For all Public Sector Units and most Private Companies in
India; today, 31st March is the last working day of the current Financial Year.
Every effort is made by the manufacturing units to execute the pending orders
and reach or even cross their Sales target by this date. This would not only
reflect well on the Company’s performance but also win promotions, incentives
and bonus to its deserving employees, perhaps by end April!
To explain the extraordinary importance of 31st March I
have a case study to narrate. This is about a Machine Tool Company with an
annual turnover of around Rupees 300 million. At the beginning of the financial
year that is in April the Company’s Assembly-Shop floors would be vacant. With
not many orders on hand and all the orders of the previous year executed the
Assembly Shop floors which were full of Machines under assembly in March and
busy-workmen, would appear in contrast like deserts in April. Same would be the
case with the Component manufacturing Shops where the raw material flow would
trickle based on any new or predicted Orders.
The large number of Machine Tools dispatched in February
and March of the previous financial year would be under erection and
commissioning (E & C) from April onwards. This would keep the entire
Service department of the Company, its Application Engineers and most of its
production people running around the country in the E & C works and proving
out the Machines supplied. Then there would also be teething problems of the
Machines to be attended. By the time all this activity is completed it would be
end June. Few fresh Orders would be coming in by now and as per that, component
manufacturing would commence. As per component manufacturing and procurement of
bought out items Machine Tool Assembly would commence in a small way from say
July.
The efforts of the nation wide Marketing department of the
Company in this highly competitive field are not always successful. By the end
of half year that is by end September the Company’s Sales figures are not very
encouraging. Then the Company would launch very aggressive marketing with
lowered prices and offers of several optional features as standard to procure
Orders at any cost. Ultimately it would be November by the time the Assembly
Shops begin to look busy. From now on the production would pick up gradually.
But with various manufacturing, procurement and working capital issues the
Machine dispatches would pick up only in the last quarter that is from January
onwards. All Shops would be working 24X7. With workmen entitled to overtime
wages, their efficiency is much higher now. And in March the production
activity is at its best to overcome the backlogs and current month production. This
pace would continue until the last day – 31st March midnight.
On 31st March there would be more than the normal number of
Lorries queued up at the Gate of the factory to pick up the Machines. Inside
the factory there would be all out effort to complete the Machine assemblies.
Machines which should be tested for at least a day would be tested for an hour
and painted as it is being packed for dispatch. This activity would continue
until midnight so that maximum possible dispatches are made (some Machines
incomplete!) and the best possible Sales figure is achieved!
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