by 20% over a three-year period.
Likewise, TRIMS was initiated to reduce the Total Cost of Ownership in
indirect materials by 10% per year over three years. The initiative
along with other purchasing projects have generated bottom line savings
of Rs. 12.4 crores and avoidance savings to the tune of Rs. 39.7 crores
for the Company. Additionally, the program has helped consolidate the
supply base and leverage our spend. Projects in the areas of cutting
tools, safety equipment, packaging, civil maintenance and housekeeping
are currently underway.
Another initiative that continues to play a critical role in driving
cost reduction is Six Sigma. Now in its eleventh year, Six Sigma has
become so much a part of our DNA that we have progressed to completing
nearly 355 projects during the year 2010-11, resulting in savings of
approximately Rs. 61.89 crores for the Company. Of the number of
projects closed, 90 are Customer Focused Six Sigma (CFSS) projects
where our customers were an integral part of the team. We have been
laying great emphasis on CFSS as they help our customers succeed and
deepen our relationship with them.
We also continued our efforts of engaging and working with our
suppliers. Together, we closed 50 Supplier Focused Six Sigma (SFSS)
projects.
The Sigma Lite program, renamed as Introduction to Six Sigma, saw 12
launches during the year, imparting training to more than 300 junior
managers across various businesses. We strongly believe that Six Sigma
is a great way of improving leadership skills, processes and
efficiencies and to this effect, have been investing heavily in
developing every employee to become a Green Belt and our best
performers to become dedicated Black Belts and Master Black Belts.
I am pleased to share that this year seven projects from India won the
Cummins Inc. Chairmans Quality Award presented by Tim Solso. Six Sigma
is an intrinsic part of our journey towards leadership excellence and
achieving Zero Defects.
Achieve and sustain the respect of all stakeholders
This is as important as achieving our earlier objectives.
I am delighted that shareholders benefited from the Companys
performance. We had disbursed an enhanced interim dividend of 350
percent (Rs. 7 per fully paid-up equity share of Rs. 2 each) in March
as compared to the 300 percent interim paid the previous year. We
concluded the 2010-11 financial year with recommendation of a final
dividend of 400 percent (Rs. 8 per share of Rs. 2 each) aggregating to
a record 750 percent (Rs. 15 per share of Rs. 2 each). The total return
to shareholders during the fiscal year including dividends and share
price appreciation was 38.9 percent. Over the last five fiscal years,
the total return has been 25.7 percent on a compounded annual growth
basis.
We continued to delight our customers with new technologies. As an
example, our Automotive Business introduced and successfully
demonstrated the CNG hybrid technology in conjunction with Tata Motors
for the buses that were supplied to Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC)
for the Commonwealth Games. The CNG hybrid technology offers
substantial improvement in fuel economy while reducing emissions.
A true measure of us achieving and sustaining the respect of our
customers is the Net Promoter Score (NPS), a system that we had
launched last year to measure customer loyalty. Based on the customer
feedback received through the system, our Distribution Business has
started a project called Re-engineering of the Service Delivery
Process1. The process has been designed to track every service event
from the beginning to the end, enhance communication with our customers
and draw the attention of senior leaders within the organization
towards speedy resolution of the concerns voiced. The Company has in
fact gone a step further in creating opportunities for customers to
interact directly with the senior leadership facilitating first hand
feedback on our products and services, thus demonstrating our
dedication to the first of the ten practices under Cummins Operating
System (COS), which is to put the customer first and provide real
value1.
That we are indeed the preferred partner to do business with was
endorsed with the Voice of the Customer award in five of ten
categories conferred by the international consultancy Frost & Sullivan
on our Power Generation Business. The business has received this
recognition for the second time since 2007, reinforcing the Companys
position as the preferred power generation brand in India. These awards
are based on the end-user satisfaction assessment that the consultancy
conducted among generator set customers in India and go a long way in
demonstrating our commitment to Dependability.
Additionally, our Engine Business was recognized by a much valued and
long-time business partner, Atlas Copco with the award for Best
Quality Performance.
