Social and relationship capital 
Co-creating a shared future
We engage with our customers, suppliers, business partners and communities around our operations to understand their needs and use our resources to address these needs and create sustained value for all these stakeholders.
Community
Corporate social responsibility has always been one of the focal points of our operating principles. Since our inception, we have been working closely with communities around our operations and have been undertaking initiatives to create opportunities so that these people, especially the marginalised among them, have a chance to improve their lives. We have a robust project selection process, which is reviewed by the CSR Internal Committee, which places the shortlisted projects alongside the budget before the Board for its approval. These initiatives are aimed at improving healthcare, education, water supply and sanitation as well as restoration of traditional art and protection of heritage.
Environment protection
We entered into an MoU with Madhya Pradesh’s Van Vikas Vigam Limited till 2027, under which we will be planting 4 lakhs trees on an annual basis. Regular monitoring together with the availability of water and the active involvement of the local administration and the panchayat will ensure a close to 80% survival rate of the trees.
15 lakhs +
Trees planted in the past 5 years in Bhopal, Alwar and Neemrana
Robust review mechanism
CSR monitoring
Appointment of third party for impact assessment
Periodic visits (including surprise visits) by the Corporate and local CSR Teams
Milestone-based monitoring of projects
Adherence to terms and conditions of MoUs/agreements
Development of ICU ward
In association with the Government of Rajasthan, we have developed an eight-bed state-of-the-art modern ICU ward in Alwar, Rajasthan. The ward was inaugurated in December 2021. This was widely appreciated by the local administration and received extensive coverage in the local newspapers.
Mid-day meal / Dry ration distribution
The QRG Foundation provides transport and related services for the distribution of dry food rations (wheat and rice) to over 400 government schools, directly benefiting ~7 lakhs students in Alwar, supported by the Rajasthan government and school authorities. Following the break caused by the pandemic, the initiative was restarted on March 9, 2022, with the consent of the local administration. Providing mid-day meals is a flapship project of the Company, which is conducted by the QRG Foundation at Alwar. The project addresses both nutrition and education needs of children.
On April 1, 2022, a surprise inspection was conducted by the Additional Chief Secretary (ACS), wherein he took feedback from the students about the quality of the food being served. The response was overwhelmingly positive. We plan on increasing our daily meals served to students from 60,000 to 73,000 in FY 2022-23.
Heritage conservation
We aim to contribute to preserving the country’s rich heritage and pass it on to future generations in the best possible condition. We partnered with Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) to support the building of Humayun’s Tomb Interpretation Centre and the restoration of Sabz Burj monument.
Subz Burj: shining a light on the past
A 15th century monument situated at Nizamuddin, New Delhi, Subz Burj is one of the oldest Mughal-era monuments in the country. We have been donating funds for its conservation and restoration for the last four years using traditional materials and buildingcraft techniques favoured by craftsmen of that period.
Due to the extensive restoration process, sandstone lattice screens (Jaalis) have been restored at the arched doorways where unsightly iron frames had been installed. Rare gold and lapis lazuli paintings and incised plaster patterns on the ceiling are also now visible after a rigorous cleaning process, conducted under the supervision of experts.
Post the inauguration, the monument has emerged as one of the major night attractions due to the specialised lighting, which illuminates the monument, while protecting the monument from heat or moisture from the installed lights. We are currently one of the few players in the market who are specialising in museum lights.
Supply chain
At Havells, we strive to maintain a responsible and robust supply chain, engaging, supporting and handholding our suppliers and vendors on their sustainability journey. At the same time, we ensure that they conform to regulatory compliances and uphold best practices when it comes to financial and man management. ~78% of our spending is on local suppliers covering pan-India.
Relationship with channel partners
We have opened new and unconventional servicing lanes, reducing planning cycles (dynamic planning cycles rather than fixed monthly cycle). Manufacturing units have adapted quickly to the changes, leading to increased inventory of critical products. We have also focused on SKU rationalisation and reduced ageing inventories in the network.
Even during these difficult times, we have made continuous efforts to upgrade our warehousing infrastructure by leasing additional 3 lakhs square feet of space and commissioning a state-of-the-art shuttle racking storage solution.
Key focus areas for FY 2022-23
- Accelerating the digitisation journey and implementation of best practices
- Reduced count of locations and moving closer to customer
- Planning to introduce 50+ electric vehicles in the next one year with the goal to phase out combustion fuel vehicles for short haul by 2025
- Improving forecast accuracies
- Focusing on automation of plan generation for factories.
Customer service
Customer experience is a top priority for us,and we have rolled out several initiatives to further improve customer experience. We are reaching out to customers and making our brand available wherever they are. We have Care360, an unmatched post-sales support with over 1,700 delivery points and over 5,000 highly trained field engineers.
Customer Health, safety and data privacy
We assess health and safety implications of our products at product design stage. We also enhance usage of sustainable materials while we develop products. We ensure our products adhere to highest standards of safety, following all relevant national and international standards for product safety such as Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), Japanese Industrial Standards (JIS) and others applicable. During the year, we have not received any complaints/incidents concerning breach of customer privacy and loss of customer data.
