Thursday, June 1, 2017


22 Transport Industry veterans. Representing 11 & 10 load segments / applications. Owning nearly 3500 trucks. With combined turnover of over Rs. 1100 crores. Employing over 2600 people - MPOWERed at IIM, Ahmedabad.

In keeping with our philosophy of driving positive change in the lives of our customers and various constituents of road transport ecosystem, MTBD had initiated a unique and pioneering step in this direction in 2014. This was based on the feedback of young MPOWER delegates, who often tell us,

“We wish our papa/ mentor is brought here to IIMA for a similar course… it will help us implement our learnings of MPOWER even better!”

The third edition of the 3 days Mentors Summit program concluded at IIMA on 8th April, 2017. Featuring the veterans, the mentors (papas, uncles and partners) of MPOWER delegates – all of whom are either our customers or our prospects and are basically the who’s who of Indian Transport. The objective of the program, as epitomized by the quote of Mr. Mahindra above, is:
·         Develop an agenda for further professionalization of Indian Transport through a gathering of industry veterans.
·         Facilitate the mentors of Indian Transport to guide and enable their protégés to take charge of the business.
Mahindra MPOWER MENTORSSUMMIT is intended to help industry veterans to take their business to even greater heights by empowering their protégés. Broadly, the agenda of the conclave will revolve around: overview of the transport industry, decision areas and challenges in the trucking sector, managing family business, knowing your leadership style, succession planning and delegation and, attracting investments in transport business. This summit of transport veterans was held at IIM, Ahmedabad from 6th April to 8th April 2017. Below is a picture from the event:

Introductions and context setting (self) and welcome address (Prof. Debjit)


Overview of trucking sector by Prof. G. Raghuram

Prof. G. Raghuram who is one of the MPOWER program mentors (recently took charge of IIM Bangalore as Director) took a session on overview of trucking through video conference.  Professor G. Raghuram spoke about the “Overview, Decision Areas and Challenges in the Trucking Sector” and the need to professionalize the transport sector and how we (they) as transporters could be a part of this value chain. He stressed that road transport is very critical for us at a macro level and making it an organized sector would only mean better supply chain management and logistics framework, thus inducing more prospects to the Transport Industry.

Macro-economic scenario and effect of GST – by V.G. Ramakrishnan

V.G. Ramakrishnan who is the Founding Partner and Managing Director of Avanteum Advisor LLP, shared his views on GST and effects on current scenario which was very relevant to the mentors.  Points like – India’s potential to reach a growth rate of 8.0 percent over next 5 years and demonetization leading to a slowdown of industry sector which is more likely to bounce back in FY 2018, were discussed. The session was crisp and to the point which mentors much appreciated. 

Future Technologies from BS IV to BS VI by Dr. Venkat Srinivasan

Dr. Venkat leveraged the new media technologies to connect with mentors - video conferencing from Pune to IIM Ahmedabad. Dr. Venkat shared his views on future technologies i.e. BS IV to BS VI. And, reflected upon how technology can play a vital role in transportation business.

                                      

Experience sharing by the mentors

Professor Debjit Roy using the Q&A format as an ice-breaker to conduct the ‘experience sharing’ session by the mentors that opened animated and healthy discussions. Discussions revolved around ‘challenges that a transporter faces in his business’. 


Panel discussions
Panel discussion between the ex-MPOWER delegates and the mentors. The participants share their learnings and experiences post MPOWER and the challenges they faced in implementing these learnings. The discussion was facilitated by Professor Debjit. He prompted the mentors to share their views and provide amicable/win-win solutions to resolve issues faced by their protégés.

The panel included 7 MPOWER delegates:

Rishab Gandhi - Raman Roadways
Mukta Adityaraj Shah - Shree Hatkeshwara Cargo Movers
Rochak Gupta - RCI Logistics Pvt. Ltd.
Mayank Laul - LTC Logistics Private Limited
Nimit Jalan - Sri Roadlines
Younus M - Jeeth Trucks Private Limited and
Shashank Shamsunder Makkar - Embee Road Services Private Ltd.


Mr. Nalin Mehta’s presence added luster to the networking dinner for mentors where the stalwarts of this industry exchanged their views and learnings, and networked with each other in an informal environ. Mr. Sachin Nijhawan – Business Head – Construction Equipment – Mahindra & Mahindra Limited, also graced the occasion. 




Highlights of the final day - lectures on Leadership and Organisation Behaviour and, IT Enablement followed by a feedback session and valedictory ceremony.



