Promotional Top Guns

GD Sharma’s team at Indicusbag aims high with pledge to deliver perfect products on time, every time.

After serving as a fighter pilot in the Indian Air Force for 15 years, GD Sharma was ready to set his sights on a new challenge. So he started a factory in India and launched supplier Indicusbag (UPIC: INDICUS) in Chesterton, Indiana in 2000, where he serves as president.

Like many of his industry peers, Sharma has placed an emphasis on meeting customer needs and exceeding expectations—building a team of like-minded employees in the process. “Each and every employee relates to the company philosophy of putting the customers first and considers delivery of perfect products on time as the basic requirement,” he says. “Once the order is written, it is our job to ensure that it is delivered as promised, no matter what needs to be done.”

Sharma and hia wife have raised two daughters in Chesterton, and he spends his free time playing the occasional golf game and traveling in Asia. Read on to learn more about a day in the life for Sharma as president of Indicusbag.

What do you love about your company?

Our company has always delivered what and when promised without exceptions. The company commands the highest ratings in the industry. Every employee at Indicusbag is dedicated to delivering exceptional service to all its customers. Our products are second to none in the industry and we have state-of-the-art decorating facilities. With total control from product manufacturing to decorating and deliveries, we are proud to say that we are never uncertain of our commitments. We pay attention to details, no matter how big or small the order is. We never go back to customers once the order has been accepted. We do not do many things, but we are the best at what we do. Our customers love us for our philosophy of setting new standards in customer service and product quality, and our commitment to deliver.

Describe your office atmosphere.

The office atmosphere is great, with self-supervision at every level. Our employees love their jobs and have stayed with the company for as long as they have for that reason. The newest employee in the company has worked here for eight years.

What kinds of projects or tasks might you tackle on a given day?

Apart from fulfilling regular orders, we work on custom projects for our customers. We aim to respond to any customer questions within a few hours. Since our company was built from the ground up, we do not depend too much on outside sourcing. We work with a long term view in mind. Generally, we avoid short-term arrangements and look forward to making long-term relationships with our customers as well as with our support system.

How do you collaborate with co-workers?

Every employee in the company takes his or her responsibility seriously. Since the company works in a transparent and ethical way, there is no ambiguity in employees’ minds. That helps immensely in creating an environment of trust.

How does this job challenge you?

We live in changing times. Easy access to suppliers for buyers, and easy access to buyers for the overseas factories, bring significant challenges for established companies. Sometime you face a nonexistent ‘virtual’ competition because some buyers will use that to compare and drive down the prices without evaluating the risks involved with no recourse. In this age of technology and information flow, the business world has grown yet become smaller at the same time. Under these circumstances, it is a challenge to keep your place intact.

What changes or improvements have you recently implemented, or are you planning to make in the future?

We have tried to make our company autonomous yet dependent within our resources, and we try not to depend on any outside source for daily requirements. We have also taken the first step of focusing on products made in the USA and are continuously trying to expand on the idea of making our products here as much as possible.

There are big challenges in doing this for all our products and we have to evaluate each and every aspect about this process. Therefore, it will take time but we will get there. Another major step is to offer custom orders within 30 to 45 days while remaining competitive. We have been very successful in delivering these orders because of our vertical integration with the manufacturing facility, which was started by us in India a long time ago.

What makes your company a valuable member of the promotional products community?

Indicusbag is a name associated with unmatched commitments to our customers. Be it the quality of products or completion and delivery of time-sensitive projects, we have never failed even a single customer during the entire lifespan of our company, and that is the reason our customers love us. Our motto: We will deliver What and When promised without exceptions. Once you have the written order, it is our job to deliver. There is no need to follow up.