Ajay Harinath Singh Greatest Brand Leader 2018-2019

Bantwal Ramesh Baliga
Scripting an Innovative
Saga of Excellence
With a deep understanding of the bath fittings space owing to his vast experience of over two decades
in the sector, the CEO of Watertec India Pvt. Ltd., Mr. Bantwal Ramesh Baliga is efficiently leading
the organisation to unchartered territories of success by the virtue of his employee-centred approach and
unceasing quest for innovation
It’s no secret that innovation is the key
to success in today’s rapidly changing
world. Innovators in the business world
create new products, methods, and ideas by
looking at problems differently and come up
with solutions others cannot, and provide an
endless stream of value to their companies.
In fact, innovation is the most important
component of a successful company. A
dedicated and passionate leader, Mr. Baliga
ardently encourages innovation at every
stage of the design and manufacturing
process and is bent on bringing together
the best of design, engineering and worldclass
manufacturing practices, reflecting
the philosophy of ‘Art Meets Engineering’.
Sharing his success mantra, he elaborates,
“Coming with a determination to make a
difference and having a deep understanding
in the bath fittings domain, backed with
immense expertise of over two decades
and a strong ground and practical industry
expertise has enabled me to develop
Watertec into a new generation company
designing innovative products at affordable
prices, which stand for the basic principal
of water saving.” He further adds, “This has
enabled us to become one of the biggest
manufacturers of bath fittings and plumbing
in India, offering premium quality products
at affordable prices, thereby lowering the
barrier to entry and get everyone started on
the path of stylish high calibre products.”
Mr. Baliga proudly states, “Providing 360
degree unique solutions for bathrooms,
plumbing and drainage systems, we are
recognized as a market leader in India,
SAARC countries and South East Asia.
The fact that we have built an empire of
over 15,000 dealers is a big achievement
and by our innovative and quality-focused
approach, we have raised the benchmark of
excellence in the industry.”
Transforming Challenges into
Opportunities
Challenges are part and parcel of life in
general and business in particular. Rather
than seeing problems as burdensome forces
of opposition, successful leaders like Mr.
Baliga perceive problems as opportunities
– opportunities to learn, grow and adapt
in a way that leaves them better off than
before the problem existed. Sharing some
of the specific challenges which Mr. Baliga
faced, he says, “Challenges have been
many. Managing a workforce of over 1600
is no easy task, more so in a sales-driven
industry. The work cultures of Indian and
global brands are quite different. Global
brands pursue a systematic approach to
business ethics. I have incorporated this
work culture in our organisation with the
aim of being recognised as one of the best
employers in this industry.”
He further elaborates, “Getting the right
“I am a strong believer in people centric
management & always try to bring out
the best in them. For this, the technique
is simple – be one of them, get involved in
their coaching & ignite their passion”
people for the right job has always been
the biggest challenge. So we decided to
take freshers and mould them into our
organisational work culture. This has
always been a challenge but I consider it as
an opportunity to build them as leaders of
tomorrow.”
Bringing Employees to the Fore
An employee centric leader, Mr. Baliga
accords great importance to employees
and strives to motivate, nurture, retain and
grow them along with the organisation.
He uninhibitedly declares, “The credit for
our success goes to our team and people
who have worked with us to build this
organisation. People are our assets and we
take care of them. I am a strong believer in
people centric management and always try
to bring out the best in our people. For this,
the technique is simple – be one of them, get
involved in their coaching and ignite their
passion. This has been our strength.”
He adds, “I have built relations with all
kind of people in my life be it employers,
employees, channel partners, builders who
are part of my growth in this industry.”
Garnering Immense Success
Mr. Baliga’s rich career has been strewn
with numerous achievements. Taking pride
in his professional triumphs, he elaborates,
“We have installed the latest industry 4.0
technology in our manufacturing plants,
which has improved our manufacturing
efficiency by 2.5 times. We manufacture
about 3 million pieces a month and have
35 company-owned warehouses across
the countries. This industry 4.0 technology
incorporation was done in a record time of
4 months.”
Talking about the accolades received by
the firm under his leadership, he says, “We
recently received 4 awards in a row namely
Coimbatore’s Best Brand Award, Best
Employer Award, Award for Excellence
and Water Leadership Award from World
Federation of CSR Professionals at an
event held in the month of May 2019 in
Coimbatore. We also bagged the “The Most
Preferred Brand in Real Estate Sector”
organised by ET NOW (Rise with India) in
the month of February 2019.
Describing the significant role of a strong
support system in his success, Mr. Baliga
says, “On the personal front my family
has been my biggest strength and my
wife has always stood by me in each and
every moment in life. She is my source
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