The much-awaited valedictory ceremony






Mentors Summit remains MTBD’s pioneering and unique initiative to spread LIGHT OF KNOWLEDGE in Indian Transport ecosystem for fleet owners. We are confident that this will not only help us gain and retain a high share of mind of our customers and prospects but will also help us achieve our volume and market share objectives.  

Wednesday, April 19, 2017

MPOWER WAR ROOM III – A Conclave of Transport Supremos


MPOWER program was designed with a vision to provide a platform to cater to the learning needs of the young transporters. The program curriculum is designed to include the aspects facilitating the transport business decisions relating to the choice of markets, procurement, production and dispatch planning, plant location and layout, procurement and distribution network planning, route optimization, determining the ideal fleet size, warehouse location and operations, desired inventory levels and so on. This helps the young transporters make better informed decisions to take their business to the next level of success.

Today, MPOWER has successfully completed 11 batches with 291 participants PAN India from various transport segments. The participants of all the 11 batches vouch for their experiences to be very rich. They are confident of taking their family business to the next level by applying all the learning from the MPOWER program.

MPOWER WAR ROOM is a brand extension of MPOWER that helps its participants to take the learning experience to an advanced stage. ‘MPOWER War Room’, was launched in July 2014 with the objective of making MPOWER delegates of past batches to introspect/ reflect and present on the following subject:

“Successes and Challenges in implementing what I learnt during Mahindra MPOWER at IIM, Ahmedabad, back into my business”.

The War Room aims to explore the transformation that the MPOWER participants were able to bring about in their organizations after attending the MPOWER program, as well as the challenges they may have faced during the implementation process. On 27th – 28th Nov, 2016, MTB launched ‘MPOWER War Room III’ which was hosted at IIM, Ahmedabad.

·         Mid-August: Delegates from Batch I – Batch VIII were invited to participate through a 1500-word case study on the above subject.

·         24th Oct: Screening jury comprising of IIM-A faculty and MTB Team/ Agency examined the case studies and provided inputs to delegates to further embellish them.

·         10th to 22th Nov: Delegates were mentored into creating a presentation out of their case studies for presentation to the expert and grand Jury.

·         27th Nov: Expert jury comprising of transport experts and IIM-A faculty met at IIM-A and evaluated 16 case studies presented by delegates and 6 finalists were firmed up.

·         29th Nov: Grand Jury, with IIM Professors and other eminent Jury as the member along with Mr. Nalin Mehta (non-voting member to highlight MTBD neutrality), adjudge the 6 finalists and declare the winner of MPOWER WAR ROOM III. 

Below are some photos from the final phase of the 3-months long engagement with youth transporters:


27th Nov, 2016

Delegates were very excited to meet each other and participants from different MPOWER batches. 16 Finalists were present for the final showdown.



The MTBD Team and IIM Professors interacted with 16 War Room delegates, mentors and it was a delightful sight to see the enthusiasm of Mr. Chetan Lodhya, a specially-abled participant of MPower XI batch who stayed back to witness the MPower War Room III.



 The session began with a small introduction about MPOWER War Room III and context setting by Rajeev Malik, Senior General Manager, MTB Marketing, who took the delegates and Jury through the objectives of MPOWER WAR ROOM III and what the delegates & jury must look forward for the next 2 days at IIM.


 27th Nov, 2016 – Expert Jury

27th was the day of presentations. The Expert Jury were:-

·         Prof. Debjit Roy – Professor of Supply Chain and Logistics
·         Prof. Manjari Singh – Human Resource Management
·         Prof. Shobesh Agarwala – Finance
·         Dharmesh Dutta – MD - Progeon Global Forwarding
·         V G Ramakrishnan – MD - Avanteum Advisors LLP
·         Tuhin Sinha – Media Advisor to MoRTH
·         Rajesh Rajgor – Digital Content Strategy & Sr. Correspondent - Motor India
·         Shyam Ozarkar – Sr. GM - Manufacturing - MVML
·         Ruchita Purohit – General Manager - FCB ULKA Interface                

Presentations began at 10:00 am. Total presentations made were 16. Young entrepreneurs shared their success stories, which were filled with inspiration and vision. The application of what they learnt in the ‘MPOWER’ sessions was apparent. The incremental innovation and tweaks inspired everyone in the room, who responded to such bits with a constant clapping. Every presentation was followed by an interactive question and answer session with the jury members.


