Kaushik Gada: Creative Leader With An Insight in The Automotive & General Lighting Sector
Kaushik Gada
Director
Here is an exclusive interaction with Kaushik Gada sharing his story from being an entry-level employee to an entrepreneur with the team of CEO Insights.
Tell us about your educational and professional background before Uravi T Wedge Lamps. When you first started working; did you foresee that this is where you would be?
I am a B.com graduate from V.G. Vaze College of Arts, Science and Commerce, I keep on up skilling myself to learn new management practices to increase efficiency and final output. I have worked at a coating and metalizing firm, then at Shah Devch and Co. which is into providing wooden packaging for industrial goods, following which I was a trading plastic raw material, and then I cofounded Uravi T and Wedge Lamps with my elder brother Niraj Gada.
I did envision my company to grow and be a leading manufacturer of automotive bulbs. I have gained knowledge about production processes, product, and people management and other aspects through my professional career which has helped me realize my vision.
I am responsible for new product development as per market trend, creation of cross-functional team leading to innovation, head of the internal audit committee to maintain IATF 16949:2016 standards and improve processes, creation of fire safety team. To keep our team motivated monetary and non-monetary incentives are provided if set goals are achieved.
Having worked in different verticals of industries, how does your experience help you out to chalk out the business operation? What emerging trends you identified could affect our automotive industry?
I started working at an early age, I have worked as an entry-level employee, a manager, a trader, and then finally an entrepreneur. The
amount of knowledge and experience that I have gained in my professional journey has helped me to understand market trends, people and their behaviors.
During my professional journey, I have learned that being dedicated to your work and upholding your ethics and principles will help you get ahead in life. There has been a push towards electric vehicles and we can now witness the increasing popularity of these vehicles on Indian roads. This has also emphasized the need of developing EV-ready infrastructure to support the growth in this segment.
The automotive industry is currently under the capex phase where you need to innovate and develop new products to achieve maximum efficiency while causing minimal impact to the resources. The upwards trend in fuel prices and the worsening environmental situation will eventually lead people to shift to more eco-friendly and economical vehicles. There has been an increasing focus on improving the safety standards of Indian vehicles and with the implementation of BS-VI norms, the same has been adopted by the automotive industry.
What are the methodologies used by the company for providing the best customer service in the automotive industry? What are the challenges faced by the automotive industry and what are your commercial strategies to take the business to the next level?
UVAL is known for providing high-quality products to the OEMs and the aftermarket segment. I am proud to say that UVAL was the first Indian Automotive bulbs Manufacturing company to introduce eco-friendly and RoHS compliant lead-free lamps. We are an IATF 16949:2016 certified organization and the majority of our products bear the E-mark certification and the ARAI certification. A lot of efforts are dedicated to manufacturing high-quality lamps using fully and semi-automated machines in addition to having a strong technical team all across India to support and supply our customers with defect- free products.
We have a vast range of products that we supply to OEMs and customers. Therefore, the biggest challenge would be to maintain good quality at a reasonable price especially when you are competing with the likes of China.
Our marketing team always adapts to the changing market scenarios by introducing innovative schemes, educating our customers and dealers about new products, and conducting in-house seminars on new market trends to further expand our business. We have strategic partnerships with various companies all over the world that help us support our value chain. We are currently one of the largest automotive wedge base lamp producers in India and are now targeting the export markets as well.
In your professional journey so far, which are the milestones that bestowed you with utmost satisfaction both as an individual and as a director?
My professional achievements that I
During my professional journey, I have learned that being dedicated to your work and upholding your ethics and principles will help you get ahead in life. There has been a push towards electric vehicles and we can now witness the increasing popularity of these vehicles on Indian roads. This has also emphasized the need of developing EV-ready infrastructure to support the growth in this segment.
To become a successful director, you need to be disciplined, be a great listener, and take joint & quick decisions
The automotive industry is currently under the capex phase where you need to innovate and develop new products to achieve maximum efficiency while causing minimal impact to the resources. The upwards trend in fuel prices and the worsening environmental situation will eventually lead people to shift to more eco-friendly and economical vehicles. There has been an increasing focus on improving the safety standards of Indian vehicles and with the implementation of BS-VI norms, the same has been adopted by the automotive industry.
What are the methodologies used by the company for providing the best customer service in the automotive industry? What are the challenges faced by the automotive industry and what are your commercial strategies to take the business to the next level?
UVAL is known for providing high-quality products to the OEMs and the aftermarket segment. I am proud to say that UVAL was the first Indian Automotive bulbs Manufacturing company to introduce eco-friendly and RoHS compliant lead-free lamps. We are an IATF 16949:2016 certified organization and the majority of our products bear the E-mark certification and the ARAI certification. A lot of efforts are dedicated to manufacturing high-quality lamps using fully and semi-automated machines in addition to having a strong technical team all across India to support and supply our customers with defect- free products.
