We had an email interaction with Hiral Mehta, Director at Spartan Engineering Industries Pvt Ltd. After completing her MBA in family business management from S. P. Jain college, Hiral has been actively involved in the company’s daily affairs. She’s a great motivator to all the employees at Spartan. Employees at Spartan find her very warm in the way she interacts and inspires everyone. She’s developed a ‘go to’ leader for all the employees for their professional and personal challenges. While she heads the ‘Credit Control’ and ‘Finance’ department, she also guides HR team for all the employee development and recreational programs conducted at the company. She also lives her commitment towards ‘Giving back to the society’ by conducting various CSR activities. She motivates all the staff to contribute towards various causes by donating blood, books and clothes etc. to the needy in the society.



Tell us something about Spartan and how you are creating a workplace of the future?
Around 25 exports to countries worldwide, 25000+ machines on site every year, 150+ well-trained engineers and technicians, 30 national and international awards, 10,000 satisfied customers – one look at Spartan Engineering Industries Pvt. Ltd’s profile is enough to leave you wide-eyed about its achievements. It started off as small venture of a young engineer who chose to follow his passion after working in a small engineering company for some years. Mahendra Mehta was a man on a mission and he founded Spartan in 1971 with just 2 lathe machines and 2 workers. In 2005, the engineering firm got a new life and direction with the founder’s son, Dr Vikram Mehta taking over.

Spartan grew by leaps and bounds under the founder and chairman’s leadership. SPARTAN was always the part of Innovation and Technology. Few years back, the increasing fire incidents has caught the eyes of MCGM and Mumbai Fire Brigade department. For the safety of people Fire Evacuation Lift provision was made by the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai and Mumbai Fire Brigade. But, Dr. Vikram Mehta and his team of experts has made it into a design and manufacturing reality. Today, the company features among the top in the construction equipment manufacturing industry and Fire Evacuation Lift to have revolutionized the sector with the introduction of an advanced, safe, and innovative Fire Evacuation Lift and multi-functional material hoists in India. It is Spartan Engineering Industries Pvt. Ltd who brought the first fire evacuation elevator here and it is its Managing Director, Dr Vikram Mehta who envisioned a need for it. With Dr Vikram Mehta’s innovative leadership and visualization, Spartan Engineering Industries has successfully completed the five decades (50 years) of Excellence in Construction Machinery and Equipment.

SPARTAN is an employee centric policy maker company. Dr Vikram Mehta always promote his employees as Partners. At SPARTAN They believe employees are the backbone and without them its difficult to function. Employees are the integral part of their Company. To create better workplace, SPARTAN has taken many initiatives towards the betterment of its employees. They always work towards securing the future of their employees and to do so they have policies like Provident Fund, ESIC, Mediclaim, Personal Accident policy, Term Insurance of Rs. 50,00,000 and Rs.1,00,00,000, etc.

SPARTAN empowers and inspires people to do their best to communicate, collaborate, Implement, and solve problems. It deepens engagement, spurs productivity, and creates efficiency which will help in creating future workplace. SPARTAN always embrace Digital Innovation in creating future workplace. They implement new technologies and train their employees to be updated with the market. Innovation and Excellence is their success mantra for Future.



What are some of the policies that you have introduced for your employees’ benefit?
We have introduced few statutory and non-statutory policies for the benefit of our employees as mentioned below:

A) Provident fund:

We are in the categories under Un Exempted Establishment under THE EMPLOYEES’ PROVIDENT FUNDS AND MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS ACT, 1952.

Employees Share: 12% on Basic + DA

Employer Share: 12% on Basic + DA

B) ESIC:

ESIC contribution 0.75% from Employee Salary and 3.25% from Employer Share deposited in ESIC account, Employees can get Medical from the ESIC Hospital and Panel Doctor, and Women Employees can avail maternity benefit.

C) LTA: Employees can get LTA benefits once in a year, calculation is 8.33% on Basic Salary.

D) Mediclaim: We have Mediclaim policy with family coverage of Rs.3,00,000/- include 1+5 members in the family, currently we have covered 87 Employees and their Family Members, this policy saves employees from unexpected Medical Emergency.

