After graduation in mechanical engineering, when I ended up in the design department engaged in developing special purpose machines for in-house use of my company, it was my conscious decision. I was aware that my first love was designs and I was immensely enjoying the creative and technically challenging work.

But two things proved to be irritants; one was my boss and the other, the factory timings. When I came across an opening in a machine tool firm for application-oriented-marketing of Special Machines, I quit the design job and joined the new. The new assignment proved to be less demanding on my technical skills but more on my "salesmanship" which was rather underdeveloped in me. After spending about 7 years in the job, there were frequent situations where I used to wonder whether I was really the right man for a marketing career.

Then came the turning point.

I was the sales executive in-charge of selling the new Computer Numerically Controlled (CNC) machines in Chennai branch (that we planned to manufacture in our plant in north India with American collaboration) and I was the one who did the spade work in quoting for the machines against a government tender. The CNC technology itself was new to our factory those days; the collaborator from whom we imported the basic machines in SKD (Semi-Knocked Down) condition was new. The specific machining technology offered by the machine itself was a step ahead of similar machines in the market.

The customer was very specific that the machines should be supplied "tooled up" and proved to process 33 different jobs on the machine. As our factory had no personnel with prior experience in this area, they were very skeptical to take up the responsibility. It was our Deputy General manager-Marketing at Chennai who took the risky decision to prove the customer's jobs in the machines and supply the tooling as a package deal.

The DGM was a typical marketing man, always over-enthusiastic and optimistic.

"CV, you have the design background in your previous employment. I know you are capable and adaptive. The fools sitting in the factory will never move their asses to rise to the occasion. I want you to do the proposed process-plans for tooling up the components. Use your engineering common sense; consult tooling suppliers. Let us take the risk; I will support you to the hilt" said the DGM.

All my objections were over-ruled. I was thrust into the job. I was conscious of my limitations - my lack

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