Swapnil Vyas : Driving Next-Gen Manufacturing Through Operational Excellence
Swapnil Vyas
AVP - Operation & Unit Head
Swapnil Vyas, AVP – Operation and Unit Head at BKT Tires Aurangabad (MH), exemplifies this new generation of operational leadership. He is a visionary leader who can see future of modern manufacturing to act smart, interconnected & self-optimizing.
Change agent who transforms factories into smart & digitized workplace which bring real time decision making, helps to improve KPIs with fast pace and on significant scale.
He is has a length and breadth of experience in the field of Chemical, Textile and Tyre plant setting up and optimization.
He gathered knowledge from world class manufacturing units of Japan, Germany, China & Thailand also leverages the exposure of many forums in India & Overseas of CII, ATMA, CMIA, JMAC – JIPM, AOTS & BCG.
Swapnil’s professional journey reflects a strong blend of global exposure, operational excellence, and strategic leadership.
He began his career in Japan, where an intensive year-long training equipped him with world-class management philosophy, process discipline, and precision-driven execution.
Early in his career, he played a pivotal role in establishing PCR greenfield and TBR brownfield projects, contributing significantly to brand growth and operational scale.
Progressing from middle management to senior leadership roles, Swapnil developed deep expertise in managing large-scale manufac -turing operations. To strengthen his strategic outlook, he pursued the Executive GMP program at IIM Indore (2011–2012), which broadened his perspective beyond operations and aligned his focus toward driving top-line growth.
At Mayur Uniquoters Ltd., he served as Operations Head, working closely with top leadership on high level decisions and supply chain strategies. He led key initiatives such as SAP implementation and the establishment of an advanced PU plant with DMF distillation capability, reducing reliance on imports from China.
Since 2023, he has been leading operations at Balkrishna Industries Ltd.’s Aurangabad plant, focusing on OTR tire technology.
His leadership has driven performance, capability building, and sustainability, earning multiple national & international recognitions, including NCQC, ICQCC, CII, FAME, and GEEF awards for Excellence in Manufacturing, Quality, Innovation, Safety & Water management. Let’s hear from him.
How would you describe your leadership approach, and in what ways do you keep your team motivated while encouraging a culture of innovation?
My leadership approach is primarily collaborative, while few times it is situational-based as per need of the organization and the team. I strongly believe that every achievement is the result of collective effort, and it is important to ensure that everyone is aligned toward a shared objective.
At the same time, leadership also involves supporting individuals who may need guidance and bringing them back on track.
Providing the right direction with disciplined push whether at a strategic or operational level plays a critical role in maintaining momentum.
To foster innovation, my belief is to encourage nurture team members to contribute and roll out Kaizen – 5S – Lean concepts, this not only improves processes but also builds ownership and engagement across the team.
According to you, how can leaders effectively create and sustain a safe and inclusive work environment on the plant floor?
Safety must be treated as a non-negotiable priority. When organizations consistently follow “Safety First” approach, it becomes deeply embedded in the culture rather than remaining as a compliance requirement.
Creating a safe man & a safe mind is very important together with creating working environment & machine safe for associates.
With the growing importance of EHS and ESG frameworks, organizations must integrate safety into everyday operations and remain as focus during decision-making.
Ultimately, the goal is to build a culture where every individual takes ownership and views safety as a way of life.
Which technology inter- ventions do you believe are most effective in driving transformation within this domain?
His leadership has driven performance, capability building, and sustainability, earning multiple national & international recognitions, including NCQC, ICQCC, CII, FAME, and GEEF awards for Excellence in Manufacturing, Quality, Innovation, Safety & Water management. Let’s hear from him.
My leadership approach is primarily collaborative, while few times it is situational based as per need of the organization and the team
How would you describe your leadership approach, and in what ways do you keep your team motivated while encouraging a culture of innovation?
My leadership approach is primarily collaborative, while few times it is situational-based as per need of the organization and the team. I strongly believe that every achievement is the result of collective effort, and it is important to ensure that everyone is aligned toward a shared objective.
At the same time, leadership also involves supporting individuals who may need guidance and bringing them back on track.
Providing the right direction with disciplined push whether at a strategic or operational level plays a critical role in maintaining momentum.
To foster innovation, my belief is to encourage nurture team members to contribute and roll out Kaizen – 5S – Lean concepts, this not only improves processes but also builds ownership and engagement across the team.