After the presentations were over, during the networking dinner, participants shared their testimony of the WAR ROOM and MPOWER initiatives by Mahindra. Participants were happy about the different learnings that they are getting from other participants. The 6 finalists were as follows:

 1, Mr. Manavdeep Singh   - Janta Roadways Private Limited     - Chennai
   2. Mr. P R Arun                  - Sankari Roadways                       - Salem
   3. Mr. Mahesh Panjwani    - Harsh Transport Private limited      - Bhopal
   4. Mr. Arvind Sarda           - Tanushree Logistics Private Limited  - Jaipur
  5. Mr. Hasit Nijhawan         - Anand Trans Logistics Private Ltd.   - Chennai
    6. Mr. Vipin Gupta                - RCPL Logistics Private Limited        - Indore

 An informal discussion was initiated with delegates and their mentors on the Transport Ecosystem. A lot of insights from the top-notch industry stakeholders came forward.


 Prof. Debjit shared some tips with these finalists to better their presentations for the Big Day.

Grand Jury -  28th Nov, 2016
After a day full of excitement, the next day began early with the 6 finalists preparing for the presentations. The Grand Jury joined and the event began at 10:00 am. The program began with a keynote address by Mr. Rajeev Malik, welcoming the participants and encouraging the entire contingent for their trailblazing efforts in implementing what they learnt during MPOWER back into their businesses.



Grand Jury Members:
  •  Mr. Nalin Mehta - Managing Director - MTBD
  • Ms. Brinda Jagirdar - Former Chief Economist, SBI
  • Mr. S K Krishnan - Sr. VP - Demand Chain Management - Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd.
  •  Mr. Rajeev Rajadhyaksha - Managing Director - Aumkar Supply Chain Solutions
  • Mr. Joe Thaliath  - CEO - FCB Interface Communication
  • Prof. G. Raghuram - Dean Faculty, Transportation Expert and the prime architect of the MPOWER program
  • Prof. Debjit Roy - Professor of Supply Chain and Logistics, who brings in the academic perspective on the logistics and transport business
  • Prof. Rekha Jain - Professor of IT & MIS



Every presentation was followed by questions from the jury, testing the mettle of the 6 finalists. The quick breaks in between the sessions allowed the participants and Grand Jury members to exchange a few words.




Nalin Mehta – Managing Director – Mahindra Truck and Bus Division, shared his views with the participants and the jury. He also highlighted the fact that Mahindra Truck and Bus would like to continue to work closely with the MPOWER participants. MPOWER, WAR ROOM are just milestones in the way and MTBD is committed to help them in the journey of excellence. He also thanked Professors, Jury and the participants for taking time out and making War Room III a success.



Finally, Mr. Nalin Mehta announced the winners of WAR ROOM III.

The winners of the MPOWER War Room II were:

Arvind Sarda - Tanushree Logistics Private Limited – Jaipur – Winner



Manavdeep Singh - Janta Roadways Private Limited - Chennai - First Runner Up


Mahesh Panjwani - Harsh Transport Private limited - Bhopal


The Finalists were awarded during the felicitation ceremony. 

MPOWER WAR ROOM case studies eventually will be featured in the second edition of IIM Text book on Transport & Logistics – Trucking Business Management – Cases and Concepts and thereby become institutionalized and permanent fixtures of knowledge for our industry. We would persist with this kind of engagement with constituents of our road transport ecosystem as a part of the Mahindra brand philosophy of RISE, to drive positive change in our ecosystem.


Friday, February 17, 2017


Mahindra has always believed in making a difference in its customers lives by being customer centric and providing matchless service. Their Truck and Bus Division can be taken as a chief example reinforcing this belief, and, the new initiatives launched on 15th February, 2017 act as a testimony to their noble philosophy.


Mahindra Truck and Bus Division (MTBD) has introduced one-of-its-kind service support for the Indian trucking industry. Every 60 kilometers, there is a service station installed along the route connecting Delhi and Mumbai. Post the success of its Delhi-Mumbai Service Corridor, the company is driven to deepen its commitment and dedication towards its customers and so, it launched this unique service initiative to make available reliable and quality service support on the Delhi-Mumbai Service Corridor.







Mahindra offers 2 exclusive guarantees for its customers as follows: -
  1.      Mahindra service support will reach the breakdown spot on the Delhi-Mumbai Service Corridor within 2 hours, failing which, the company will give INR 500 to the trucker per hour.
  2. .       Mahindra will make sure that there is guaranteed availability of 150 fast moving maintenance parts at the plaza. If not, then it will be given to the customer for free.

