JWA 2021 Jewellery Industry Best Practices

monitor the usage of gold and silver, among others, which effectively reduced precious metal wastage from 0.73 percent to 0.5 percent. Guided by the same spirit of innovation, Emerald aims to eliminate its 8.5-percent wax-setting rejection rate to zero through a prototype-fabrication technique that could help achieve maximum efficiency. MANUFACTURER OF THE YEAR Despitebeingoneof thecountry’s largestmanufacturers of gold, silver and platinum jewellery, Emerald knew it has to evolve to bear the brunt of the business shortfall stemming from the pandemic. “We started breaking down our operations into smaller hubs in place of our centralised manufacturing systems,” says Srinivasan. The company conducted regular health check- ups, implemented social distancing measures, and provided personal protective equipment and masks for the staff. It even set up lodging and quarantine facilities, which also provide healthy food and vitamin supplements, as well as counselling services to employees. Challenges persisted even as the lockdowns started to ease. “We experienced a sudden shortage in skilled workers. Even when the restrictions were relaxed, workers, some of whom are migrants, didn’t return as expected,” divulges Srinivasan. This, according to him, convinced Emerald to reduce dependency by investing in automation through innovation. The company installed an automated bi-belt system for wax injection that can fill up to 20 moulds of different sizes at the same time. Factories were also equipped with robotic CNC faceting machines that can be used to design a wide variety of beads. On the customer engagement front, Emerald created the Tej app to allow buyers to pick products with a click of a button. Beyond its manufacturing facilities, the company created a product that appeals to younger consumers. Released in December 2021, Smart Band is a wearable, luxury product that can be used to capture and transfer images, with the help of a smartphone and the Emerald app. A Smart pendant, which is a wearable safety device that can send out SOS alerts and text messages, among other features, is also being developed by the brand. Further diversifying its portfolio, Emerald produced more silver ornaments for its home décor, furniture and gifting segments, when it noticed a spike in demand for such items. “By adapting to changes, always having a contingency plan, diversifying our business, and developing and protecting our talented workforce, we were able to show resilience even during difficult times,” says Srinivasan. 1. One of Emerald Jewel Industry India Limited’s manufacturing facilities 2. Brindavan necklace 3. Srinivasan Krishnamoorthy, Chairman and Managing Director of Emerald 4. An employee operates a laser soldering machine 5. Temple jewellery production 4 3 5