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A talk of the time’s time
If you closely observe, you would find a slightly yellowish wall clock of Ajanta in almost every house of a middle-class family. The clock, which costs around Rs.200, has been showing accurate time over many years. Sometimes if it is found out of order, we don't throw it away but get it repaired. If we are so loyal to a clock, a question may arise â "What would be the structure of this company which makes it so accurate?" Let's talk about it today.
The Ajanta Group, the world's largest watch manufacturer, is based in a small town called Morbi near Rajkot in Gujarat, selling products in about seven different countries, with more than 7,000 employees, of which 5,000 are only women. They are in various businesses ranging from watch-making to tile making.
Odhavji Raghavji Patel, known as the 'Father of Wall Clocks' with an empire of Rs 500 crore, had an elementary personal life. After graduating from Seth Shamaldas College, Bhavnagar, Odhavjibhai started teaching science at VC High School, Morbi. He wanted to be a pilot, but because of a small town's traditional orthodox ideology and beliefs, he could never do so. Therefore, he joined the National Cadet Corps (NCC) as a Junior Commission Officer in the early '60s. This program provided Odhavjibhai the opportunity to travel all over the country and to understand new things. Participation in drama and sports at school helped him develop managerial skills.
In 1971, he started a partnership firm called 'Minimal Fund, Maximum Partner,' named 'Ajanta Transistor Clock Manufacturing Company. Recalling his time, Odhavjibhai said, "I had four sons and two daughters. I didn't have enough income resources as a teacher, so I thought of doing something different. Two or three businesses also failed. At the time, officials from Transit - the world's largest watch company, approached us for a business partnership. I was the most educated among them all, so they hoped that I could help them to communicate better with the outside world."
With the capital of Rs one lakh, the company started manufacturing watches with a magnetic coil in a rental space. The company benefited greatly from the action when they went directly to shop owners in South India to sell their products. Because of irregularities in the railway timetable, the company started delivering its products through road transport.
In the year 1974, different types of watches were launched in the global market. Some were steel zips which were made using imported parts from Japan. Visionary Raghavjibhai went to Japan and Taiwan with his eldest son Praveenbhai and brought quartz technology to India. Thus, the name Ajanta Quartz came into existence. Those watches were straightforward and showed the exact time. Due to its small size, it did not need much maintenance.
"This technology puts us ahead of our competitors. Using this new technology, we used to sell a watch in the market for Rs. 105 if the manufacturing cost of the watch was Rs 45. Thus, the profit margin was very high, but we reinvested all that profit in the business," says Odhavjibhai. This quartz watch then became very popular in the market. In the year 1990-1991, the company moved its factory out of Morbi.
The company's profile includes everything from educational toys to household items such as irons, toasters, blenders, etc. Odhavjibhai adhered to his principles of social service till his last breath. Today, the plant employs more than 7,000 people, of whom 5,000 are only women. They believe that women are more responsible than men, and they also waste very little time. So, they are proven more productive.
His eldest son Praveenbhai was the first lady to join the company to set an example to others. Since then, women from around 450-500 villages have been commuting in about 100 company buses.
Odhavjibhai, the owner of the company, himself lived an elementary life. When it comes to buying new clothes, he used to get angry and said, "I am a retired teacher, and I receive a pension of Rs 1,200 a month. I can't afford this." Odhavjibhai also started a hostel for about 50,000 children where they have all the facilities ranging from accommodation to education. "I will be a teacher till my last breath," he said. "Sons will now run the business."
In addition, Orpat and Oreva bulbs or other electronic items that we use in our home are also made by the Ajanta group. Names like ORPAT and OREVA are derived from Odhavjibhai R. Patel.
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