These steps will ultimately result in reduced downtime for customers, with higher uptime, more trips and increased earnings. The company has also declared that, in addition to the MPARTS Plazas that are already there at 7 strategic locations across India, 26 more such Plazas will be built by the end of FY18. This move will ensure that fair priced and genuine parts are available to truckers pan India.

In the words of Mr. Rajan Wadhera President and Chief Executive, Truck and Powertrain Division, Mahindra and Mahindra Ltd., “On the heels of the highly successful superior mileage guarantee and 48 hours uptimeguarantee, we have now decided to launch disruptive and unprecedented after-sales guarantees to further reinforce our Customer Value Proposition. With these initiatives, we take one more significant step closer to our ultimate goal - to be the MOST TRUSTED CV brand of India”.  



Mahindra’s service centers will perform emergency repairs, part replacement and health checkup for the vehicle along with service guarantees so that customers can be certain of the service availability along the Delhi-Mumbai Service Corridor route. They will also launch a campaign towards building awareness and educating its customers about all the facilities at the service points.

Tuesday, February 14, 2017


OUTPERFORMANCE was at the heart of an awards night brimming with excitement and anticipation. The 6th Edition of Mahindra Transport Excellence Awards (MTEA) ceremony was held in its full glory at The Ashok, New Delhi on 3rd of February, 2017. Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (MoRTH) have extended their continued support to MTEA program for the fourth consecutive year. MTEA 2016 didn’t just see higher numbers in terms of entries, but it also exhibited better quality, varied and interesting stories with a stronger pitch. This turn of events rendered the feeling that transport excellence awards have truly come of age.

The transport award ceremony has come a long way since its inception in the year 2011, and, which has only grown and risen from what it was. This year, the event saw an upsurge in its popularity and equity among the transport community with a significantly higher number of case studies collected – 6164 case Studies – which stands for 14% higher than last year’s collections!
Chief Guest at the prestigious do was none other than Shri Nitin Gadkari, Hon. Road Transport & Highways Minister who graced the awards night with offering tremendous insights on ‘roadsafety’ and ‘innovations’ which were the themes of the night.





Mr. Nalin Mehta, CEO and MD, Mahindra Truck and Bus, presented the report card of the program, encouraging Mahindra’s commitment to strengthen while continuing to make the RISE initiative more relevant. Mr. Rajamani, Executive Director, Ernst & Young provided the certification for fairness, robustness and transparency.
There were two new innovational categories this year. The awards took engagement of the girl child education a step ahead with its Mahindra SaarthiAbhiyaan (MSA) Outperformer contest for beneficiaries of the MSA scholarship. A short story contest namely #HaveASafeJourney on the issue of road safety was devised and executed to emphasize the importance of safe driving.

Innovations in road safety in Approach, Processes, Measures and Perspective was the topic of an insightful panel discussion chaired by Prof G.Raghuram - Public Systems Group, IIM, Ahmedabad. Spectating the event were truck fleet owners from all corners of India, transporters and heads of logistics companies and professionals from allied fields, dealers of commercial vehicles, financiers for commercial vehicles, various senior delegates from the transport division, faculty members from IIM A, and delegates from Mahindra Group and heads of several agencies and select media groups.

Like the previous year, under the Fleet Owner category, awards for tipper section were presented. Fleet management and driver management categories for large, medium and small transporters. Youth and lady transporters were duly recognized and awarded. Emerging fleet owners were also recognized to empower newbies in the focused industry. Safety awards took centerstage which included hazardous goods, nonhazardous goods and ODC categories which bore the idea of extraordinary innovation in development of the transport systems.
Mrs. Meera Rajagopalan was declared as the National Winner while Ms. Sahar Fatima was the Runner up for “Have a Safe Journey” contest. The contest resulted into a book which is the world’s first collection of short stories on road safety. The book was successfully launched with a drone aerially delivering the cover of the book to the dignitaries present on stage at the MTEA 2016. The book features 20 best stories from the contest and carries a foreword from Mr. Nitin Gadkari and a special message from Mr. Anand Mahindra. Mahindra BLAZO 25 truck was given away to Mr. Jay Prakash Singh, Bharti Bulk Carriers being the “Super Outperformer Driver of the year”.

MTEA 2016 with its core philosophy of RISE and OUTPERFORM is another step taken to drive positive change in the transport ecosystem.


For a detailed review, please visit: http://www.mahindratransportawards.com/2016.html