India Trip

I am sitting at Chicago International as I write this and I have 30 minutes before my next departure to Orlando so I thought I’d use this time to blog about my trip to India.

Whenever a machine is produced by a manufacturer and sold into a specific geographic boundary such as country it often comes with regional modifications. These modifications are sometimes significant such as software systems programmed to readout in Japanese; but in most cases it’s no more than a decal change or hydraulic control configuration that is preferential for that area. Machines like these make ideal candidates for export. So, when working for an equipment dealership in Ogden I was often involved in exporting machinery from countries like Japan, Holland and China and importing them to the US, Canada, Mexico or Nigeria. When these machines are imported into a country other than the one they were originally intended for they are called “grey market” machines.

What I understand now that I didn’t then about grey market machinery is that each machine imported into a region other than it was intended for becomes a tremendous burden for the manufacturer to support.  An irony in my life is that my current position has responsibilities to support grey market machinery abroad with hydraulic hose and fittings; this was the primary reason for my travels to India this month.

India has several grey market harvesters that have been imported by someone other than my employer. The owner of these machines expects the support he receives on his domestic machinery and because we are committed to our customers and their success it’s necessary that we support these machines with parts.

So on Saturday I caught a flight to Pune, India from Moline through Chicago, Newark and Mumbai. 20 hours later I arrived in Mumbai Sunday night around 9:00 PM. My connection flight to Pune wasn’t until the next morning so I stayed at the Hilton near the airport. The Hilton in Mumbai is a beautiful hotel. They had these amazing crystal chandeliers in the lobby with very typical Indian furnishings and marble floors. The wings of the hotel had courtyards with water fountains, palm trees, park benches and gravel flooring.



Hilton, Mumbai, India



After my even stay in Mumbai I traveled to the airport and met up with a colleague from another division. From there we traveled together to Pune. Pune is the location of several of our facilities and factories so it made for a perfect location to base our travels out of.

Airport ground transportation

While in Pune I stayed at the Radisson. The hotel wasn’t as fancy as the Hilton in Mumbai but it had an upscale Indian restaurant that was very tasty and it was central to our offices which made it a nice place to stay.

Pune reminds me of South Africa, specifically the townships. The city’s commotion and infrastructure is what most resembles Africa. The buildings are of simple cinderblock construction. Most have squared walls painted with in a desert pallet. They sort of look like the type of buildings you see on the evening news when they are doing a segment about the Middle East. The picture below is looking out from the window of my hotel room.

Pune, India

My first day in Pune involved traveling to our factory to meet with the appropriate supply management personnel and take a tour of the production lines. Following our tour we returned to the hotel and had dinner with some Marketing folks to discuss about our future programs.

Traffic in India is hard to describe. It smacks you in the face, it’s chaotic and resembles the way water flows across the land or ants traveling to their nest. There are thousands of people in cars and more so on motorcycles. Adding to all this traffic congestion are ferial dogs and cattle wondering throughout the streets.

Not cows but goats in the road this time.

While traveling to the factory we actually witnessed a motorcycle wreck. It was really something to watch. We were traveling about 30 kilometers per hour when suddenly two motorcycles that were traveling too close to each other hooked one another and went down. The drivers slide across the ground and the one wearing a helmet lost it when it popped off. We slowed to a stop and watched as the two dusted themselves off, righted their motorcycles and hopped back on where they resumed their commute. It was unbelievable to witness. This wreck didn’t seem to faze either of the drivers. It appeared as though a wreck of this magnitude was routine and could be expected.

Adding to the congestion of traffic is domesticated cattle. I asked our regional representative why there were so many cattle wondering the streets. He told me that in Indian culture a herdsman will generally release one cow a year as a way of releasing this spiritual being from bondage. These cattle are then free to wonder. Since nobody eats beef in India the cows are pretty much free to roam undisturbed for the remainder of their life. The problem is their numbers are getting bigger and bigger.

The next day I visited an injection molding company and hard-line hydraulics supplier. They had several big customers like BMW & Volkswagen. The following day I caught a flight to Nagpur to visit a hydraulic hose manufacturer. The picture below is of Nagpur’s airport.

Nagpur Airport Terminal

Following our supplier visit in Nagpur I returned to the airport and caught a flight to New Delhi. New Delhi is much further north, near to the Pakistani and Nepalese borders; the Weather was pleasant there, in the mid 80’s. This was a welcomed change from Pune and Mumbai where the temps were in the mid 90’s with 50% – 80% humidity. In fact, Mumbai was nearly unbearable very hot and humid.

At the airport

Dehli Street Market

After my return from Delhi I flew back to Pune. The next morning our driver took us about 2 hours outside of Pune to visit another supplier. To get to this location we had to travel over the mountains and through a few tunnels. The scenery was great, I was able to get a nice view of Pune and enjoy the mountainous area there.

While traveling up the mountain roads our driver frequently had to overtake heavy loaded commercial hauling trucks. On one of these passes I thought I was going to die. The driver moved into the oncoming lane of travel and began to accelerate. That’s when I realized he was trying to pass on an uphill hairpin turn. Just as we came along side the truck another one equal in size suddenly appeared. Both trucks swerved to the shoulder as much as possible given that we were on a steep mountain slope and with that narrow gap our car slipped between the two barely unscathed.

Sugar Cane Harvest

After that supplier visit I returned to the airport. Boarded a plane from Mumbai where I met a connecting flight to Newark. When I landed in Newark I missed my connection flight due to a customs delay. So I caught another connecting flight to Chicago and then to Moline. All totaled I think I traveled about 35 hours to get home.

Overall my trip to India was very good. I loved the food, the people are very open and transparent and have a wonderful culture. Their English is great and they are very hospitable. I would love to visit that country again.

Indian dessert, looked so yummy but  I didn't eat a one of them.

 

Faridabad, India

Rickshaw Cabs, I didn't get to ride in one because my work forbids it.

BMW's Offices

Indian Street Market

Morning commute in metropolitan Delhi

Libation

Dinner with my colleagues

Tandoori Chicken

Common Indian home in Pune

Interesting business markets - trucks sold and used without bodies. Low cost

Common scene in traffic

Indian Temple