The Hindu Business Line : Andhra Sugars completes 55 years sans strikes

NOT even a single strike by employees in 55 years of existence? Hard to believe isn't it. But, in the case of Andhra Sugars, one of the oldest companies in Andhra Pradesh, it is true.

Not just a history of no strike or unrest by the employees, but the company has won the award for the highest tax payer from the State Government last year, revealed the octogenarian, founder and Chairman and Managing Director of the company Mr Mullapudi Harischandra Prasad.

Started just a few days before India became independent on August 11, 1947, the company, located in Tanuku in West Godavari of Coastal Andhra has grown to a strength of 12,000 employees.

Speaking at the CSIR Diamond Jubilee Exhibition inauguration function today, Mr Harischandra Prasad said, "high motivation and good work environment and employer-employee relationships have stood the company in good stead in its growth path".

Starting as a small unit with a capacity to crush 600 tonnes/day in 1947, Andhra Sugars has grown into capacities of crushing 10,000 tonnes/day. It also has the unique distinction of providing strategic support to India's space programme.

Talking to newspersons later, Mr Harischandra Prasad said the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) identified the laboratory capability of Andhra Sugars to develop the propellant fuel for its rocket booster and thus the company successfully made and delivered it enabling India scale new heights in space technology. For the last 14 years, the ISRO has been supplied with the fuel and India is only the fifth country capable of this, he added.

He asked laboratory scientists to visit the industry and know their needs. The Andhra Sugars has enjoyed good relationships with the Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (IICT), Hyderabad for the past three decades and also in the development of the rocket fuel.

Referring to the chemical industry, Mr Harischandra Prasad said, "We have to maintain quality and price competitiveness to face the global competition and grow."

The Director of IICT, Dr K.V. Raghavan said the CSIR Diamond Jubilee exhibition started on September 26, 2002 in New Delhi has come to Hyderabad and will be on for the next five days. It will have 60 of the best technologies produced at the string of 40 national laboratories over the period.

The CSIR (Council of scientific and Industrial Research) laboratories were now giving importance to customer needs, business development and working on a performance-based budget. Its multi-institutional project approach is yielding results and the external earning last year was of the order of about Rs 300 crore.

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