Students of Jaipuria, Lucknow recently had the privilege of learning from the experience of Mr. C. V. Singh, Ex Vice President, Tata Motors Ltd. He is a much respected named in the corporate world, especially the automobile industry with over 40 years of experience under his belt. He was the special guest for the session on “Importance and value of operations in Business Management” held on 9th of September that had many important lessons for the students.

The session was held under the supervision of Prof. Vinod Kumar Chib, who welcomed Mr. Singh, a big draw amongst the participants of the session. And the corporate bigwig, who has handled several crucial projects in different capacities did not disappoint. He began the talk by emphasizing on the major challenges that an enterprise is faced with, its capabilities and places it can go to in the future through best strategies.

It was interesting to listen to Mr. Singh who tried to keep things simple and relatable for students by sharing episodes from his own, vast professional experience. His talk offered insight into the practical applications of operational processes while he also stressed on two types of costs; visible and hidden costs. Students were held in rapt attention as he introduced different concepts including six sigma, supply quality and improvement processes.

According to Mr. Singh, “Professionals need to update themselves constantly because operations of any enterprise require constant improvement. It’s also important for any young manager to come up with a product or a service that not only meets the expectations of customers but exceeds them too.” He thus offered students and future professionals in the gathering a success mantra that will hold them in good stead in their careers.

Mr. Singh believes that while the design of a product has to be backed up with processes, we live in times where markets have gone global. That’s why it’s important to think about International customers too. “For any operation, your process must make sure that you are meeting the primary dimensions of expectations of quality, cost and time in order to delight the customer. That truly becomes the main challenge for professionals in the industry,” he added.

It was an engaging and interactive session, which had several crucial lessons for students. Mr. Singh admitted that he relished the opportunity as well since passing on his knowledge to the younger generation offers him great satisfaction. He left the students with his final words of advice. “For the next two years you can learn from your teachers and peers so that you stay updated for the next 30 odd years. How you learn things and how much you learn will help you find your ground in the industry,” he concluded.