Prekhar Chugh : Avant-Garde Leadership In Sculpting Industrial Futurism
Prekhar Chugh
Managing Director
In an exclusive interview, Prekhar shared the latest insights about the company and updates on industry trends.
Can you share details about your profes-sional background & experiences & what motivates your daily routine?
My educational background is in mechanical engineering, from SRM University. My primary motivation stems from my father's founding of this company, which has fueled my excitement and interest from the very beginning. Starting in ninth and tenth grade, I began to immerse myself in the business aspects of our services and learn about the various machinery involved. This early exposure fueled my passion for the industry. Upon completing my engineering degree, I joined the company with a clear objective: to expand and grow the business. For the past eight years, I have dedicated myself to this goal, working diligently to advance our operations and broaden our reach.
As an alumnus of SRM University Chennai, what are the most memorable academic experiences that you reflect on today?
I have always been interested in applicative engineering and understanding the core of every operation, so I preferred to learn from a more complex perspective rather than just acquiring basic engineering knowledge. This approach allowed me to grasp fundamental concepts deeply rather than just focusing on grades, which helped me secure around an 8.5 GPA. I gained valuable insights from my professors, lab equipment, MATLAB software, computer knowledge, nano-technology, engineering drawing, and carpentry labs. Understanding how machines work and tasks are performed was crucial and significantly contributed to building my current business.
How do you continue to add value to the legacy of Sigma Slotting Corporation, ensuring it maintains its competitive edge in industrial machinery manufacturing?
Currently, we operate in two segments. The first is Retail Furniture, where we provide shelving systems for various types of stores, such as supermarkets, retail stores, pharmacies, and speciality shops including garment & footwear showrooms. The second is industrial furniture, where we provide racking system for warehousing and industrial storage solution, such as pallet racking system, mezzanine system, cantilever and HDR system.
My background in engineering has allowed me to understand product design and innovation, enabling us to launch new product lines almost every year. This has helped us become market leaders in retail furniture. Addi-tionally, we have ventured into warehousing solutions, offering materials and inventory management systems for large setups. This expansion into warehousing solutions happened after I joined the company, allowing us to diversify and strengthen our market presence.
Can you describe your leadership approach? What kind of work environment have you established in your organization that sets it apart?
When I joined the company in 2014, it was a single manufacturing unit with three levels and two super
I have always been interested in applicative engineering and understanding the core of every operation, so I preferred to learn from a more complex perspective rather than just acquiring basic engineering knowledge. This approach allowed me to grasp fundamental concepts deeply rather than just focusing on grades, which helped me secure around an 8.5 GPA. I gained valuable insights from my professors, lab equipment, MATLAB software, computer knowledge, nano-technology, engineering drawing, and carpentry labs. Understanding how machines work and tasks are performed was crucial and significantly contributed to building my current business.
I empowered employees to innovate, refine skills, & develop new pro- ducts
How do you continue to add value to the legacy of Sigma Slotting Corporation, ensuring it maintains its competitive edge in industrial machinery manufacturing?
Currently, we operate in two segments. The first is Retail Furniture, where we provide shelving systems for various types of stores, such as supermarkets, retail stores, pharmacies, and speciality shops including garment & footwear showrooms. The second is industrial furniture, where we provide racking system for warehousing and industrial storage solution, such as pallet racking system, mezzanine system, cantilever and HDR system.
My background in engineering has allowed me to understand product design and innovation, enabling us to launch new product lines almost every year. This has helped us become market leaders in retail furniture. Addi-tionally, we have ventured into warehousing solutions, offering materials and inventory management systems for large setups. This expansion into warehousing solutions happened after I joined the company, allowing us to diversify and strengthen our market presence.
Can you describe your leadership approach? What kind of work environment have you established in your organization that sets it apart?
When I joined the company in 2014, it was a single manufacturing unit with three levels and two super
visors overseeing a small team. Initially, I focused on learning the operations, product lines, and administrative tasks for the first two years. In 2017, I expanded our operations to a new country with an investment of around $45 million, where I introduced new machinery and hired additional labourers.
This led to an increase in our workforce, with around 22 white-collar and 79 blue-collar workers. Over time, we have expanded our manufacturing facilities and invested in new technology and product lines each year to improve cost efficiency and broaden our range of products. Currently, around 90 percent of our manufacturing is done in-house, with only 10 percent consisting of bought-out items such as electronics and plastic parts.
What guidance would you offer to emerging industry leaders?
As a young entrepreneur, one of my key strategies was to bring on board individuals with significant experience and expertise. I actively sought out their suggestions and ideas, carefully evaluating and implementing the most effective ones. This approach not only fostered a sense of collaboration but also encouraged innovation within the team. Rather than imposing rigid rules and guidelines, I empowered my employees to work autonomously and think creatively.
This freedom allowed them to explore new ideas, refine their skills, and contribute to the development of innovative product lines and efficient systems. By creating an enviro-nment that valued autonomy and creativity, we were able to build and grow at an accelerated pace. Additionally, this approach helped us adapt seamlessly to new cultures and market dynamics, further enhancing our competi-tiveness and success in the industry.
Prekhar Chugh, Managing Director, Sigma Slotting Corporation
Prekhar Chugh is the Managing Director of Sigma Slotting Corporation, one of India's largest manufacturers and exporters of retail and industrial shelving solutions. Prekhar has been instrumental in driving its success through the integration of the latest developments and advancements. His proactive and innovative approach has kept him at the forefront of the industry, ensuring continuous growth and competi-tiveness. Under his leadership, the company has adopted cutting-edge techno-logies and methodologies, enhancing efficiency, product quality, and market reputation.
This led to an increase in our workforce, with around 22 white-collar and 79 blue-collar workers. Over time, we have expanded our manufacturing facilities and invested in new technology and product lines each year to improve cost efficiency and broaden our range of products. Currently, around 90 percent of our manufacturing is done in-house, with only 10 percent consisting of bought-out items such as electronics and plastic parts.
What guidance would you offer to emerging industry leaders?
As a young entrepreneur, one of my key strategies was to bring on board individuals with significant experience and expertise. I actively sought out their suggestions and ideas, carefully evaluating and implementing the most effective ones. This approach not only fostered a sense of collaboration but also encouraged innovation within the team. Rather than imposing rigid rules and guidelines, I empowered my employees to work autonomously and think creatively.
This freedom allowed them to explore new ideas, refine their skills, and contribute to the development of innovative product lines and efficient systems. By creating an enviro-nment that valued autonomy and creativity, we were able to build and grow at an accelerated pace. Additionally, this approach helped us adapt seamlessly to new cultures and market dynamics, further enhancing our competi-tiveness and success in the industry.
Prekhar Chugh, Managing Director, Sigma Slotting Corporation
Prekhar Chugh is the Managing Director of Sigma Slotting Corporation, one of India's largest manufacturers and exporters of retail and industrial shelving solutions. Prekhar has been instrumental in driving its success through the integration of the latest developments and advancements. His proactive and innovative approach has kept him at the forefront of the industry, ensuring continuous growth and competi-tiveness. Under his leadership, the company has adopted cutting-edge techno-logies and methodologies, enhancing efficiency, product quality, and market reputation.