Driven by people: Adithya Jayakar & Abhaya Shankar

The global interest in working more sustainably has spread to just about every field, including manufacturing. The rise of lean manufacturing seeks to minimize waste while maximizing value – a tricky balance by any measure.

That’s why UCAL’s transformation from a young player in India’s emerging automotive components sector into the streamlined, globally trusted original equipment manufacturer partner it is today is so impressive.

Able to engineer and fabricate a wide variety of automotive components from pumps to engine control units, and all to Industry 4.0 and lean manufacturing standards, the company attracts some of the biggest names in the industry, as well as some of its brightest minds.

Among its executive team are Deputy Managing Director Adithya Jayakar, and Non-Executive Director Abhaya Shankar, who served as UCAL’s CEO for two years and has been associated with the company since 2022.

"UCAL’s Chair was Dr V Krishnamurthy. He is the father of the automotive revolution in India," Shankar tells The CEO Magazine.

"We used to have automotive components for only two or three models of car and only 35,000 produced per annum. Despite great opposition, he set up a plant to build 100,000 units per annum and he said even this would fall short."

Krishnamurthy was right; soon the plant was churning out 200,000 cars a year. Today, it’s closer to three million.

"That’s the pedigree of UCAL," Shankar points out. "It’s absolutely amazing."

Powered by people

UCAL is now an employer of choice for new talent looking for opportunities in the industry because the company is across so many areas.

"Previously, we catered to two-wheelers focused primarily in the fuel and management areas," Jayakar says. "But we’ve been able to progressively transform into a much larger player as we’ve expanded into the four-wheeler segment and commercial vehicles.

"We keep trying to find new avenues and as we do, we bring in good young talent and train them up."

A key element of that transformation was a pivot to a greater customer focus, according to Shankar. He decided that people make a company what it is and set out to inspire the UCAL family along that avenue.

"We called the initiative U-Rise, which not only inspired internally, but set out to improve our customer perception," he says.

Values such as customer centricity became integral to Shankar’s growth strategy, which sought to multiply UCAL’s fortunes. The end result was even more dramatic than planned.

"From January 2023, our requests for quotations increased more than six times by 2025," he says. "That’s from having new products, contacting new customers and setting fair prices."

One of the new avenues UCAL has explored is the spares market.

"We were selling spares through national distributors, but I didn’t think we were getting the right kind of mindshare from them, so we started our own aftermarket business," Shankar explains.

"UCAL has a very strong brand name, so we sell not only our own products, but also products we buy, do a quality check and sell under our brand name. That business has enjoyed very healthy double-digit growth year-on-year."

But manufacturing remains UCAL’s bread and butter.

"We’ve moved from mechanical into mechatronic products and we have an electronics division that does a lot of electronic manufacturing services work and electronic control units," Jayakar says.

"We’re always looking to expand our footprint, which is why we’ve actively pursued the aftermarket industry. It’s a large growth segment for the manufacturing industry here in India, and Indian brands are becoming more preferred over Chinese brands."

Branching out

Once again, a customer focus is driving this new direction for UCAL.

"The singular goal over the next 12 months is zero discomfort for customers," Jayakar reveals. "That means 100 percent quality delivered 100 percent on time, every time.

"The term ‘zero defect’ gets used a lot, but that’s basic hygiene at this point. No customer will let you get away with anything less. Now it’s about zero discomfort."

Jayakar says customer satisfaction is the only metric in his head, a goal that aligns well with the company’s lean manufacturing mindset.

"We have so many other metrics that our great finance team can look after, but as Managing Director or CEO, outside of the strategy work you’re doing, your major focus should be your customers’ happiness," he says.

As such, the company has built a reputation as being a customer-friendly business.

"Some larger companies treat their products like it’s their way or the highway, but we’ve always been flexible and able to meet customer needs," Jayakar adds.

Part of that flexibility has come from partners and suppliers. Global companies and local firms such as Indian precision component manufacturer Patco Precision allow UCAL to offer customers exactly what they want.

"I think that makes us stand out because being amenable is a trait that’s much harder to find than ever before in the business world," Jayakar says.

And although UCAL tirelessly invests in R&D to create innovations that match the dynamic state of the automotive industry, Jayakar says people are the greatest investment of all.

"It’s very simple: invest in people and they will invest in you and your company."