Ashish Tandon, executive vice-president, Genus Power Infrastructures Limited, has over three decades of experience in the energy meter business, including building businesses from scratch and formulating business expansion strategies. He currently heads the marketing function for energy, water and gas meters in the domestic and overseas market. He is also an active contributor to the Indian Electrical and Electronics Manufacturers’ Association (IEEMA) and has in the past served as chairman of its meters division. He has been a part of various discussions on smart metering and the roll-out of the Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS) with the Ministry of Power (MoP). He was also involved with the CEA, MoP, REC and NSGM for framing the SBD for smart meter deployment.
According to Tandon, “Customer satisfaction and revenue growth is the top-most priority at Genus. Utilities going for the lowest bid model means that we have to constantly strive for cost optimisation and price reduction without compromising the quality of our products and services. By leveraging the latest technologies, we are improvising our products and services so that they not only meet customer needs but also exceed expectations.”
Tandon believes that although the distribution segment is generally referred to as the weakest link in the value chain due to its inherent operational issues and losses, the situation has improved in the past seven to eight years owing to various schemes of the MoP. “The distribution segment is the bread earner for the entire value chain. The government is giving due attention to it and improving its health. As a result, AT&C losses have reduced from an average of 22 per cent to 17 per cent. The MoP has identified the root cause of the problem and launched the RDSS to make discoms financially sustainable and operationally viable. Its key focus is to install 250 million smart meters in prepayment mode by March 2025, which will benefit both consumers and utilities,” he says.
Tandon works closely with his team members and values their inputs and ideas. He likes to set clear goals and give regular feedback to his team. He believes there is no “I” (an individual) who can succeed; it’s always “we” (the team) that makes the difference. “A culture of excellence is what we all should strive for,” he notes. Tandon holds an honors degree in engineering from Nagpur University and has done a management course from GE Croton Ville, USA.