IT'S NOT A MAN'S WORLD — SHIKHA GOYAL

‘‘It’s rather difficult for men to accept a woman in business’’

B V Mahalakshmi

Redefining Leadership: Shikha Goyal

She is made of tough mettle. In the decade and half of having set up Hyderabad-based Timber Technicks Ltd, it’s managing director, 48-year old Shikha Goyal, has demonstrated that she has what it takes to survive and thrive in a business that is traditionally recognised as a male dominated industry. Says Ms Goyal,” It’s rather difficult for men to accept a woman, especially as the head of a timber company.” The company is into the manufacturing of doors and window frames.

The path in managing the 15-year old timber company while interacting with contractors, real estate developers and manufacturers was never a rosy bed for her. It was started in 1986 as a small scale unit with a small investment of Rs 5 lakh. But finally, what started off as a three-month project has now developed to what it is today. At the same time, she has not confined her managerial focus to just Timber Technicks. Today, she is also on the board and is associated with several other companies in the Rs 15 crore Goyal group.

In the industry itself, she has been a pioneer of sorts. For example, Timber Technicks was one of the first companies in this segment to have introduced novel products like technical wood and Greenflo flooring. Says Ms Goyal,” Technical wood is a new creative product which acts as an ideal substitute for the natural timber evolved out of German technology.”

One of the ways that she has been able to pioneer product development is by focussing on technological innovations in an industry which traditionally has not laid a a lot of emphasis on this aspect. The result: the company has come out with a product that is an ideal substitute for natural wood and finds place in industrial as well as home appliances.

At another level, Ms Goyal has also demonstrated a keen sense of the market pulse. The development of Greenflo is a reflection of this. For example, taking in account some of the market needs of a product, Greenflo was developed as a cost-effective flooring system with its base made up of high density technical wood.

The company has also identified that one way to be one step ahead of the competition in this business is to have alliances with foreign companies who may have a headstart in this field. Today, Timber Technicks is close to negotiating deals with foreign partners for developing products like the Technical wood. Says Ms Goyal, “ We are planning for three more innovative products which will be useful in spinning mills.” And, if things work out, she could be on to something big. For example, in what promises to be a novel breakthrough, Timber Technicks is currently talking to Indian Railways for supplying berth made out of compressed wood, flooring and the internal body.

Ms Goyal also believes in getting involved in the rough and tumble of the business. Today, she has set up a sprawling factory that is spread over an area of 6,000 square metres with state-of-the-art wood working machines for making doors which are aesthetically attractive and strong enough. Today, the factory has capabilities of manufacturing 5,000 units of flush doors and 2,500 units of doors and window frames every month. A professionally managed company, it is equipped with electric kiln seasoning and vacuum and pressure chemical treatment plants with sophisticated state-of-the-art wood working machines.

Apart from Timber Technicks, the group of companies that she is associated with also include the BVG Industries Ltd, Koyala Vahan (P) Ltd, Shigol Exports (P) Ltd, Vee Gee Combines, Vishal Industries and Goyal Constructions. Today, all of these comprise a healthy group turnover of about Rs 15 crore.

That is not all. There are ambitious plans ahead to gallop growth.” We are projecting Rs 100 crore by 2005 from our group companies,” she says with confidence. So what is her managerial hallmark which she believes can yield results? Answer: Sheer hard work, dedication and emphasis on after-sales service are the hallmarks. It is because of these that she believes that the company has been able to attract and retail blue-chip trusted clients like Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), SIDCO of Maharashtra, Delhi Development Authority (DDA), Indian School of Business (ISB) and Larsen & Toubro.

A post-graduate in political science, with a management qualification from from Madras Productivity Council and a Bachelor’s degree
in Education, she is married to Mr V P Goyal, who is managing the Delhi-based Vishal Industries. Ms Goyal, however, had a regular career graph in the early part of her career. Her earlier stints include that as a teacher and as an Air-hostess.

Ms Shikha Goyal also spends her leisure hours with women welfare organisation. Her others interests include helping in the marriages of poor girls and generating self-employment among them. She has been instrumental in adopting two slums for a project called ‘your freedom is your education’.

She is not contend just with all these social development projects. Today, her objective is to form a co-operative society which would focus on the rehabilitation of war widows. Clearly, a fighting woman who would like to combine her interest in charity with business.