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5. Lean Manufacturing: Success Stories in India

Rane Brake Linings

History

Rane Brake Linings (RBL) is a division of the Rane Group, an automotive components company with a sales turnover of $ 131 million and 4600 employees. RBL started in 1967 in Chennai, with the
second plant in Hyderabad in 1991 and a third plant in 1997 in Pondicherry. Sales turnover for RBL was $ 70 million in 2003-04.

The Lean journey began in 1999 at RBL. Getting to be more profitable required finding new markets, but that required first managing the company better so that costs decreased as quality improved. RBL chose to aim for the loftiest goal, winning the Deming Prize, in order to contain costs and improve quality.

RBL's journey began with the choice of Prof. Tsuda as their coach. He established the following criteria for excellence: -

1. Develop a business model to generate business for long period through Uniqueness in products & technology and Uniqueness in achieving certain excellence
2. Reduce technological dependence on another company
3. Create new market(s) or achieve drastic expansion of existing market
4. Unique and enhanced utilization of manpower / human resources that drives a company to supply excellent people / manpower.

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* Contributed by -
Amandeep S. Bedi & Namit Puri,
Indian School of Business (ISB),
Hyderabad.