By Ajay Khanna
I HAVE-just taken over as the president of the Hotel and Restaurant Manufacturers’ Association of India (HOTREMAI). It's been a long road and I am happy to be in this position. I started by company Eagle Forgings in around 1986 which is close to now 30 years. We were one of the first people to start imports and it’s been a long journey. Those days’ imports were difficult. Products were not made in India hotels were importing. There were no such things as faxes, SMS, emails. So getting foreign equipment into India in the correct way at the correct price was our vision. We tied up with some of the best companies abroad. We started our business and tried to run it professionally for the last 30 years.
The company's name is Eagle Forgings and I think we have made a name for ourselves mainly in the business of supplying equipment and servicing the customer which is one of our main goals.
I came into HOTREMAI about 25 years ago. R Kumar and Nirmal Khandelwal, both founder members, introduced me to the organisation. We met on a flight and they told me that they had started this association and it was to bring the manufacturers together, bring the importer, the suppliers together and make a professional organisation so that they could represent them professionally with the government and with hoteliers and run an association which works towards promoting this business and also handling grievances wherever needed.
Since joining 25 years ago, I have worked through the exhibition committee, the membership committee, Joint Secretary, Secretary, North India President, Senior Vice President and finally I have made it to the President's seat which I am very happy to be. I think that HOTREMAI has come a very long way since Mr Kumar's and Mr Khandelwal's vision way back in the late 80s and I think we have really tried very hard to promote this business.
Primarily HOTREMAI used to look after exhibitions, promotions, magazines, building exhibitions, negotiating with exhibitors, getting good rates, good locations and professionalising exhibitions. One of the main exhibitions we take part in is Ahaar. It started out as a small food show and with the support of HOTREMAI and some others has become an international level show mainly for equipment.
My vision for HOTREMAI is that I need to take it to the next level. We need to work on Make in India. We need to liaison with the government. We need to discuss with other organisations, we need to find ways in promoting manufacturers and traders. Professionalising the system. Making it more transparent. and trying to take things further. Maybe bring in International fairs, maybe take our fairs international. After all, Indian manufacturers have become world class. There isn't any part of the world where they cannot promote their products.
It's going to be a long task. It’s a difficult task specially to do with the powers that be. Government is not easy to move but I think with persistent efforts and with a good team it can be done. We have a fantastic team this year and I think we really need to promote internationally to become one of the strongest countries and associations selling equipment around the world. Similar to what the car industry has done.
One is subsidy. It’s a very dirty word these days. Subsidies are required at the initial stages. The problems are that it’s not easy to get. But to promote industry, to promote manufacturers, government has to assist. See China. The Chinese government provides low-cost land, low-cost finance and a lot of single point clearance, easy support, and excellent support. Look what China has done. A lot of our companies do sourcing in China. I think that has to stop. I think manufacturing in India has to begin. I am fully for bringing in components which are technologically advanced and we may not have the technical base to make in India. I think to bring in equipment, to bring in certain component, bring in know how is acceptable. Eventually products have to be made in India for India as well as for exports.
There is a lot of talk about putting restrictions on imports. That is one way of doing it, but I think support to the industry is better. One of the biggest problems in India is cost of land, cost of finance and regularising the employees. Employee education to me is a huge factor. Productivity of an employee in Europe or China is much higher than in India. The professionalism of working, the want to work and produce something and the desire to get a result is much higher. These are a few things that must be done in India by the private sector and the government together to promote productivity and make in India.
The Author is President of HOTREMAI. As told to Bikramjit Ray
I HAVE-just taken over as the president of the Hotel and Restaurant Manufacturers’ Association of India (HOTREMAI). It's been a long road and I am happy to be in this position. I started by company Eagle Forgings in around 1986 which is close to now 30 years. We were one of the first people to start imports and it’s been a long journey. Those days’ imports were difficult. Products were not made in India hotels were importing. There were no such things as faxes, SMS, emails. So getting foreign equipment into India in the correct way at the correct price was our vision. We tied up with some of the best companies abroad. We started our business and tried to run it professionally for the last 30 years.
The company's name is Eagle Forgings and I think we have made a name for ourselves mainly in the business of supplying equipment and servicing the customer which is one of our main goals.
I came into HOTREMAI about 25 years ago. R Kumar and Nirmal Khandelwal, both founder members, introduced me to the organisation. We met on a flight and they told me that they had started this association and it was to bring the manufacturers together, bring the importer, the suppliers together and make a professional organisation so that they could represent them professionally with the government and with hoteliers and run an association which works towards promoting this business and also handling grievances wherever needed.
Since joining 25 years ago, I have worked through the exhibition committee, the membership committee, Joint Secretary, Secretary, North India President, Senior Vice President and finally I have made it to the President's seat which I am very happy to be. I think that HOTREMAI has come a very long way since Mr Kumar's and Mr Khandelwal's vision way back in the late 80s and I think we have really tried very hard to promote this business.
Primarily HOTREMAI used to look after exhibitions, promotions, magazines, building exhibitions, negotiating with exhibitors, getting good rates, good locations and professionalising exhibitions. One of the main exhibitions we take part in is Ahaar. It started out as a small food show and with the support of HOTREMAI and some others has become an international level show mainly for equipment.
My vision for HOTREMAI is that I need to take it to the next level. We need to work on Make in India. We need to liaison with the government. We need to discuss with other organisations, we need to find ways in promoting manufacturers and traders. Professionalising the system. Making it more transparent. and trying to take things further. Maybe bring in International fairs, maybe take our fairs international. After all, Indian manufacturers have become world class. There isn't any part of the world where they cannot promote their products.
It's going to be a long task. It’s a difficult task specially to do with the powers that be. Government is not easy to move but I think with persistent efforts and with a good team it can be done. We have a fantastic team this year and I think we really need to promote internationally to become one of the strongest countries and associations selling equipment around the world. Similar to what the car industry has done.
One is subsidy. It’s a very dirty word these days. Subsidies are required at the initial stages. The problems are that it’s not easy to get. But to promote industry, to promote manufacturers, government has to assist. See China. The Chinese government provides low-cost land, low-cost finance and a lot of single point clearance, easy support, and excellent support. Look what China has done. A lot of our companies do sourcing in China. I think that has to stop. I think manufacturing in India has to begin. I am fully for bringing in components which are technologically advanced and we may not have the technical base to make in India. I think to bring in equipment, to bring in certain component, bring in know how is acceptable. Eventually products have to be made in India for India as well as for exports.
There is a lot of talk about putting restrictions on imports. That is one way of doing it, but I think support to the industry is better. One of the biggest problems in India is cost of land, cost of finance and regularising the employees. Employee education to me is a huge factor. Productivity of an employee in Europe or China is much higher than in India. The professionalism of working, the want to work and produce something and the desire to get a result is much higher. These are a few things that must be done in India by the private sector and the government together to promote productivity and make in India.
The Author is President of HOTREMAI. As told to Bikramjit Ray
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