Baba Kalyani
Babasaheb Neelkanth Kalyani is an Indian businessman who served as the chairman and managing director of Bharat Forge, the flagship company of the Kalyani Group and the world's second-largest forgings manufacturer after ThyssenKrupp of Germany.
Early life and education
Baba Kalyani was born on 7 January 1949 to Sulochana and Neelakanth Kalyani, a Pune based technocrat and maker of auto components. He completed his high school from Rastriya Military School Belgaum/Belgavi, formerly King George Royal Indian Military College. He attended BITS Pilani, from where he earned a BE(Hons.) in Mechanical Engineering in 1970, and later in Massachusetts Institute of Technology where he earned an MS degree.
Career
Baba Kalyani joined Bharat Forge in 1972 when the company's annual turnover was about US $1.3 million; it was then a global company with 11 manufacturing facilities spread across India, USA, Germany, Sweden, and China.
Kalyani pioneered the export of automobile components from India to China in 2002. Bharat Forge was the country's largest exporter of automotive components for eight consecutive years, with exports contributing almost 50% to total sales. Every second heavy truck manufactured in USA runs on a "Made by Bharat Forge, India" front axle beam. Bharat Forge’s global customer base comprises 38 automobile manufacturers besides several tier suppliers to the industry.