According to you, how can leaders effectively create and sustain a safe and inclusive work environment on the plant floor?
Safety must be treated as a non-negotiable priority. When organizations consistently follow “Safety First” approach, it becomes deeply embedded in the culture rather than remaining as a compliance requirement.
Creating a safe man & a safe mind is very important together with creating working environment & machine safe for associates.
With the growing importance of EHS and ESG frameworks, organizations must integrate safety into everyday operations and remain as focus during decision-making.
Ultimately, the goal is to build a culture where every individual takes ownership and views safety as a way of life.
Which technology inter- ventions do you believe are most effective in driving transformation within this domain?
Technology plays a critical role in modernizing operations, particularly in enhancing visibility, efficiency, and decision-making.
Key interventions include real-time data capture methodologies, digital dashboards for better monitoring and visual manage -ment tools to prepare foundation of Industry 4.0. Incurrence of IIOT & machine learning, Establishing AI framework is need of hour.
Low-cost automation & AI along with Strong focus on lean practices process optimi -zation, and continuous efficiency improvement is key.
Synchronization with world class best cost-effective solutions pave path to long term Opex reduction. A balanced approach ensures sustainable and scalable impact.
What key practices should organizations adopt to effectively achieve and sustain their long-term sustainability goals?
Sustainability must be fostered & embedded into the organizational culture rather than treated as an isolated initiative. This includes a strong focus on conserving resources such as water, energy, and fossil fuels, along with reducing waste across operations.
Extending efforts to families can create a broader sense of responsibility and long-term commitment toward environ- mental goals.
What does your future roadmap look like?
My current focus is on delivering value in my role while contributing meaningfully to the organization’s performance. I continuously strive to enhance operational efficiency and drive bottom-line growth in my ongoing assignment.
Looking ahead, I aim to adopt advanced practices that enable excellence across the supply chain while also developing future leaders who can take the organi-zation forward.
Recently, I participated in a BCG forum for ASEAN leaders, which reinforced the importance of an agile approach to building sustainable, future-ready businesses.
Building strong teams, strengthening capabilities, and nurturing leadership will remain central to my efforts for long-term organizational growth.
Swapnil Vyas, AVP – Operation & Unit Head, BKT Tires
A seasoned operations leader IIM alumni with global exposure Swapnil Vyas, AVP – Operation and Unit Head at BKT Tires (Aurangabad, MH) is recognized for driving Operation excellence, Innovative Quality leadership for bringing sustainable growth through a strong focus on continuous improvement and people centric leadership in 2025-26.
Key interventions include real-time data capture methodologies, digital dashboards for better monitoring and visual manage -ment tools to prepare foundation of Industry 4.0. Incurrence of IIOT & machine learning, Establishing AI framework is need of hour.
Low-cost automation & AI along with Strong focus on lean practices process optimi -zation, and continuous efficiency improvement is key.
Synchronization with world class best cost-effective solutions pave path to long term Opex reduction. A balanced approach ensures sustainable and scalable impact.
What key practices should organizations adopt to effectively achieve and sustain their long-term sustainability goals?
Sustainability must be fostered & embedded into the organizational culture rather than treated as an isolated initiative. This includes a strong focus on conserving resources such as water, energy, and fossil fuels, along with reducing waste across operations.
Extending efforts to families can create a broader sense of responsibility and long-term commitment toward environ- mental goals.
What does your future roadmap look like?
My current focus is on delivering value in my role while contributing meaningfully to the organization’s performance. I continuously strive to enhance operational efficiency and drive bottom-line growth in my ongoing assignment.
Looking ahead, I aim to adopt advanced practices that enable excellence across the supply chain while also developing future leaders who can take the organi-zation forward.
Recently, I participated in a BCG forum for ASEAN leaders, which reinforced the importance of an agile approach to building sustainable, future-ready businesses.
Building strong teams, strengthening capabilities, and nurturing leadership will remain central to my efforts for long-term organizational growth.
Swapnil Vyas, AVP – Operation & Unit Head, BKT Tires
A seasoned operations leader IIM alumni with global exposure Swapnil Vyas, AVP – Operation and Unit Head at BKT Tires (Aurangabad, MH) is recognized for driving Operation excellence, Innovative Quality leadership for bringing sustainable growth through a strong focus on continuous improvement and people centric leadership in 2025-26.