“Meet The Team” – Issue 1
In a new series of articles, we will look at the individual roles of a cross-section of different FTI employees. For our first issue of “Meet The Team” we speak to Mr. Vishal Sharma.
What is Your name?
My name is Vishal Sharma and I am from Delhi, India
What is your current position in FTI?
I am the manager of the manufacturing department in FTI. I started with FTI back in 2006, shortly after the plant opened, so I now have 11.5 years of service with the company and am one if FTI’s longest-serving employees.
What does your role involve?
My main responsibility to manage the manufacturing and production floor. I manage a large team of people, and I have several managers that report into me who are responsible for different aspects of the manufacturing, however I have the overall responsibility to ensure that production quotas, based on orders coming through from the sales teams, are met on time and adhere to our quality standards.
In addition to this key function, I am also responsible for disc labelling, printing, and the special solutions used for disc manufacturing. Recently I have expanded my remit to also cover warehousing and purchasing, so my role covers many different areas of expertise.
How would you describe your typical day at FTI?
Given the wide range of responsibilities that I cover, I would say that there is no such thing as a “typical” working day at FTI, however I typically like to be in the office early before the rest of the team arrive, so I am usually here by 7.30am. This gives me an opportunity to go through my emails and prepare for the day. Most days involve meetings with the various managers of my wider team where I receive updates on various aspects of the manufacturing operations and provide direction on how whatever issues we could be facing. I also spend some time on most days with the Chief Operations Officer, Mr. Mattia Balestra, whom I report into.
What are the main challenges you face in your role?
The main challenges for me are meeting production quotas for the sales teams and ensuring that the team have the correct mix of skills necessary to keep quality standards at the high level FTI are known for. Both challenges require me to have a combination of flexibility, an innovative approach and total commitment to the company, however I’m happy to say that there is no challenge we have not been able to find a solution for to date.
How would you describe the team you work with?
I would say that there is an excellent spirit and of teamwork within FTI, and the togetherness ethos that we enjoy today is exemplified by the fact that many of my colleagues have worked here at FTI for over 10 years, so there is great synergy and understanding within the team – we are more like a family than a team.
What are the best things about working for FTI?
I would say that the duty of care to employees ingrained in the culture of FTI is one of the best things about working here. The company places a lot of importance on ensuring that the employees are well looked after from a welfare perspective – regardless of what is happening in the wider commercial environment for the optical media industry – and I think that this is one of the reasons why so many employees have been here for so long.
What do you like to do outside FTI?
I am married with one child (a boy), so I like to spend time at home with my family as much as possible. My hobbies include horse-riding, which is something that is a tradition in my family as my Father was serving in the Indian Army and I had the opportunity to ride horses at a very young age. I also enjoy basketball and volleyball, which are sport that I excelled at when I was younger, representing my school and national level in both. I like to follow the Indian cricket team, and to relax I enjoy watching Bollywood movies, especially those which feature the actor Amir Khan. My favorite movie? It has to be the Amir Khan movie “The Three Idiots”.