JNA Awards 2012 Jewellery Industry Best Practices

35 JNA AWARDS 2012 management and international expansion to R&D programmes – is geared towards enhancing the client service experience. In the last decade alone, the manufacturer opened an office in Antwerp (2002), set up a presence in Hong Kong (2004), launched the online portal dharamhk.com (2008) and established an office in the US (2009) despite the global credit crunch. Demonstrating operational excellence, the diamond manufacturer has also been an ISO 9001:2008-certified company since 2004. The certificate encompasses the procurement, processing and marketing of diamonds. Dharmanandan also got the nod of its industry peers, receiving the best exporter accolade from the Gems & Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC) for five consecutive years (2006-2011), and was awarded with the Gold Trophy by the Federation of Indian Export Organisations for Outstanding Export Performance in the gems and jewellery category. In 2008, Dharmanandan was selected as a DTC Sightholder. It has once again been appointed as a DTC Sightholder for the 2012 to 2015 contract period. Beyond exceptional entrepreneurship, however, the diamantaire has integrated its corporate social responsibility programmes into its core business, initiating ground- breaking projects covering health, education, agriculture and social awareness. The Dharmanandan Charitable Trust runs mother-and-child healthcare programmes, yoga camps and free health checks for employees and the public. In the last few years, the company organised a “Smile-Live-Laugh” motivational seminar for its employees and their families, a three-day cricket tournament, and a Monsoon Festival attended by about 6,000 Dharmanandan employees and their families. Dharmanandan is also instrumental in the operations of various schools including The Shree Swaminarayan Gurukul. The diamond manufacturer has built two schools in the rural areas and adopted two government schools in the state of Gujarat. Human resources The company’s human resource base, from its highly qualified team of engineers and IT developers to top-rate management professionals, is its most important asset, according to Dharmanandan. “To us, their health, safety, security and the well-being of their families merit the highest priority,” said the company, noting that its advanced facilities are equipped with clinics, training rooms, R&D centres and recreation amenities among others. “We have installed modern and high-tech safety measures to prevent accidents and injuries, includingstate-of-the-art electrical andfiresafety systems,”Dharmanandansaid. “We acknowledge and reward each member’s contribution to the company. Annually, we spend hundreds of hours training them, not only on the latest advancements in the field of gemmology, but also in relationship management, personality development and leadership skills. Our goal is to help our staff maintain a strong work-life balance.” From left: Piyush Patel, executive director for marketing and sales; Dharmanandan Diamonds Chairman Laljibhai Patel; and Hitesh Patel, managing director