How We Responded Proactively…. To Deliver Performance Excellence

Responding with unparalleled agility, we successfully steered our business through unprecedented challenges to deliver outstanding performance for FY 21. Our response to COVID-19 was both cautious and aggressive, and we took several targeted initiatives to protect the health and safety of our employees, supply chain partners, communities and other stakeholders, while ensuring business continuity in a complex environment.

Driving growth in Sugar & Alcohol Businesses

In the Sugar and Alcohol business, where operations continued uninterrupted even amid the lockdown, we delivered strong performance in a difficult eco-system

• With the active support of the Central and State Governments, we effectively managed the supply chain and logistics issues in the restrictive environment that prevailed during the shutdown and even after
• We chose not just to maintain business continuity in these difficult times but went on to expand our Alcohol segment with increased capacities and foray into the Indian Made Indian Liquor (IMIL) business
• We also moved forward with plans to add two more distilleries to the business portfolio, to aggressively harness the National Policy on Biofuels opportunity unleashed by the Central Government
• With our entry into the hand sanitizer manufacturing business under the GERMCARE brand, we have expanded our distillery portfolio

Responding to the urgent needs of the communities in the crisis situation, we distributed hand sanitizers under the GERMCARE brand, to local administration and authorities to help fight the contagion. Sanitization of the local areas, distribution of masks and Oxymeters, and safety measures for farmers at the sugarcane centres and the mill gates were some of the other initiatives undertaken to keep the external communities protected at all times.

Managing challenges in Engineering businesses

Leveraging our intrinsic strengths, expertise, technological and digital edge, as well as experience, we moved swiftly to address the challenges triggered by the pandemic in the Engineering businesses.

During the lockdown period, our teams worked actively in changing the conventional route of communications with customers, prospective business leads, as well as within the Company. Digital channels were adopted at a fast pace across the businesses. Sales team worked closely with the customers through digital platforms to fulfill their requirements. Realignment of product deliveries was undertaken in Power Transmission business in line with the revised project execution plans of the customers. Our efforts to promote operational and cost efficiencies also yielded results, enabling us to manage costs better in a highly distressed situation.

Water business focussed on enhancing the business footprint from the domestic market to the international, and succeeded in winning its first International order of Maldives Water & Sewerage project. We facilitated customers with virtual inspections of the project to avoid travel amid rising COVID cases and travel restrictions. This was implemented across our major projects like Mathura, Kondli & Balotra. Operations and Maintenance (O&M) services were continued even during lockdown/curfew, and the business teams made necessary arrangements for safe travel of its people and adherence to Government protocols. This was highly important in case of Agra, where our Water treatment plant supplies drinking water to the people in the city.

Ensuring safer communities at the workplace

Our proactive actions of introducing safety policies and protocols helped us keep not just our employees but also our supply chain partners, including our farmer associates, safe and secure amid the COVID pandemic. Contactless engagement and supply points were created at the sugar and distillery plants, with stringent safety norms in place at all our offices and factories across India. All precautions were strictly followed to ensure total protection of our own people as well as those visiting the premises. Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), such as compulsory wearing of masks, temperature scanning and disinfection of employees at entry points, and sanitization of workplace at regular intervals not only helped in maintaining employee safety but enabled seamless business continuity in the adverse environment.

We transitioned swiftly to the digital mode at the onset of the pandemic to create online customer touchpoints within 72 hours. We took several initiatives to stay in close contact with our customers and efficiently manage business, in order to stay ahead of our peers in these challenging times.

Extending a helping hand to the society

As a responsible citizen, we focussed on the welfare and well-being of the communities around which we operate. We initiated several measures to ensure the socio-economic empowerment of these communities, particularly our farmer partners, who are integral to our growth agenda. During 2020, we set up the Triveni Foundation to give a more focussed direction to our CSR programme, with thrust on COVID management, in addition to the ongoing Water management initiatives and inculcation of Sports spirit among children and youth in the rural areas.