GJSCI’s Jewellery Excellence Symposium – Enabling India to build global excellence

Sanjay Kothari, chairman GJSCI, in conversation with Soma Bhatta explains why it is the right time for India to organize a skill development event of global stature, and how the industry stands to benefit from it.

Soma Bhatta: What are the objectives of IJES?
Sanjay Kothari: India has the potential to become a major jewellery manufacturing centre. In view of the recent developments in China, we have an even bigger opportunity to become a world-class manufacturing hub. We have access to the best of machinery, we have knowledge of the latest trends, we have domain knowledge (gold, diamonds, gemstones), and we also have good manufacturing processes. Besides, we have a vast labour force. What we lack is the skill set to compete with countries such as Hong Kong and Italy when it comes to high-end products. This lacuna can be addressed by imparting the right kind of training. Once we have better skills, we will become more cost-competitive, which, in turn, will lead to better margins. We will also be able to widen our design base.

SB: What will be the immediate benefits to the industry?
SK: The upcoming event will bring together Indian and international gem and jewellery experts for an informative exchange of ideas. Participants can gain information about technological advances in the industry, and manufacturing and business best practices.

Considering that the Santa Fe Symposium will be hosting its last edition in 2020, there will be a huge vacuum in the global jewellery education and training space. For close to 30 years, the Santa Fe Symposium has been a one-stop platform for collaboration, knowledge sharing, and training and learning across all facets of jewellery-making.

With the curtains coming down on it, India is best placed to fill the vacuum that will be created, once it shuts shop. It will also mark the rising importance of India in the global manufacturing industry. Another advantage will be that it will be much more affordable for Indian companies to participate in an event hosted domestically. In the past, very few companies have been able to send their production managers to the Santa Fe Symposium owing to the high cost. In fact, not many in the industry were even aware of such a premier educational platform. The most immediate benefit will be that Indian companies will be able to avail of knowhow and expertise at a minimal cost.

SB: What does the two day event entail?
SK: The event will be split into two sections. One section will be devoted to technical presentations on manufacturing, covering all aspects of manufacturing across categories, including platinum, plain gold and studded jewellery.

The other section will host discussions on management systems to build business and process excellence through real life case studies on subjects such as blockchain, HR policies, CAD, and much
more. These sessions will help build a world-class manufacturing set-up. I am certain owners of manufacturing companies will identify need gaps within their existing set-ups and engage the services of international trainers so as to gain maximum benefit from the event.

SB: What is the participation fee?
SK: We are charging just Rs 20,000 per participant. Contrast this with what attendees would have to pay for the Santa Fe Symposium — $1500, excluding travel and stay. In order to make it affordable for all kinds of industry players, we are seeking industry partnership and sponsors. Each participant can attend any of the sessions across the two sections, and can also engage in one-on-one discussions.