Ep#73 Treating Vendors as Partners

In this episode of the Counterpoint Podcast, Devidas Kulur, Partner, Vector Consulting Group, explains why NPD productivity must be designed, not just measured. Learn to avoid 'metric traps' by focusing on system flow, reducing WIP, and leading with context.

In this episode Dr. Shelja Jose Kuruvilla talks about the ‘ticking shelf’ in retail, the ageing inventory crisis, which has a direct impact on store-level profitability. She also suggests how this can be addressed by ‘discipline of churn,’ and prioritising throughput.

In this final episode of our conversation with Mr. R.C. Bhargava, Chairman, Maruti Suzuki, we explore what truly drives manufacturing success - government reform or company-level action.

Are late tasks really a sign of inefficiency? In this episode of Counterpoint, Shubham Agarwal challenges how productivity is measured in projects and explores a better way to improve execution, focus, and outcomes by managing flow, not timelines.

In this chapter, Mr. R.C. Bhargava talks about a philosophy that quietly powered Maruti’s success: financial discipline built on frugality, internal resource creation, and ethical leadership.At a time when many businesses chase scale through aggressive borrowing and cash burn, Bhargava shares why Maruti believed that sustainable growth can only come from what a company earns and reinvests. From funding R&D without debt, to building reserves before rewarding shareholders, the conversation challenges several modern assumptions about growth and capital.

In this chapter, Dr. R.C. Bhargava, talks to Satyashri Mohanty, about how Maruti focused on improving the customer’s car buying experience (pre and post purchase) to build long term customer loyalty.Previous episodes: Episode 1: https://bit.ly/VCG_Podcast_Ep65Episode 2: https://bit.ly/VCG_Podcast_Ep68Episode 3: https://bit.ly/VCG_Podcast_Ep73

Why do players in steel fabrication industry stay small?Discover the root causes that prevent players in the steel fabrication industry from scaling beyond a certain size. In this episode, Kaustubh Sanzgiri, Consultant at Vector Consulting Group delves into how the industry can evolve and the strategies that can drive long-term growth and efficiency.

In this 3rd episode, Mr. R.C. Bhargava shares how Maruti's approach of treating vendors as partners in growth and supporting them with technical know and timely payments led to sharing of productivity gains. It also helped build the auto components industry in India. This discussion offers valuable lessons on how management vision can shape a resilient and globally competitive manufacturing ecosystem.Previous episodes:Episode 1: https://bit.ly/VCG_Podcast_Ep65Episode 2: https://bit.ly/VCG_Podcast_Ep68

As global demand for industrial machinery soars, why are Indian manufacturers struggling to seize the moment?In this episode of the Counterpoint Podcast, we explore why India’s equipment manufacturers are at crossroads and how they can improve their workflows to be more competitive.

Aditya Auto, a leading auto component supplier, was struggling with long lead times, missed OEM schedules, and high working capital needs.In this episode, Mihir Jayaram (CEO) and Suresh Seturaman (CFO) share how the company moved from a forecast-driven system to a pull-based replenishment model, improving on-time delivery, supplier relations, and cash flow — all without expediting.Listen now to learn how Aditya Auto turned chaos into control.