Baja Auto aims for zero-defect

Taking a cue from John Rockefeller's 'even the best can be improved', two-wheeler major Bajaj Auto Ltd has stepped up its quality upgradation programme to reach a zero-defect level across functions.

Though the exercise covers 200-odd vendors of Bajaj Auto, it will soon be extended to the dealer network as well and encompass group firms like Bajaj Auto Finance Ltd.

The company has involved Total Productive Maintenance consultant Sueo Yamaguchi of JIPM-Solutions, Japan, to educate its internal staff and the key vendor personnel as part of the quality efforts.

BAL managing director Rajeev Bajaj told mediapersons on Thursday that the company had rationalised its vendor base from more than 800 to 200 now and wanted to extend the quality movement it triggered a few years ago.

"We are fairly successful on the 'offence' side of our business, bringing out newer and better models periodically and are now moving towards achieving strength on the 'defence' side by making our processes defect-free," Bajaj said.

The company will begin TPM across its departments internally including research and development or procurement, he explained.

BAL has created special teams under the guidance of Yamaguchi to co-ordinate the exercise and has also developed manuals and brochures for the vendor personnel, Bajaj said.

The company has incentivised the TPM programme by awarding bronze, silver and gold credits to vendors who supply zero-defect parts for periods ranging from six months to 24 months, he added.

About extending the exercice to dealerships, Bajaj said the company had found that about 50 per cent of the enquiries generated at the dealerships were converted into purchases and wanted to plug the leakages by improving the levels of service offered at dealer locations.

"We want anyone intending to buy a two-wheeler to buy a Bajaj product," Bajaj said adding that the TPM effort will help BAL get there.

Elaborating on the tangible results of the effort at the vendor end, Bajaj said top 15 of the company's vendors had seen 350 per cent business growth in the last four years and there were big opportunities for those who performed on the zero defect front.

The company is planning to take only 16 best performing vendors to its Uttaranchal plant, he said.