Chief Operating Officer - Electrical Power Distribution

JOB ROLE: 

Purpose :

- Provide Leadership for sustainable business performance

- Take over running the business independently after ensuring sustained business performance over a period

- Hiring is a part of succession planning

Strategic Roles :

- Run Operations as a Profit Centre

- Sustain Client's image as a trusted partner for their current client base and improve both customer base and image

Operational Roles :

Manage Operations of on-going projects;

- Typically 3-to-4 on-going EPC projects;

- In addition, 12-to-15 sites where just supplies of meters are involved;

- Plan, negotiate, contract for supplies of "bought out" products to be bundled along with own manufactured products

- Plan, negotiate, contract for service providers for installation and commissioning

- Coordinate with central procurement team to ensure timely supplies of materials needed for manufacture of products needed for fulfilling contract requirements;

- Coordinate with manufacturing in expediting supplies as per project timelines and project requirements

- Coordinate for arranging customer inspections prior to dispatch (typically 2 per week)

Business Acquisition

- Typically 4-to-5 bids under work at any time

- Estimation of cost and resources; techno-commercial bidding

- Business intelligence for right commercial bidding for higher bid-win ratio

- Negotiate & win orders

Project Management

- Planning, resourcing; MS PROJECTS is used

- Periodic reviews to ensure cost and time control

- Monitor project-wise profitability; log lessons learnt; institutionalize corrective and preventive actions

- Follow-up for invoicing; ensure they are made as per contract terms

Collections : 

Tactical Roles : 

- establish relations with Government officials;

- establish methods of collecting market intelligence needed to improve bid-win ratio

CANDIDATE PROFILE : 

BE Electirical; preferably additionally MBA qualified; 40-to-43 years of age; provide leadership to on-going projects, acquire more business, and, over a period of time, take over from promoters as leader for this Rs 200 Crores business

ABOUT THE CLIENT : 

- incorporated in mid-1990s, Client manufactures voice and data products like transaction terminals, energy meters, vehicle tracking systems and wireless modems; over time, Client diversified into PoS terminals and energy meters

- Client's key clients include state distribution companies (DISCOMs) for energy meters and Government departments for PoS terminals; Client's operating income (OI) increased to Rs 625 Crore in FY18 from Rs 335 Crore in FY17; in FY18, 65% revenues came from PoS terminals, 14% from energy meters and 18% from lease and service income; they expect to achieve Rs 700 Crores in FY19

- demand outlook for energy meters is favorable with Government focus on controlling aggregate technical & commercial (AT&C) losses;

- demand outlook for PoS terminals is favorable with Government focus delivering of benefits (DBT, direct benefit transfer) to genuine beneficiaries through biometric automation

- Client has built an annual capacity to manufacture 6 million single phase meters, 1 million 3-phase meters and 600 PoS

- PoS Division is expected to contribute Rs 500 Crores (out of projected Rs 700 Crores in FY19); Metering & Projects Division is growing; they achieved Rs 100 Crores in FY18 and are expected to reach Rs 200 Crores in FY19

- overall, for next 2-to-3 years, Client's revenue flows seem assured thanks to all Divisions doing well and having a good order book

- with a view to de-risk by limiting their exposure to Government contracts and business, Client is working on a strategy to develop new products

'- Client is exposed to significant competition in energy meter and PoS segment; contracts are typically awarded on competitive bidding constraining profitability for players

- imports by Client comprise >70% of raw material purchases; Government departments typically take 150-to-180 days for processing of bills; these 2 factors have a bearing on working capital management

- Client has zero debt; professionally managed; process-driven; has established "matured" systems in HR, IT, manufacturing technology; they use an ORACLE ERP