Nitin Chalke, Managing Director, Eaton, India
Make In India, in essence, is a much desired program designed to realise the country’s aspiration of becoming a global manufacturing hub. Urging companies – both Indian and multinational – to invest in the country’s high potential manufacturing powerhouse, this initiative holds the potential of taking India on to a global plane as a highly preferred destination for manufacturing almost everything under the sun. The government has shown astuteness in spotting the key growth drivers, showcasing the investment opportunities, reassessing the FDI ecosystems, initiating sectoral policy reforms and communicating the unique differentiators to the target audience.
Nitin Chalke, Managing Director, Eaton India
Eaton, for decades, has been making in India, and has remained deeply committed to the country as they have strategic opportunities in an unique way amidst growth tangibles in the country. Over these years, Eaton has consistently invested in expanding not only its manufacturing but also engineering and services footprint in the country. Today, with 7 manufacturing sites and 18 key locations, all of Eaton’s businesses, namely, Electrical, Hydraulics, Vehicle and Aerospace, are well represented in the country.
As we engage with our customers in India to help them manage their power more efficiently, reliably, safely and sustainably, our focus continues to be on expanding the supply of clean and cost-efficient power, driving the development of alternative energy and boosting harvests for growing populations. To further support, Eaton in India is committed to reliably powering local and global infrastructure, supercharging global fuel economy and performance, helping build smarter buildings and building simpler and smarter machines for less. Additionally, in the near term, we continue to strengthen our focus on powering some of the most efficient data centers, expanding leadership in LED lighting solutions, de-risking the oil and gas industry by design, maximising uptime at mining operations and protecting workers from dangerous arc flash.
An exciting part of our focus on India is the talent here. On our journey so far in India, we have stayed focused on attracting the right talent, ‘Doing Business Right’ and building a values-based organisation with constant emphasis on Inclusion, Diversity and “Power of One”. Over these years, apart from driving Eaton’s growth in the country, our employees have been our biggest support in building our reputation as a leading power management company manufacturing innovative products that help improve the environment, save lives, and conserve resources. As we take firm steps to further increase our manufacturing footprint in India, we are committed to generating more employment opportunities in the country – including high-end engineering and technology jobs.
The government supporting the program is not just restricted to the physical infrastructure but also the policy-environment as the program augurs splendid response. The progress so far, though seems still gaining the required momentum, there have certainly been quite a few laudable actions. The transformation appears to be real and the Make in India initiative has created a wave of positive sentiment across corporate India. With a few recent actions on ground, the program certainly breeds great deal of optimism. However, to reap long-term sustainable benefits, it will be imperative for the government to eye their focus on critical factors such as labor reforms, consistency and predictability of tax regulation.
— as told to Bhargav TS
