Rishad Dadachanji, Director, Schott Kaisha, continues to grow the pharma packaging business started by his father through innovations and expansions. For the dynamic young entrepreneur, his father was his biggest inspiration for his millionaire state of mind
Kaisha Manufacturers was established in 1990 as a premium manufacturer of pharmaceutical containers. In 2008, it started its cooperation with German technology group, Schott AG for a 50-50 joint venture, as Schott Kaisha. Shakai Packaging was established in 2011 and Kaisha Lifesciences in 2014.
Today, my responsibilities encompass all major functions in our organizations. Apart from working in tandem with my father Kairus Dadachanji in Schott Kaisha and Sovereign Pharma, I also independently handle Kaisha Lifesciences and Shakai Packaging, which are two projects I undertook a few years after I had started working in the field. It is hard for me to pinpoint any specific duties or defined roles, but I make it a point to be involved in all key functions and to know my product and process extremely well. I have a keen interest in our innovation and development divisions and often participate in the design and development of new solutions, as a result of which, we have created a good IP portfolio.
My main inspiration is my father, and my ambition and drive come from seeing what he has achieved. I have been exposed to some of our companies since I was a child and I have watched him create these organizations from scratch. They have literally grown with me and I have seen what it looks like to create something out of nothing through hard work and dedication. This has led me to not only want to further expand and grow the existing companies but create something new and take them to a global level as well.
Togetherness. My family and I are very close to each other. We share a special bond, where we rely on each other and can always depend on each other through thick and thin. This is something I value greatly. Through their support and well wishes, I have developed the confidence I needed to be in the position I am in today. Knowing that their guidance is always available to direct me towards the right path, enables me to be the person I am today.
For me, it is simple. One Quality For All. Whether our product is being sold in India or abroad, our quality will remain the same. We only use glass containers made from Type 1 borosilicate glass, which is currently the industry benchmark. Our quality checks are stringent and we have implemented several robust systems such as LIMS, QMS, DMS etc. to prevent data manipulation by restricting people from tampering with any data being generated during testing. This high input material and robust quality systems help us ensure that the product leaving our plant is of the highest quality and is accessible to our fellow Indians at affordable prices.
In addition, we are also in talks with multiple customers abroad who are interested in purchasing Kaisha Lifesciences products. Moreover, as Sovereign is already certified and caters to several export markets, we are confident that we will be able to positively contribute to ‘Vision 2030’ both at home and abroad.
Innovation and development are two things that I take a special interest in and consider them as key growth drivers for any company. I even have a 3D printer in my office which I use very often to make some rapid prototypes. In the past few years, we have taken this up very seriously and I continuously try and come up with new ideas and products that I know our customers need by identifying the gaps in the market. Fortunately, we almost cover the entire value chain for injectable drugs, all the way from glass tubing, glass conversion, to manufacturing and filling of the final product. This enables me to envision the entire value chain during the development process and come up with the most efficient solutions. For example, we are commercially supplying our ready -touse nested cartridges, for which we have been granted a patent in the US and Europe. During the development of this offering, we kept several parameters the same as certain other products already available in the market. This enabled our end user to use this product on their existing machines with very little change of parts. This platform will be sold globally from India by our German partners – SCHOTT.
Innovation does not have to be a complicated process. Sometimes the simplest ideas materialize into the most ideal solutions.
At Kaisha Lifesciences, I always work with the R&D team, as we try and make a product better wherever possible. For example, if we have a molecule that is sensitive to heat and requires cold chain storage, then we should innovate by trying to stabilize it at room temperature.
With this drive and commitment to innovation and development, we have now set internal targets in all the companies, to launch at least a few innovative and unique new products every year.
This is something I really focus on in all our companies. I usually try and look at this from two angles, - product innovation and development along with process innovation and development. A few years ago, we added a product development division as well as an automation division. This has really helped us expedite our development process and enabled us to make our thoughts a reality. For instance, if we have a concept, we can get a render on the screen in a few hours and take a 3D print immediately after. This process continues until we have a product which is commercially viable and seamlessly integrable into the value chain. This flexibility and a strong design team have really given us an edge in the innovation process.
I always drive my colleagues to think outside the box and come up with good ideas and solutions. Even if some do not materialize, which could be due to several factors, they must always be creative and try to come up with good pragmatic solutions. None of our employees are restricted from learning something new. All they have to do is ask. Even if somebody wants to learn about a certain subject that may not be a part of their key role, I still urge them to do so as long as their key roles do not get affected.
"I strongly believe in catering to the needs of the customers at all times. Their voice must always be heard. There is no compromise when it comes to servicing their requirements"
Passion, hard work and no compromise are key. However, the most important thing for me is to be involved and know my product and process inside out. Having this knowledge helps me relate to and understand situations clearly. I truly believe that seeing is believing and I love spending time on the shop floor which is where you learn the most. You learn something new and I always try to listen, understand and get the full picture before taking any decisions - big or small.
For me, attitude and right mindset are the most important things to look for during the recruitment process. Interviews can be stressful for many people as they are often nervous during the interview. Hence, when I conduct an interview, the main thing I look for is how the candidates carry themselves, their ability to use common sense and not over complicate situations. I often try and judge if the candidate has the ability to relate past instances to current events. I find this to be a good tool which helps not only to improve current processes but also to prevent past mistakes. This shows that the individual has the interest and willingness to learn from past experiences.
When we identify any gap in the market, we take an approach of creating a standard design platform that can fill this gap. Once this standard design platform is created, it can be customised to suit the requirements of individual customers. As an example, when we developed our patented solution for ready-to-use cartridges, we standardized certain design parameters such as the outer dimension of the nest, the position of the nest in the tub etc. We can then customize the container size required for each individual customer within these set design parameters of the nest and tub. This standardized design platform allows us to provide for these individual needs.
I strongly believe in catering to the needs of the customers at all times. Their voice must always be heard. There is no compromise when it comes to servicing their requirements. Many a time, I speak to customers directly to understand exactly what they require and find a way to provide a solution to them. We are continuously increasing our sales team in order to be able to provide timely service and quick responses.
By Orchie Bandopadhyay