Honours were conferred upon the Company by the leading industry body,
Confederation of Indian Industry (CM). Cll presented the Company with
the 11th National Award for Excellence in Energy Management 2010 for
the rural electrification project which the Company had initiated in
collaboration with the Cummins Engine Research Facility (CERF) at I IT
Bombay. This award under the category of Innovative Energy Saving
Product/ Service recognizes our indigenously developed technology which
allows electricity generation, utilizing locally available renewable
energy sources like Straight Vegetable Oil from non-edible oil seeds
grown locally, whilst minimizing overall carbon emissions. A pilot of
this project was validated in village Kolha in Orissa last year, just
one of the Companys many initiatives towards deploying technology and
expertise towards the development of the communities. The technology
was replicated at village Padarwadi in Maharashtra, this year. The
initiative captured on film won the first place amongst entries from 36
other global companies at the Boston College Center for Corporate
Citizenship Film Festival.
To our employees, we do not merely offer employment opportunities but
long-term growth prospects that allow them to develop and succeed in
the organization. Our Hire-To-Develop strategy is aimed at employing
the right talent that believes in the Cummins Core Values at the entry
level, which is then developed to take up greater responsibilities in
the organization. We believe that by doing this in a structured way, we
will be giving employees great work assignments and experiences, which
will not only enhance their skills but also cement long term
relationships with your Company. This year, 466 deserving employees
were provided an opportunity to take up new roles and responsibilities
within the organization. Over 100 engineers went through our Young
Managers Development Program (YMDP). Of the 31 MBA students from
premier B-Schools who had interned with us, 23 were retained through
suitable placement across varied functions in the Company. A sizeable
percentage of our new recruits are women, aligned with our efforts to
increase gender representation in the organization.
As part of our gender diversity efforts, the Affirmative Development
Project was successfully implemented in India. Mid-level managers and
members of our Womens Affinity Group were given an insight into the
business case for diversity in a day-long workshop that was conducted
by the Global Diversity Leader and a consultant partner. We are
committed to providing an inclusive and energizing environment for
talented people of all backgrounds at Cummins.
A key enabler to facilitating our employees growth path in the
organization is the Performance Management System. This process and
system witnessed 99% employee utilization this year.
To recognize exemplary performance during the year the Company hosted
the sixth annual CMD Awards. Thirty teams from across the Cummins Group
in India were rewarded for their commitment to the six Core Values, and
critical initiatives such as Six Sigma, Customer Support Excellence,
Health, Safety & Environment (HSE), and overall performance.
For many of us, the desire to learn and garner knowledge is an unending
journey. For deserving employees who wish to study further, we have
introduced an Education Assistance Policy that facilitates
participation in education programs. Our high performing employees
continue to benefit from our partnership with leading institutions,
such as the Indiana University Kelly School of Business and SP Jain
Institute of Management & Research. To this list we have added the
Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad which has worked with us on a
Cumminized management program this year. 50 employees from across the
organization have been sponsored for MBA programs at these esteemed
institutes.
Team Based Work System (TBWS), our global approach at engaging shop
floor employees to driving improvement is being implemented in all our
facilities at the Cummins Megasite and amongst the existing facilities,
such as our Power Generation plant at Pirangut. This initiative
develops self-motivated teams that are capable of operating the plant
with minimum supervision; thereby improving our product quality and
process efficiency, and in turn reducing our cost of operations.
We continue to invest heavily in creating the right environment in the
organization. At Cummins the Cummins Code of Business Conduct and
Treatment of Others Policy is core to creating the right environment.
All employees have been taken through sessions that educate them about
the importance of acting with integrity and respect. I am very happy to
relay that our most recent Employee Satisfaction Survey shows
significant improvement in all five indices of satisfaction, namely;
Communication, Performance, Vision, Diversity and Leadership.
A critical aspect to providing a great place to work is ensuring that
the work environment is clean, healthy and safe for all our employees.
To support sound HSE practices in the organization, the Company has
initiated procedures, audits and systems such as Driving Safety,
Supplier/Contractor Safety, Safety System Monitoring and Measurement,
and Internal Health Safety and Environmental Management.
Our efforts were recognized when the facility at Kothrud was conferred
with the National Energy Award 2010 by the Confederation of Indian
Industry, Western Region. Moreover, all of our engine manufacturing
plants in Pune have received the ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001
certifications.
Efforts made by the Kothrud facility in conserving water have shown
remarkable results with river water consumption reducing by 43 percent
as compared to last year and domestic water consumption reducing by 10
percent per capita on a daily basis.
