(This article is sponsored by Attorney Trupti Patel)

“Innovation is my passion” says Sushil Bhatia, President and CEO of JMD manufacturing. He is an entrepreneur /innovator who   has several patents, publications and new products to his name. He has developed / co-developed products which are used in our daily lives. In fact you cannot go through a regular day in life without looking at or using a product in which he did not have a contribution of development or a patent.

 Some of the products that he has innovated and developed and has patents on are  – Glue Stic, Convention/ seminar name badges, mailing labels, laser/copier labels, binding systems, decorative labels for shampoo/ cosmetic/ food containers, inks for use on milk cartons, food containers like bottles, boxes, plastic bags and paper pouches, electro sensitive paper (IBM project).

 He has founded several companies and is currently the President/CEO of JMD Manufacturing Inc. JMD’s   products are used:

 * By MNCs  like General Motors, Proctor and Gamble, Colgate, Kraft Foods, Johnson & Johnson, Glaxo Smith, Kline and Beechem, and others

* In a range of Industries like food, pharmaceuticals, electronics, cosmetic and toiletry products, contract packagers and others.

 He is very active in the community and has been a past President of Rotary Club, Chairperson Micro loan program, board member of chamber of commerce and editor of a community newsletter. He is also the founder of the Laughing Clubs of America and has completed a small book “ Laughing your way to fitness with Yoga and Meditation (and that’s no joke).” He has been a speaker at National Honor Society, Boston University, Seminar set up by MIT Enterprise forum-TiE Boston and others.

 After his initial education in India, he received his Ph.D in Chemistry from Universite de Liege (Belgium) and MBA from Suffolk University, Boston (USA).

Bhatia spoke to Lokvani about his work and the concept of mental fitness.

You have had a very interesting career with several patents in different areas and have started a couple of companies. What would say is your core interest?
Innovation is my passion. I like looking at problems and finding innovative solutions. It is this passion that has resulted in the various patents that I hold. I enjoy being an entrepreneur. I have always sought to use opportunities as and when they become available.  

My present company JMD manufacturing is a manufacturer and global distributor of low cost, versatile portable JMD's Series high quality code daters, conveyor line markers, and case coders, ink cartridges and other related supplies. JMD offers production line machinery that has the capacity to print on various types of packaging materials like containers, cartons, papers, plastic films, labels, tapes, foils, flexible laminates, etc. I acquired a division of Avery Dennison in 1993 to form JMD manufacturing. 

You went to India in the early 80s to set up a manufacturing wing for Avery Dennison at a time when outsourcing to India was not common. Could you describe that experience?

The venture in India was not an outsourcing effort but a technology transfer effort. In technology transfer, companies enter into a partnership where the Indian company is allowed to create and market products while paying the parent company royalties for the technology. Thus the goal of technology transfer is to enter new markets and expand the product line. This is very different from outsourcing where the product is manufactured for the parent company itself. Outsourcing is primarily done to cut costs.  In the early eighties barriers to entry in India were very high. Custom duty was in the range of 150 -200%.  The experience was a challenging one but we were quite successful. My first trip to India was in 1981 I started a company that could work with Dennison paper which was the company I was working for. In 1989 I independently started a company in India called Control Print which we took public in three years. It was a nice accomplishment.

Does JMD outsource work to India? If so has it worked well for you?

Recently we have outsourced some work to India. It has it pluses and minuses. It is a good cost cutting measure. But the biggest problem that we notice is the lack of quality awareness. Some Indian companies often do not pay enough attention to the specifications or the final finish of the product. Unlike IT the reaction time in the manufacturing sector is slow which makes it a little difficult for us to make changes. But over time we have worked with our Indian counterpart and we have seen a marked improvement in their work.

Are there new technology areas that you are currently exploring?

RFID is a technology that we are currently exploring. Our specialty is product ID and RFID is a perfect fit for our core business. We are particularly interested in using it as a way to protect consumers and drug companies from counterfeit drugs.  RFID is, fundamentally, a track-and-trace technology that can automate and streamline the collection of information about individual products and provide access to historical data as they move through the supply chain.

RFID centers can be set up utilizing proven hardware and software to enable pharmaceutical companies to create individualized solutions for combating drug counterfeiting in compliance with the recommendations of the FDA.

Automating drug tracking and pedigree management improves drug security and helps contain costs. Companies using software and testing methods will gain improvements in supply chain operations including accuracy, improved drug availability, reduced inventory costs, less product loss due to expiration and reduced labor costs. JMD has created alliances with other technology providers and is in the process of setting up an independent center for evaluation and testing. This center will test and evaluate RFID systems and will be equipped to demonstrate EPC Class 1 tags at 915 MHz.

In addition to JMD manufacturing you are also the founder of the Laughing Clubs of America and you put a lot of energy into teaching “Laughter Therapy”. How did you get interested in this subject?

Back in India in 1982 I was visiting a friend in Bombay. During the visit I had fever. My friend had a Guru and he asked that I visit the Guru instead of taking allopathic medication. Out of respect for the friend I visited the Guru and he taught me meditation. At that time I used to smoke and drink alcohol. I told the Guru that I was unwilling to give these up. Guruji responded that he would not insist on my giving these habits up but that if continued to meditate I would automatically give them up. It turned out that Guruji was right. As I continued to meditate I realized its value. It changed my life.

As I mentioned before, innovation is my passion. A clear mind is the right environment for innovation and meditation certainly clears your mind. I used to teach yoga and meditation. Later I read about laughter therapy and thought it would be a perfect addition to meditation.

How does laughter therapy differ from yoga and meditation?

Fundamentally all these techniques focus on breathing. Proper breathing can improve your immune system and help clear the brain. It helps you control anger which is very detrimental to life. You can use any technique that works well for you. Laughter therapy is an easy technique that works for many people. As I said I combine it with yoga and meditation. 

Do you incorporate these techniques into your work as well?

Absolutely. I always encourage employees to start their day with meditation. I teach entrepreneurship at Babson and I incorporate laughter therapy into the course. People can be so much more productive if they meditate. Twenty minutes of meditation is equal to four hours of sleep. In fact students in my class requested that I begin the class with meditation for it really clears their mind.

In business sweetness of tongue is very essential. All spiritual practices encourage sweetness of tongue.  The negative emotions like greed, anger and frustration need to be harnessed to run a successful business and harnessing of negative emotions is the goal of all spiritual practices. So I think these practices can only improve the quality of your work.

Based on your spiritual and entrepreneurial journey do you have any special advice that you can offer people?

Innovation is at the core of any entrepreneurial venture. Innovation can happen only when you have a clear mind. Just as you go to a gym to keep physically fit I would advice everyone to take on activities that ensure mental fitness – find the mental gym. I would also urge everyone to get involved in community service. One must always find time to help others for it is the community that empowers us to do our work . Community service will certainly  give you happiness which is the goal of life.
 
Great advice indeed. We thank you for taking time to speak with us. 

Thank you.

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