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A report on the Industrial Visit to

Finolex Cables Ltd

Cables Division Plant, Verna Goa

Proforma of the Report:

Background Introduction to Finolex Company The Journey Begins Hands on Approach to Production (where theory meets practical knowledge) Students Opinion Vote of Thanks

Background:
After concrete efforts of our Management, the students of Rajarambapu Institute of Technology, Department of Management Studies got this esteemed opportunity to have an Industrial visit to a prestigious company like Finolex Company Ltd. We appreciate the efforts of the management of RIT & Finolex Company for executing this successful Industrial trip.

Introduction to Finolex
In July 1945, two young brothers P.P Chhabria and K.P Chhabria came to Pune from Karachi in search of a livelihood and within six months set up a small shop selling electrical cables. The retail business became quite successful. A sizable order in the mid 1950's from the Defence Department for wire harnesses for trucks and tanks bolstered their confidence and they decided to manufacture Cables, themselves. Starting as a small-scale industrial unit in 1956, they manufactured PVC insulated cables for the automobile industry. Finolex brand was born from "Fine" & "Flexibles" and "O" with an electric arc across it - signifying the electrical cable business the company was in. Their relentless search for growth and doughty perseverance saw them through some difficult times and in 1972 the enterprise turned into a limited company. Since then, there has been no looking back and following a public offering in July 1983, Finolex Cables Limited embarked on a continuous process of expansion and modernization which enabled it to become the most diversified & largest cable manufacturer in the country. Their relentless quest for growth saw the brothers establishing Finolex Industries Limited (FIL) in 1981. The company sought to manufacture Rigid PVC Pipes and Fittings at Pune, which find large-scale application in the agriculture sector. In a shrewd move towards backwards integration, the company has set up a PVC resin manufacturing facility at Ratnagiri on the west coast of India. The early nineties saw the Finolex Group expanding into new business domains to manufacture Optic Fibre Cables and Copper Rods. Today the Group turnover exceeds Rs.30 Billion (about US $ 750 million) Finolex Cables Ltd (FCL) and Finolex Industries Ltd (FIL) are the two group companies whose equity shares are listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange and National Stock Exchange. Global Depository Receipts of Finolex Cables Limited are also listed on the Luxembourg Stock Exchange. Professionally managed, with continuous updating of technology and strict quality controls, Finolex strives for maximum customer satisfaction. Over the years, it has attained a significant position on the industrial map of India.

The Journey Begins.

We Mr. Gauresh Rao Industrial Visit Coordinator and Mrs Anuradha Gaikwad with 60 students reached the Finolex plant at Verna, Goa. We headed to the Conference room and were briefed about the Company. The honors were done none other than Mr. Ratnakar Barve, the Vice President Operation of the Company. Accompanying him were Mr. Aporva Kunde (Asst. Manger - Planning), Mr. Ashok Kumar Singh (AGM - Production). With such dignitaries explaining us the world of Finolex, we were just as grateful. This plant mainly deals in manufacturing of Cables and Optical Cables. The plant is one of the largest manufacturing plants in the production of Cables. After decades in leading the Cable Finolex also are leading in the roots of PVC-U (Poly Vinyl Chloride) pipe manufacturer. After being briefed through the introduction of Finolex plant, we were about to explore the Indias most Prestigious Companies. We were divided into 2 groups of 30 people so as to have individual attention. We visited 2 units of the plant right from examination of Raw Material, assembling of Cables and main manufacturing of Optical Cables. The company has received the ISO 9002 systems certification across all product lines and plants. Besides ISO 14001-quality certification has been accorded to its plants in Goa (JFTC & HW). Every cable is manufactured using bright annealed electrolytic grade copper 99.97% pure manufactured in house and is insulated with virgin grade PVC (manufactured by group company Finolex Industries Limited) that is formulated inhouse.

Hands on approach to Production (where theory meets practical):

Each Group was taken separately and explained functioning of the plant. A lot of theory is learnt is class regarding how the manufacturing units focus on Total Productivity, Total Quality, Zero Defect, etc. but by far this was the first hands on experience on how does a Manufacturing unit or plant works. The units where Cables are manufactured in assembly lines follow Total Quality Management (TQM) and Total Productivity Management (TPM). Every sub-unit contributes to the production. They avoid material handling losses. All these techniques add value to the production. Indeed there is no surprise they improve their quality and reduce time with ever unit of production of Cables.

Students Opinion:
Rajarambapu Institute of Technology gave us the Golden Opportunity to visit the Finolex Cable Plant in Verna Goa. It was a great experience to know the organization internally. They are successful enough to balance between Business Excellence and Individual Dignity. -Mandar Chavan Visit to the Finolex Company was an eye-opener. The journey unfolded various aspect of the Cable division. It was my best Industrial visit to any manufacturing plant and enjoyed every bit of it. To be a part of such an esteemed organization and having a look through all their process was an intriguing experience after all. -Deepak Patil

Photographs & Vote of thanks:

On behalf of all the Management and the students we take this opportunity to thank the entire team of Finolex Cables Goa Division for providing us with the practical information and well as wonderful hospitality. We take moment to offer our greetings to the entire Finolex Company team.