Cummins efforts in the area of energy conservation have been no less
significant. Having achieved 31 percent reduction in Green House Gases
(GHG) from the 2005 baseline, the Group has succeeded in reducing GHG
from 102.22 T Co2/$Mn in 2005 to 59TCo2/$Mnin2010.
True to our Mission of demanding that everything we do leads to a
cleaner, healthier and safer environment, all facilities at the
Megasite are being built in accordance with standards outlined by the
Indian Green Building Council. Furthermore, the IT building at the
Megasite has been built to qualify for the LEED Certification.
Pursuant to the labour situation at the Kothrud plant last year,
relations between the organization and the union leadership are cordial
and stronger. The numerous employee engagement initiatives, including
developmental and behavioural training sessions and corporate
responsibility projects have helped in positively engaging our
associates while aligning them to the organizational objectives. We
believe our efforts will go a long way in reinforcing ties and
providing a great place to work to our associates.
Aside from working to meet financial objectives, our employees have
been doing significant work in serving and improving our communities.
The Every Employee Every Community (EEEC) program witnessed 93%
employee participation, wherein more than 26,000 hours were devoted to
community service this year. Such was the impact of the work that our
employees undertook that six projects from India were adjudged winners
of the Environmental Challenge that is announced each year by Cummins
Inc. We aim at achieving 100% participation from employees across our
various businesses going forward.
The Cummins India Foundation continued to work relentlessly in the
three identified focus areas, namely; Higher Education, Energy &
Environment and Local Infrastructure Development. Under Higher
Education, the Cummins Scholarship Program, in its fourth year,
sponsored 40 socially and economically disadvantaged students to pursue
higher education in Engineering and Management. Additionally, the
Cummins India Foundation also donated Rs. 1 lakh to the Lila Poonawalla
Foundation towards educating deserving but financially disadvantaged
female students at a Masters level.
The Cummins College of Engineering for Women has been established as a
Signature Project by Cummins Inc. With this, we will be working towards
establishing the college amongst the top 10 technical educational
institutions in India over the next five years.
Expanding its horizons the Company is working closely in and around
Phaltan to bring positive changes in the lives of the communities. The
Company has furthered direct employment opportunities for the
employable youth at Phaltan. At the Cummins Megasite, of the 221
employed from Satara District, 75% are residents of Phaltan Taluka
alone. Apart from generating employment, the expansions are playing an
important role in creating opportunities for many ancillary industries
in and around the region.
Committed to improving the neighborhoods of Phaltan, Cummins has
adopted three villages namely, Nandal, Surwadi and Dawalewadi that are
in close proximity to the town. The Group is working towards
undertaking initiatives that will address the very immediate and
critical needs like water, sanitation and hygiene, education, per
capita income and avenues for income generation. At Nandal, the Cummins
Group has already initiated two such projects, one each in the area of
Energy & Environment and Infrastructure Development. Similar
initiatives are slated to be replicated at Surwadi and Dawalewadi in
the near future.
In the area of Higher Education, the Company is working closely to
upgrade the Industrial Training
Institute (ITI) at Phaltan. With dedicated efforts towards improving
infrastructure, faculty and syllabus, Cummins is committed to improving
the quality of technical education offered by the Institute and its
Center of Excellence; thereby providing a sustainable solution to
making the younger section, employable. This year 12 students from the
Satara District were granted the Cummins Scholarship to pursue higher
education. This number will increase further in the coming years.
In Closing
In hindsight, the year has indeed been very fulfilling. We have been
guided by our Vision, Mission and Core Values in doing what is right
for all our stakeholders.
I would like to sincerely thank our customers, suppliers and you, our
shareholders for your sustained confidence and support to us. I remain
grateful to our Board of Directors for their valuable direction towards
helping us grow profitably while sustaining the respect of all
stakeholders. I would like to acknowledge our Leadership Team and all
employees for their teamwork and diligent execution of our strategies
that have ensured sustained superior results.
I recommit myself and my entire team at Cummins India Limited to our
Core Values, Mission and ultimately our Vision of Making peoples
lives better by unleashing the Power of Cummins.
Sincerely,
Anant. J. Talaulicar
Chairman and Managing Director
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