MARICO OPERATION BOOT CAMP EXPERIENCE

17th August,2018, I along with 5 other selected students from SJMSOM headed towards Marico head
office with excitement to attend the Operations Boot Camp organized by Marico. On reaching the
campus, we received a warm welcome from their members. The first thing we experienced was the
open culture at Marico where all are considered as members of a united team and not just an
employee. In meeting room, we got the chance to interact with the students of the other B-schools
and we shared our experience of this new journey and its learnings.

Then we were introduced to Marico culture and its values by Mr. Ashwin Shukla, Business HR Head-
Operation and Technology. He also discussed about their young leader culture where decision making
was done by collaboration between young leaders and senior management. He explained values of
empowerment and opportunity seeking with examples and how a young employee could contribute
towards the growth of the company and what exciting opportunities Marico can give to its member.

After understanding culture and value, our next session was on Supply Chain overview of Marico by
Mr. Somnath Das - Head of supply chain and logistics, in which we learned about how Marico evolved
their supply chain with time. He shared his experience about business intricacies faced during the
development of new plant. We were exposed to the Marico’s effective and efficient supply chain
leveraged by IT and data analytics. He introduced how Marico integrated last mile delivery with
retailer by using homegrown MiNet and MIDAS system. He also gave insight about how Marico
forecasts its demand planning, inventory management and warehousing with the IT system.

After the introduction of the supply chain, the next interaction was about manufacturing and new
product development by Mr. Pankaj Kapoor-NPD head. We were told about Marico’s various product
lines and how Marico aligned its strategic position in various FMCG sectors. He also mentioned about
the new acquisitions and its strategic synergies that Marico could leverage in future.

After the session, we got one of the most unique and stimulating experience where using a VR box
and a Marico app we took a virtual tour of the manufacturing plant of Marico in Perundarai and
observed the production of Parachute Coconut Oil. We observed manufacturing process starting from
raw material to finished product. It was an amazing experience. That small initiative showed how
Marico thinks about going digital, how it had leveraged IT and analytics for the betterment of its supply
chain network.

Post lunch session was an overview of procurement by Mr. Udayraj Prabhu-EVP and head
procurement. We talked about the business intricacies in procurement of Copra- a commodity for
which supply is constrained by climatic factors. He made us aware of the steps and planning required
for efficient purchasing. He also told about ‘Kalpavriksh’- a CSR initiative in which they are connecting
and teaching farmers about improved techniques for coconut production.

Finally, the most important and engaging session, an informal discussion with Mr. Jitendra Mahajan-
the Chief Supply Chain Officer of Marico. We asked multiple questions and had a discussion on wide
range of topics spanning from his personal journey in Marico to the future of the supply chain. We
were amazed by the answers and vision he shared.
After spending the entire day, we received parting gifts - lots of Marico goodies. The Operations Boot
Camp helped us in building a perspective and ideas on the operations function in FMCG industry. At
the same time, it bridged the gap between academics and on the job application.