IMTEX 2011 & Tooltech 2011 - Indian Machine Tool Manufacturers ...

Shailesh R. Sheth
Triggering a paradigm shift
DNA of this company. From being a trading company, he
transformed PMT to become an important manufacturer of
machine tools and triggered an era of global cooperation
through partnerships with reputed foreign companies.
For his outstanding and far-reaching achievements in
propelling the Indian machine tool industry towards global
excellence, Mr. Sheth was honoured with the “IMTMA - H.
R. Gupta Lifetime Contribution Award” at the IMTEX 2011
Inauguration Ceremony.
“Do not go where the path may lead; go instead where
there is no path and leave a trail”. These words of Ralph
Waldo Emerson truly portray the philosophy of one of
IMTMA’s most outstanding and outspoken office-bearers
– Mr. Shailesh Rajnikant Sheth.
Mr. Sheth’s enormous contribution to the Indian machine
tool industry’s journey towards quality, productivity and
beyond all competitiveness is very well known. What is less
documented is his unparalleled foresight in visualising a
leading global position for the industry.
Under his astute guidance, the ‘VISION’ Conferences,
‘Technology Missions’, Summits and Technology Seminars,
raised IMTMA’s capabilities to new heights. The person
who coined the word “stretch goals” must have met or
seen Mr. Sheth in action. For him a setback is only a new
challenge – and Mr. Sheth loves challenges.
IMTMA was the first industry Association under Mr. Sheth
that brought together competing members to together
evolve a challenging vision and matching action plans.
His optimism in the face of new challenges and clarity of
thoughts, which he also articulates extremely well, have
been a hallmark of his long-standing relationship with the
industry as also with the Association.
With an excellent blend of strong fundamentals acquired
during his graduation from IIM Ahmedabad and experience
spanning over four decades, Mr. Sheth played a defining
role in charting the course at several leading companies
and the Indian machine tool industry as a whole.
Earlier in his career, during a 22 year long association with
Perfect Machine Tools Group (PMT), Sheth changed the very
With typical humbleness, Mr. Sheth says, “A lot of my success
is not so much so because of what I did but because of
what many machine tool manufacturers did on my advice,
recommendations and assessments. Companies took the
risk that time and they succeeded. It is their effort that is
being lauded rather than my few words of advice. This
award is a vote of confidence in the fact that the Indian
machine tool industry is well on its way to transformation
and becoming globally competitive.”
Bubbling with optimism, Sheth foresees great potential in
the Indian machine tool industry and says, "The momentum
of the industry is back. New markets such as aerospace,
healthcare, energy have helped the industry focus on highend
technology and innovation.”
Advising machine tool makers to be level-headed despite
the sudden upsurge in business he remarks, “Manufacturers
must not take undue advantage of the current explosive
demand growth situation. This is the time for mature
behaviour and one should not be carried away by the
amount of profits made. Also, manufacturers should not get
complacent and should not stop the effort to continuously
improve and change.”
Mr. Sheth has represented the Indian machine tool industry
in many international fora and authored two seminal
research studies on the industry. As a corporate advisor
in management and manufacturing technologies and an
independent director in several leading companies, Mr.
Shailesh Sheth continues to guide, mentor and inspire
machine tool makers towards meeting new challenges
and reaching greater heights – more importantly in a new
‘avatar’ as the “chief mentor” of the second-generation
entrepreneurs, emerging leaders and young professionals
of the machine tool industry.
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