E) Group gratuity: Employees can get benefits of Gratuity once completed 4 Years and 240 days, these benefits help to increase stability of Employment.

F) Personal accident policy: This benefit covered if any Accident happens at the time of Employees on duty at Office, Customer Site or travelling for official purpose. We have taken a policy with a sum insured of Rs.5,00,000/- these benefits are covered by Partial/ Temporary Disability and Death Also.

G) Workmen’s compensation policy: WC policy covered Partial/ Temporary Disability and Death under Workmen’s Compensation Act 1923.

H) Term insurance: We have taken Term Plan from TATA Aia Life Insurance to Secured Employee Family life after Employee sudden accident/Death, we have taken sum insured of Rs.50,00,000/- and Rs.1,00,00,000/- slab as per Employee financial Criteria and medical fitness.

I) LIC Policy: Spartan has taken Employee – Employer LIC Jeevan Labh policy whereas Employee has to pay 10% Amount of their Basis Salary and Employer paying double than Employee contribution.

You have maintained a gender diversity of almost 31%. What are some of your plans to enhance the same in the near future?
Dr Vikram Mehta the Managing Director of SPARTAN is a strong believer of Women Empowerment. Dr Mehta, allows me to run and manage the operations of SPARTAN. At SPARTAN HR always try to hire new women talent to encourage gender equality. They believe men and women are equally talented and can run the show smoothly. To encourage and hire more women force, as a Director I timely interact with all the women employees. To make it more comfortable in the sector like Manufacturing as a woman I takes the final round of interview to boost their confidence and trust in the company.

To enhance gender diversity, SPARTAN has taken few initiatives for women empowerment as mentioned below:

i) Maternity Benefits available to Women Employees -The Maternity Benefit Act, 1961 protects the employment of women at the time of her maternity. It entitles women employees of ‘maternity benefit’ which is fully paid wages during the absence from work and to take care of her child. SPARTAN happily supports all the women employee by giving 12 weeks paid leaves (6 Week before delivery and 6 Week after delivery)

ii) Equal Treatment for all Employees– SPARTAN under Equal Wage Act provides payment of equal wages to male and female Staff/workers and they do not support discrimination against female employees in the matters of transfers, training and promotion etc.

iii) Equal remuneration- SPARTAN does not discriminate between male and female in terms of remuneration, promotions and all other extra facilities.

iv) Safety of Women’s Employees– SEXUAL HARASSMENT COMMITTEE in company for the Safety of Women’s Employees



Do you face problems with employee retention? What are some of the ways in which you retain employees?
SPARTAN is an employee centric organization. We can proudly say that we don’t face any challenges in employee retention. Our separation rate is very less, around 0.5% annually. You might not believe but there are few employees who have been working with SPARTAN for more than 25 years.

The health and safety of our employees is our utmost priority. We treat them as our partners and family. Our all policies are for the benefits of employees. We have Mediclaim facility, Term Insurance policy, Gratuity and many more such policies for the wellbeing of our employees and their families. Being a good employer, SPARTAN always manages to retain all their employees.



What is the difference in talent management between MNC’s and traditional Indian companies? Share some insights keeping your own organization in mind?
In the competitive global world and increasing flexibility in Indian industries, Talent Management is gaining high importance. MNCs are definitely better in this process as they observe person’s ability and leadership style before assigning the position. In today’s fast gen world, it is very important to learn and train. MNCs understand this basic hygiene, they will teach you trained you finally they mold you, you will reach some level what others have knowledge. But Indian companies only speaks experience and policies. Now, many of the companies have adopted the trend and they give proper trainings to develop employee’s knowledge and update the current market trends in the particular segment.

As part of the Talent Management, SPARTAN imparts various training for all employees, Internal trainers and External Trainers imparts training, many of employees are sent to the various training institute for training e.g., CII training, ISO training, 5s’, Six Sigma & ZED etc. SPARTAN keeps on organizing such training programs for each employee at different levels.

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