Zoom, Zoom!

The day started out pretty rough, as my vertigo hasn't quite lifted. But, at least I could get myself out of bed and stand up without falling over.

This morning we had reporters from the largest papers in India come to visit with us. While they let us ask them questions, they bypassed the opportunity to ask our group questions. There were a couple of points they made that were of interest. The first was that they stated there is little influence over what is written and published in the paper. I found this hard to believe, and sure enough, as the conversation continued they confessed that they sometimes needed to monitor what they write because of those who own and run the papers (I am unsure of who those people are). The other thing that seemed odd is that they stated all of the major newspapers in India are liberal. If this is true, it is unfortunate. Because a truly free and democratic society should inform the people of all viewpoints. I am sure that there are plenty of people, or at least a few out of the billion+ people here, that don't have liberal leanings. So how are their viewpoints on issues being heard?

One of the ten flatteners in Friedman's book is the fall of the Berlin wall. It unleashed forces throughout the world, spreading the balance of power, that ultimately led to India opening its economy to the world. But being here in India, it is obvious that the country has a long, long way to go in order to catch up with western societies in regard to democratic policy.

This afternoon we toured the TVS manufacturing facility. They are the third largest motorcycle/scooter manufacturer in India. This was an outstanding example of supply chain management, TQM, and human resource management. The company outsources most of its parts and components. The engines are first assembled in a dust free clean area. They come out of that process and are moved to the main assembly line. The entire motorcycle is assembled in less than 25 minutes. Each station has 45 seconds to do complete their tasks and there is a worker on each side of the conveyor belt. This plant has a capacity of about 3000 units per day. They track quality and defects throughout and have very high standards that they try to beat.

Throughout the facility there is signage up to motivate the employees and remind them about safety. To reinforce the safety issues, there is a walk-through display which shows the results of injuries that can occur with different machines and chemicals. It has got to be effective in keeping safety in the forefront of the employees minds, because we were all affected by it. There are also large scenic photographs on display and real potted plants throughout the assembly areas, just for aesthetics. And the place was spotless! The employees are allowed to change functions occasionally, this allows them to combat boredom on the job. All in all, this facility was impressive and an excellent example of how private business in India can step up to the plate and meet global manufacturing standards.