Day 16, Mumbai (Team 10: Tripp, Dougherty, Sadowski, Belloni)

June 18th, 2008

No. 1: 

Most woke up around 7:45 am to the sounds of breakfast being served on the train. Omelets with peas, white bread with butter and jam, mango juice and a choice of coffee or tea were given. It seemed most students’ past night’s sleep was a function of their body and suitcase size - what could not fit underneath had to be placed on the bed. Additionally, the proximity to the family with two small children certainly played a part.  Our first official task of the day was to change into business casual - for most this meant our MBA/MS IT polo and nice pants. Changing in limited space behind curtains was a challenge.

We arrived in Mumbai at 10:15 am. We unloaded from the train, found our bus and loaded up. We were greeted on the bus by two local MBA students, Archit and Ruchi. These two students were great to speak with and many students were enthralled by their lives and experiences; I’m not sure we ever gave them a minute to rest their voice. They will be remaining with us here in Mumbai, so we look forward to learning more about their culture and education. Driving through the city some of our first impressions of Mumbai as compared to Delhi were its tropical climate, greater amount of people on the streets and a sense that a living could more easily be made here - based on the higher prevalence of businesses and their more organized appearance. Mumbai appears to be a more urban city with stronger infrastructure and a more western feel, this could be partly attributed to the lower number of cows on the road.

Concept Jewelry India PVT.LTD. was our first stop. The company is the fastest growing jewelry company in India. Concept Jewelry cuts and polishes diamonds, sells the diamonds to wholesalers as well as makes and sells finished pieces of jewelry. The complex the company was in had a high level of security. We had to get clearance to enter and exit the compound the company shared with several other businesses. We were greeted at the door of Concept Jewelry with a warm handshake. We met with the managing director, and some of his colleagues. The managing director spoke to us about his company and the diamond industry. A question and answer session followed. Students were interested in the differences between natural and synthetic diamonds and the company’s position on conflict diamonds. The managing director stated that the company is 100% committed to the Kimberly Process - a certification that insures that mined diamonds are conflict free. After the Q&A the group was given a tour of the factory. Students were shown the design concept phase (sketches of heart pendants for Valentine’s Day were being made), production casts and molds, and the finished products. After the tour, the company provided us with a very nice lunch. This company will play an important role in India’s future as the growing middle class begins to indulge in luxury jewelry. We suspect the company will see a shift in the export/local retail balance as the American economy slows and the Indian economy booms. It was a great chance for the students to witness the process first hand and to understand the impact the American economy has on business around the world.

Our next stop was the Indian Institute of Packaging (IIP). The Director/CEO, was our host. We met four students when we arrived. We all introduced ourselves. The students briefly spoke to us about their school. The Director/CEO held a question and answer session. Students were curious about the school itself and it’s capabilities as well as innovative technologies the students are working on. One theme the students have continually asked about is sustainability. This type of question was raised in terms of packaging and new technologies being researched and also if it was a focus for Indian businesses like it is in America. We have all been shocked to differing degrees by the amount of waste thrown to the side of the road and the apparent lack of recycling participation.  IIP may play an important role in India’s future state by promoting materials that break down easily or are easily recycled preventing the build up of trash in public areas.

Following the question session, with cookies and tea, we embarked on a tour of the facilities. The facilities were clean and spacious with a great tropical feel. The equipment seems well maintained and able to perform all tests as needed. The students and staff showed a true love for their field and enjoyed presenting their facilities to the Cal Poly students.

It was now time to board the bus and journey to the hotel, Ramee Guestline Juhu, a long awaited activity by all. Showers were quickly started and beds were tested. Next on the agenda was an optional shopping opportunity by local leather workers. The men brought samples of coats, pants, wallets, belts, luggage, and other leather goods. A crowd of students and hotel workers quickly formed and rupees began trading hands. This was another opportunity for students to put their well-practiced negotiation techniques to use!

Next up was dinner. We were fortunate enough to only have to board the elevator to arrive at our dinner reservation. The rooftop restaurant, Its Mirchi, hosted us all for an evening of delicious food. We started out with kabobs cooking on the charcoal grill built into every table. First it was delicious chicken and prawns followed by vegetables and cheese. The meats kept coming and we kept eating. We were then instructed to begin the buffet, which consisted of soups and curries. Every dish was just as amazing as the first. The fresh cooked naan soon followed and we simply could not get enough. One bit of advice, beware of “green beans” in India. As a few students learned, extremely hot chili peppers look surprisingly similar. A few tears were seen and many emergency yogurt grabs were had! It was a great dinner in a great atmosphere to end a very long and tiring day.

