INNOVATION SPECIAL...Innovation portal delivers big for RIL

Innovation portal delivers big for RIL

Summer, 2008. The petroleum refining and marketing business was entering a phase of downturn as the sub-prime crisis spread its cape over the world. Reliance Industries (RIL), which had seen the export market for its refined petroleum products shrink over the past few months, was growing more concerned. The pressure to keep margins intact and revenues growing was mounting by the day. It was then that a team of four at Reliance Innovation Council (RIC), a division set up just a year back to promote innovative ideas in the company, had its Eureka moment. What the team came up with helped the company save crores even as rival petroleum companies gave in to pressures. “We racked our brains for several days and thought there has to be a way where we can utilise the ideas of every possible person in the company and stop it from getting lost in the company hierarchy,” said Aravind Chinchure, assistant vice president – innovations, Reliance Industries. The project was named Mission Kurukshetra, he said. “We decided that this downturn was like a war and we have to win it.” The RIC, which was and is still headed by eminent scientist R A Mashelkar, decided that the company will set up an internal portal that will allow every employee to contribute ideas which can help improve processes. The ideas from this portal went directly to the project management officer and after sufficient screening and brain-storming on each one of them, it was put forth to the chairman, who would then take a final call. This exercise helped the company in getting ideas from several divisions and people in the entire company hierarchy, and was readily implemented too. “The idea was to create structure and processes in the company which could help capture every innovative idea and every level. And at the same time, these ideas were given time to listen, encouraged and rewarded, when implemented.’’ The exercise turned out to be a very successful one and helped the company save several crores of rupees in a matter of months, adding directly to reduction in expenditure, said Chinchure, without detailing the ideas that were beneficial in heavy cost savings. Now, four years later, it may be time for another round of Mission Kurukshetra. “This time it will not be a short-term exercise, but an ongoing process where employees can put in their ideas whenever they have some,” said Chinchure. He said the exercise will kick off in January.

Promit Mukherjee DNA 121206