Amiit Khurana urges industry to focus on a know-how culture

Khurana revisited Professor Shoji Shiba’s concept of the “three eyes of a CEO.” He explained that while one eye should be on daily control and the second on continuous improvement (Kaizen), a CEO’s focus must fundamentally change. “75% of a CEO’s time should go to the third eye—breakthrough thinking and the future,” Khurana stated. He drew parallels to the Three Eyes of Buddha as well as the Hindu trinity of Vishnu, Shiva, and Brahma (preserve, destroy, create), urging print leaders to embrace telescopic vision for new markets, technologies, and models.

The discussion moved to the perceived "caste system" of business, where MSMEs are often expected to "stay small and play small." Khurana and Ramanathan stressed that scale is a question of culture, not size.

Khurana cited the shift at TechNova from operating “somehow or anyhow” to operating with “know-how.” This transformation involved documenting Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), learning from failures, and building repeatable, scalable systems that outlast individual heroics. “Do it slow but do it right,” he advised. This startup mindset, which sees "2-billion eyes" where others see a small lens market, is crucial for fostering modern, scalable growth across the industry.

Khurana provided a deep dive into TechNova’s often-unseen integrated supply chain. This model has worked for the Indian newspaper industry. The journey began by addressing a critical pain point: reducing the 90-to-120 days of plate inventory printers previously needed to hold. TechNova built a network of distribution centres, employed "milkmen-run logistics," and implemented online ordering capabilities.

This integrated approach now allows TechNova to deliver industrial products across India in as little as 72 hours and even manage vendor-managed inventory for large newspaper plants. Khurana underscored the critical role that logistics will continue to play, encouraging printers and converters to join the movement to secure supply chains for critical technology and consumables.

Strategy, Khurana reminded the delegates, is also about what you choose not to do. On the sales front, he highlighted the 5-5-5 Rule: "Maintain discipline with five cold outreaches a day, five meaningful conversations a week, and five consistent follow-ups for feedback."

Looking forward, Khurana outlined a vision focused on sustainability — specifically through process-less, chem-free plates — and creating an “Amazon of print” experience built on speed, technology, and trust. He encouraged the adoption of the B2B startup philosophy’s "Earn The Right" framework, urging established market leaders to identify and launch new products that solve "real problems for real people" to address the most critical, unmet needs of their B2B customers.

The short conversation also touched upon back-office compliance. And how this emphasis on SOPs has translated into specific improvements on the customers' printing and packaging production floor (For example, quality control, predictive maintenance, automated colour matching). Khurana said, "Given India's increasing global cachet and the success of domestic manufacturers in meeting stringent international standards, printers and packaging solution providers should achieve rigorous compliance and good governance," which is needed to compete in high-standard export markets.

Finally, he highlighted the Blue Ocean vs. Red Ocean concept, and spotlighted some of the Blue Ocean opportunities for the printing and packaging industry—areas of differentiation, new market creation, and non-competitive growth that are not currently being explored.