ARBL is a Chennai-based company with a vast manufacturing unit for industrial batteries in Tirupati. It is also the largest supplier of stand-by power systems to the Indian Railways, the Department of Telecom, MTNL, VSNL, ABB, Alcatel, Fujitsu, Lucent, Motorola, Nokia and Siemens. The company's executive director, Mr Jayadev Galla, says the go-karting event embodied the dedication and excitement associated with racing, and gave youngsters exposure to competitive motor sports.

Mr Galla manages the marketing and sales aspect of the business, which is run by his father, chairman and managing director of ARBL, Mr Ramchandra Galla. In addition, he takes care of customer support, and looks into new business development activities and strategic planning. Before he took up this assignment, Mr Jayadev Galla spent some years as an international sales executive at GNB Battery Technologies in the US.

In fact, he says his ideas on the development of sales and service at ARBL have been influenced by his experience of markets and consumer expectations in that country, where he lived from 1970 to 1992. Upon his return from the US, Mr Galla set up the sales and service network for the industrial battery division of his company. He spearheaded ARBL's automotive venture, and was responsible for concluding their partnership with JCI for ARBL's automotive battery business.

Emphasising that employee and social welfare have been inherent to the successful working of ARBL, Mr Galla says he takes care to participate in community development initiatives. "The aim is to enrich the quality of a worker's life by building institutions that give him access to better goods, services and opportunities," he says.

To achieve its "core purpose", ARBL has taken up the task of enriching the environment in its Tirupati factory. This includes protecting and nurturing the surrounding vegetation and providing a congenial working atmosphere for its employees. Mr Galla says a massive green belt of 51 acres has been developed in the area at a cost of Rs 65 lakh, and 50 people have been employed to maintain and develop this plot. Apparently, 22,000 seedlings have been planted.

He adds, "We have introduced state-of-the-art technology for pollution control. Over Rs 2.42 crore has been spent on this. Effluent treatment plants have been installed to reduce water pollution, thereby decreasing soil pollution."

In keeping with ISO 14001 standards, the company carries out a monthly monitoring of the level of various pollutants, and uses the reports to reduce these levels in a planned manner. Mr Galla says Rs 65 lakh has been invested for the preservation of groundwater. Also, 120 rainwater harvesting pits, 30 percolation trenches and eight check dams have been prepared.

But Mr Galla's favourite charity is the Rajanna Trust, which was founded by his father with the idea of rural development in mind. Educating villagers in dairy development is a prime focus of this project, and Mr Galla says women are major beneficiaries. He supplements the company's claim of having furthered the cause of education by stating that ARBL runs a primary school for its employees' children. "We also run an association that helps youngsters from underprivileged families take up higher education. There is a library within the factory premises, which has books on battery technology and pollution control, among other subjects," he adds.

As might be construed necessary for a factory that employs so many workers, ARBL has set up a residential complex for employees' families as well as a hostel for bachelor workers.

While all this makes good business sense for the company there is no doubt it effectively harnesses a precious resource: a satisfied employee.