Principal Consultant

L. Venkatesan —
From the Floor Up.

34 years. Shopfloor to Business Head. Every rung climbed on the shop floor itself — not in a classroom. This is not a consultant who studied manufacturing. This is a manufacturer who also knows how to transform it.

LV

L. Venkatesan

Principal Consultant · Head, GLC

Lean TPM VSM Paint Shop Job Method IMS Six Sigma GB ABB Robot

The Philosophy

What I Believe About Improvement

On Tools

"The baby should cry for milk before feeding is useful."

No Lean tool should be applied until the team feels the pain that tool solves. 5S imposed from outside reverts in 3 months. 5S pulled by an operator who is tired of searching for tools — that sticks for years. My job is to surface the pain, not prescribe the solution.

On Solutions

"A consultant brings the idea. The domain expert converts it to a solution."

No consultant can be a domain expert in every industry process. I understand this completely — because I have been the domain expert. My role is to facilitate the iteration between the idea and the factory-fit reality. The solution that emerges belongs to your team. That is why it will be sustained.

On Information Flow

"The machine runs at milliseconds. The information travels at days."

Most consultants optimise what they can see — the material flow. The invisible half — how information travels from customer to operator — is where most of the waste actually lives. I map both. The true Value-Added Ratio is always lower than anyone expects.

On Results

"I stay until the number moves — not until the report is delivered."

The vicious circle of consulting is: idea given → company implements slowly → results come 12 months later → consultant forgotten. I break this by leaving a living measurement system behind. The dashboard keeps your name associated with the improvement — and creates the reason to call back.

Career Journey

34 Years — Every Rung Earned

1989 — 2008 · 19 Years

Whirlpool of India Ltd — Washing Machine Unit, Pondicherry

Tool Room → QC → Assembly → Maintenance → Industrial Engineering

  • Completed structured job rotation across all manufacturing functions — the foundation of cross-domain understanding
  • SMED: Cabinet forming changeover reduced from 90 minutes to 18 minutes
  • Line speed increased from 105 to 175 units/hour without additional manpower through Lean line balancing
  • Assembly line consolidation saved over ₹60 lakhs/year
  • QCC project won 2nd place in CII South and 3rd place at National level — Air compressor capacity project
  • Worked under Master Black Belt holder in Maintenance for 2 years — TPM and reliability foundations

2009 — 2013 · 4 Years

The Supreme Industries Ltd — Pondicherry

Asst. Manager — IMS Coordinator, TPM Joint Secretary, Safety Officer, Paint Shop

  • Batch production converted to Single Piece Flow — cushion assembly output from 530 to 950 units/day (75% increase)
  • Robotic paint shop installed and proved out — yield improved from 9 to 17 chairs per litre
  • Overhead conveyor installed for natural curing — eliminated multiple handling, FIFO — saved ₹16 lakhs
  • Dismantled unused paint shop from Pune, reinstalled in Pondicherry and Durgapur — saved over ₹60 lakhs
  • TPM Excellence and Consistency Award — audited by JIPM (Japan Institute of Plant Maintenance) auditors
  • IMS certification achieved covering ISO 9001, 14001, 18001 — with TUV certification

2014 — 2016 · 2 Years

Motherson Automotive Technology & Engineering (MATE) — Ahmedabad & Tapukara

Dy. Manager — Paint Engineering, India Central Team

  • Site in-charge for installation, commissioning and start-up of India's largest plastic paint shop (Maruti child parts + Ford bumper — both robotic)
  • Identified over 1,200 snag points during installation — instrumental in smooth start-up
  • Dust VRT programme: reduced dust defects from 22 to 3 per bumper — presented at National Paint Shop Managers Meet
  • Child part paint shop productivity: 230 to 400 sets/day without major investment
  • 4M standardisation achieved 68% FTT and 95% yield within one year
  • ABB Paint Robot Programming — classroom and practical certified

2016 — 2017

Bright Brothers — Pondicherry

Operations Manager — Paint Shop & IMG Production

  • Paint shop capacity increased from 280 to 460 parts/shift
  • FTT improved from 45% to 70% through layout redesign and equipment upgrade
  • Building enhancement for lean material flow in paint shop

2017 — 2021 · 4 Years

Freelance Lean Consultant — Multiple Industries

Lean & TPM Consulting across manufacturing sectors

  • Clients across automotive, electronics, footwear, fabrication and consumer goods
  • Lean tools implementation with hands-on floor presence — not classroom-only delivery
  • Awareness training programs and comprehensive implementation engagements

2021 — 2022

Phoenix Medical Systems — Pondicherry

Business Head — Full P&L Accountability

  • All outsourced fabrication (laser cutting, bending) brought in-house within 3 months
  • Fabrication productivity improved by over 100%
  • Direct raw material procurement — 25% cost reduction
  • Investment casting instead of machining — 40% reduction in lead time and cost
  • In-house powder coating, packing — standing wheelchair product turned from loss to profit
  • Welding fixture modification eliminated second setting — 40% productivity improvement

2022 — 2024

Vitalcore Industrials — Chennai

VSE Head — Value Stream Engineering, BLDC Controller Manufacturing

  • Ceiling fan controller: 8,500 to 11,500 units/day (35% improvement)
  • EV Controller: ₹150 per unit cost reduction through design optimisation
  • Product development support for EV Controller with design validation

2024 — Present

Manufacturing Consultant — Kaynes Technology, Necco Tools, L&T and others

Lean & TPM Consulting | Gayathri Lean Consultancy

  • Current engagement at Kaynes Technology, Mysore — EMS and electronics manufacturing
  • Information flow mapping methodology developed alongside material flow VSM
  • Combined VAR (Value-Added Ratio) approach — true lead time calculation

Credentials

Training, Certifications & Education

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Academic Qualifications

MBA (HRM) — Pondicherry University 2013
Diploma Industrial Safety — Annamalai University 2012
M.A. Economics — Madras University 2003
B.A. Economics — Annamalai University 2000
DME — Muthiah Polytechnic 2009
ITI Fitter — Govt ITI Pondicherry

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Professional Certifications

Six Sigma Green Belt — OMNEX
IMS Internal Auditor — OMNEX (3 months)
TPM Implementation — CII Counsellor (3 years)
EnMS 50001 Implementation — 5 days
ABB Paint Robot Programming — Classroom & Practical
TWI (Job Method Study & Deskilling) — Q-spread

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Industry Recognition

TPM Excellence & Consistency Award — JIPM Audited (Supreme Industries)
CII National QCC — 3rd Place (Whirlpool)
Dust VRT — National Paint Shop Managers Presentation (MATE)
Coca-Cola Supplier Guidance Audit — SGS
Whirlpool Customer Quality Audits