We have a vast range of products that we supply to OEMs and customers. Therefore, the biggest challenge would be to maintain good quality at a reasonable price especially when you are competing with the likes of China.
Our marketing team always adapts to the changing market scenarios by introducing innovative schemes, educating our customers and dealers about new products, and conducting in-house seminars on new market trends to further expand our business. We have strategic partnerships with various companies all over the world that help us support our value chain. We are currently one of the largest automotive wedge base lamp producers in India and are now targeting the export markets as well.
In your professional journey so far, which are the milestones that bestowed you with utmost satisfaction both as an individual and as a director?
My professional achievements that I
take great pride in are automating the manufacturing process in my company and being recognized for the same by various leaders in the automotive industry and as the CEO, taking my company from being a private limited organization to being a publicly listed one.
Who do you look up to for inspiration or mentorship? How do you continue to grow and develop as a director? What are some of the successful mantras that can you recommend?
My role model is my father who is also an entrepreneur and works in the wooden packaging industry. I also look up to my family and friends for inspiration and mentorship as each one has played a specific role to inspire me at every level. They have guided me by expressing their views, opinions, and educating me on various aspects of not only business but personal life as well. This has helped me to grow and transform my challenges into opportunities.
“To become a successful director, you need to be disciplined, be a great listener, take joint and quick decisions. You also need to believe in teamwork and should always share the success with your team. In short, you need to be a leader rather than a boss. One of my favorite successful mantras is Tough times don't last, but tough people do".
How do you update yourself with the latest technologies and trends in the automotive industry of India? What is the most challenging project that you have executed so far?
In the current business environment where you witness innovation at such a rapid pace, no company is risk-free. Therefore, the key to updating yourself lies in being adaptive to the innovation rather than trying to abstain from it. You need to network, keep learning new things, track industry changes, and be open to taking calculated risks which in the end would not only benefit your customers but also your organization.
I realized since the beginning that in the automotive industry maintaining the highest standard of quality is the biggest task as your customers are not only the OEMs but the end-users as well. To address this challenge, I implemented the Japanese Poke yoke Systems in all of the manufacturing Lines. This eventually led to the automatic segregation of non-confirmative products from the correct ones. From implementing this technology, I learned how to get 100% output from the manufacturing process by eliminating the non-confirmative products.
Kaushik Gada, Director, Uravi T Wedge Lamps
Kaushik Gada is a young aspirant who started working in early stage across different verticals of industries and gained experience with the industry trends. Later on, established a firm of their own along with his brother in 2004 which started at a small rented piece of land in Rabale MIDC with limited resources. He is awarded as the Best Supplier in his respective domain.
Quick Facts:
•Hobby:Playing Badminton and Travelling
•Favorite cuisine:Indian
•Favorite Book:You Can Win By Shiv Kheda
•Awards& Recognition:Best Supplier Award/100 PPM Award
Who do you look up to for inspiration or mentorship? How do you continue to grow and develop as a director? What are some of the successful mantras that can you recommend?
My role model is my father who is also an entrepreneur and works in the wooden packaging industry. I also look up to my family and friends for inspiration and mentorship as each one has played a specific role to inspire me at every level. They have guided me by expressing their views, opinions, and educating me on various aspects of not only business but personal life as well. This has helped me to grow and transform my challenges into opportunities.
“To become a successful director, you need to be disciplined, be a great listener, take joint and quick decisions. You also need to believe in teamwork and should always share the success with your team. In short, you need to be a leader rather than a boss. One of my favorite successful mantras is Tough times don't last, but tough people do".
How do you update yourself with the latest technologies and trends in the automotive industry of India? What is the most challenging project that you have executed so far?
In the current business environment where you witness innovation at such a rapid pace, no company is risk-free. Therefore, the key to updating yourself lies in being adaptive to the innovation rather than trying to abstain from it. You need to network, keep learning new things, track industry changes, and be open to taking calculated risks which in the end would not only benefit your customers but also your organization.
I realized since the beginning that in the automotive industry maintaining the highest standard of quality is the biggest task as your customers are not only the OEMs but the end-users as well. To address this challenge, I implemented the Japanese Poke yoke Systems in all of the manufacturing Lines. This eventually led to the automatic segregation of non-confirmative products from the correct ones. From implementing this technology, I learned how to get 100% output from the manufacturing process by eliminating the non-confirmative products.
Kaushik Gada, Director, Uravi T Wedge Lamps
Kaushik Gada is a young aspirant who started working in early stage across different verticals of industries and gained experience with the industry trends. Later on, established a firm of their own along with his brother in 2004 which started at a small rented piece of land in Rabale MIDC with limited resources. He is awarded as the Best Supplier in his respective domain.
Quick Facts:
•Hobby:Playing Badminton and Travelling
•Favorite cuisine:Indian
•Favorite Book:You Can Win By Shiv Kheda
•Awards& Recognition:Best Supplier Award/100 PPM Award