Fleetguard Filters Pvt Ltd (FFPL) has become the first Indian company to win the coveted global award for Theory of Constraint (TOC) Excellence. It achieved this with the help of its TOC consultants Vector Consulting Group. This award is presented annually to only one company in the world, one that has demonstrated unparalleled focus and results in using Theory of Constraints (TOC), a management philosophy introduced by Eliyahu Goldratt in his bestselling book ‘The Goal’.

FFPL manufactures and distributes air, oil and fuel filters for commercial vehicles. In the face of a severe recession that almost crippled the automotive industry last year to the extent that some its clients and competitors announced layoffs and plant closures, FFPL posted robust growth and even increased its market share by a significant amount.

Niranjan Kirloskar, managing director of FFPL, said: “Working closely with Vector, FFPL has deployed TOC in every area and aspect of the organisation. In doing so, we have realised the rules required to manage a company can be extremely simple and the results equally dramatic.” Kiran Kothekar, director, Vector Consulting Group, attributed this achievement to FFPL’s complete faith in Vector that enabled them to achieve their goals for FFPL. With the company operating at 17 inventory turns and the distributors operating at 24 inventory turns with 100 percent availability, Fleetguard has redefined the benchmarks in the auto spare parts industry.