We look forward to spending more time in Mumbai and continuing to analyze the similarities and differences between India, China, and America.

On to the next day! 

No. 2:

Arrival to Mumbai

The sleeper train from Delhi to Mumbai proved to be a very interesting experience. The station was full of travelers, and the wide eyes around proved that our group of foreign students was an attraction. When on board, we found the train cars open, with six people per bunk. Due to group booking regulations which do not allow a single group to reserve an entire car, we had the opportunity to talk with locals in our segments. Dinner and breakfast was provided with choice of vegetarian or meat. Departure from the train and boarding the bus has been refined since our last train experience and went fairly smooth.

Adora Jewlers

After a long train ride, we arrived to Mumbai and boarded a bus to a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) to visit Adora Jewelers. Adora is one of 200 jewelry manufacturing facilities inside the special, government sanctions plot of land know as a “sector.” Adora specializes in the cutting and polishing of diamonds, as well as the design, manufacture, and distribution or diamond and gold jewelry.  The CEO, a third generation jeweler, gave a wonderful talk on the details of the jewelry industry and the ways the Adora distinguishes itself from other manufacturers. After the group discussion, we toured the facility and enjoyed a delicious lunch.

The tour of the facility revealed a wide scale jewelry manufacturing operation that mixes traditional ways of fabricating jewelry along with new technologies to increase the overall throughput ability. The traditional method begins with the hand fabrication of a single master template for a specific design. This piece was made from silver due to its mechanical properties such as malleability and low cost. The silver master was fabricated using many small hand tools and was made to the quality desired in the finished product. This piece had to be flawless, as any flaw would be replicated in the subsequent pieces.

Once a master is finished, liquid rubber is poured around and then vulcanized to create a hard rubber mold with a cavity replicating the form of the ring. This mold is then used by injecting hot wax into the cavity and creating wax rings. After 30 or so wax rings are made, they are arranged into a tree shaped mold and a ceramic powder coats the tree. This tree is baked for 12 hours and then makes a second mold, then used for mass production in a process known as lost wax casting (this where molten gold is poured into the new mold, the wax exits the cavity, and numerous rings can be made at once).

New technological advancements have now allowed for the removal of the time consuming hand fabrication of the master mold cavity in the initial process. Today, up to 60-70% of all jewelry is made using Computer-Aided Design (CAD) software to design the appearance and create the 3D form used in jewelry. This 3D model is created out of plastic using a rapid prototyping machine - a machine that builds a 3D solid layer by layer with the aid of a laser. This process can take as little as 12 hours from design conception to a finished plastic piece of jewelry. This plastic piece is then used to create the rubber mold, replacing the silver master as in the traditional method.

In the factory itself, the walls were made of glass and everything was visible from one end of the factory to the other. This atmosphere seemed to increase security and created a sense that “someone is watching” over the workers.

Lunch was a mix of Indian and Western Style food, and was one of the best provided by a company thus far. At the close of lunch, the group reconvened with Pradir and finished with a short Q&A session. From Adora, the group traveled to the Indian Institute of Packaging.

Indian Institute of Packaging

The group arrived at the Indian Institute of Packaging (IIP) and was greeted by the director of the university and several students, and we were given an overview of the program, current projects, and upcoming events. Dr. Singh was recognized by the institute for the quality of students that the Cal Poly program is producing internationally which was a great honor for Dr. Singh and his students.

The tour of the facility showed many packaging processes already familiar with the students – especially the MS IT students specializing in packaging. Many of the large pieces of equipment such as the compression, vibration, and shock tables were similar to those at Cal Poly, however the range of available test equipment at IIP exceeded that of our packaging program by far.

Dinner

A late night dinner was held at the rooftop of our final hotel stay of the trip. It consisted of a traditional Indian style buffet along with a BBQ, recessed into the center of the table over hot coals, with various shrimp, chicken, vegetable, and cheese kabobs. A chief also prepared customized local appetizers and deserts. After the filling meal, we returned to our rooms to rest up after a long day and prepare for our next adventure!

Entry Filed under: India, Mumbai