HRD seeks to constantly maintain maximum efficiency and effectiveness by examining employee functions in their jobs. To increase the performance of a company, HRD focuses on elements such as staff satisfaction, compensation, and incentives to keep up morale in order to achieve the highest possible performance from the employees HRD covers the role of recruitment, job analysis, performance appraisals, and skill inventorying to gain a competitive advantage. The extracted data during HR Planning are required to keep track of the human capital functioning within the company. While the task of compiling accurate data may be difficult, advances in technology play a major role in today’s HR function to help automate the work and make it easier.

In the digital era, current human resource planning is leaning toward a more machine-based system. The benefits of cutting-edge technology can help HR planners greatly increase the efficiency and their ability to forecast future needs and wants. The future of HR lies in data analytics that compiles all the information on employees, including their upbringing, experience, performance, and skill sets and monitors them via a computerised interface. Human resource planning is creating strategies around machine run data. The resulting benefit makes artificial intelligence (AI) an important asset that would decrease the time spent on recruitment and increasing its effectiveness while also providing applicants with a fair assessment.

It is with a great sense of admiration mixed up with a dash of amazement, that I scan the current HRD scenario to witness the giant strides made in this field. Yet amongst the glamour and glitter orchestrated by many organisations, which apparently looks like the tip of the iceberg, perhaps it could be my imagination at this late stage of life, I notice a sense of undue stress and dissatisfaction among the staff at all levels in most companies I happen to visit during my consultancies. It makes me to wonder whether we are better off nowadays and motivates me to recollect the scenarios that existed half a century ago during my formative years

As the well quoted words of Mark Antony in Julius Caesar of Shakespeare:

  Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears;

  I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him,

My aim is not to glorify the so-called good old days, but to glimpse at some of the best practices used which were appropriate in those bygone days, and some which in my opinion can still be practically valid.

When I faced the first interview at the Bata Shoe Company of Ceylon Ltd in 1969, the very first question I was asked by the Personnel Manager was why I have stipulated a low salary. You should never underestimate yourself. I was reminded. By that time, I had a little over one years’ experience in one of the footwear companies and I was studying part-time for LIRI ( UK ). We joined as trainees under the Management Development Personnel (MDP), and the very  first document we were given was a printed leaflet about learning principles (which I still have filed). It started with the famous ancient Chinese quote:

Give a Man a Fish, and You Feed Him for a Day. Teach a Man to Fish, and You Feed Him for a Lifetime.

The type of training was truly hands-on. Whichever functional area we were selected, be it Production, Technical, Purchasing, Marketing, HR or Engineering, we were assigned to the sales outlets and showrooms for one week to familiarize with customer requirements and to learn the shoe sizes by practice. It was a very practical way of understanding customer perception on which there are a multitude of techniques available these days. In the technical and production area which I preferred, our training programme included actual learning and practice of milling, the internal mixer, and other rubber processing machinery, including moulding , and later, working alongside the operators ( sitting next to Nellie) , in the footwear conveyors. The injection molding techniques were not available in the Sri Lanka factory by that time. This reminds me of the Genba  (real place)  concept, of the Japanese which I  happen to familiarize, much later in life. The “Baptism by Fire” became a guiding light in shaping my career in the rubber industry. We were also given a small ring bound hardcover pocket notebook, where we were compelled to list down the daily tasks, mark the ones accomplished and carry forward the balance to the next day. Every operational division used a “Workshop Balance Sheet '' which gave a record of hourly production against target, and the reasons for any shortfall had to be corrected promptly. It was also required to show the material and machine availability for the following day’s production requirement and get the signature of the responsible persons. This was a simple yet effective way of assigning responsibility and accountability. Internal Memos were delivered by hand and the signature of the recipient was taken on the original, and in retrospect, I think that this was a more reliable mode than the emails when considering accountability.

 It was an era where there no ICT, and other paraphernalia, computers, electronic calculators, smartphones and APPs that a young person has at his disposal The fastest mode of communication was the Telex, and photocopier (Xerox) and the Facsimile, were  yet to see the dawn of the day. We were given a large record book similar to a modern wedding photographic album, which was called the Wellington Book, (named after the Duke of Wellington, of the Battle of Waterloo fame), to record all our learning experiences, which the Personnel Manager discussed with us during the weekly counselling sessions. At a time when the now famous ISO 9001 Procedures and SOPs were not heard of, the organization used standard procedures, and other working documents and formats, including standard formula cards, in its worldwide network of about 110 factories.

 We were encouraged to learn from direct observations which include cleanliness and housekeeping also, reminiscent of the power of observations of Sherlock Holmes, which generally ended up with the comment “elementary my dear Watson”. Although the systemized data analysis and virtual access were m not available, my opinion is that the power of observation and hands-on experience enhances the brain functioning, which even some of the modern research has shown to be diminishing with the automation and Artificial Intelligence.

The importance of Tacit (implicit) knowledge or knowing how was given a prominent position during those days, while Explicit knowledge (knowing what), codified and digitalized, plays a more important role nowadays. A parallel from the field of medical examination seems suitable to cite at this juncture.  Competent   Ayurvedic physicians are capable of diagnosing many physical illnesses, acutely by feeling the pulse of the patient (which even some Western practitioners used to do in our young days), while modern specialists are heavily dependent on tests and techniques and numbers, and yet the general status of physical wellbeing of the people  is no better.

Another important aspect of HRD during those days was providing opportunities for representing the company in regional conferences, where we had to present and discuss the technical and other productivity improvements with our counterparts. The only equipment available were the slide projectors and the Flip Charts, which made it a challenging task. It was also an opportunity to interact with people of different nationalities and cultures, which the current tele -conferences and the most recent webinars cannot fulfil adequately. Evaluation of such training was initially done by way of a presentation to the Senior Management and a component of the annual increments was determined by the productive activities one completed after the training, apparently was “no free lunch”.

Some of the leading rubber and chemical raw material suppliers of the yesteryears, Bayer, Monsanto, Rheine Chemie, Polysar,ICI and Vanderbilt , to name  few played a leading role in improving the knowledge  base of the personnel engaged  in the industry. Their Handbooks, and Technical Notes were invaluable treasures. The three-week residential Customer Technical Training Programme of Bayer India was in the Annual HR Agendas during those daysI had the fortune of participating in this programme in 1978, and it was very  efficiently handled by Ms R.R Pandit ( diseased ) , SN Chakravarthi.

During my subsequent career progress with companies in Nairobi, Kenya and Sri Lanka, I have made an endeavor to use some of these proven methods to develop the technical and production staff in the companies I have worked. One of the effective methods that can be cited is the compulsory training in Banbury Mixing given to trainees from the universities in Sri Lanka during their In-Plant Training and it gives me a great satisfaction to see that most of them have done very well in their careers and are holding high positions in the industry. Working in an environment with carbon black is a useful learning method, which will be helpful in our professional as well as personal lives.

Not all human resources managers are created equal. In fact, they come from a variety of backgrounds on their way to higher-level HR positions. Still, despite these different paths, many still share basic HR manager responsibilities. The most vital aspect is the importance of the personal touch and the “people centeredness” with respect to the interphases, which the modern techniques seem to be fast obliterating  

The vital message I would wish to the industry is the dire importance of the 3Bs, namely, going back to the base at whatever technology level we are engaged, reinforce the base and sustain the base.

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Goodyear kicks off its latest European Le Mans Series campaign this weekend in Barcelona, where it remains the sole tyre provider for the LMP2, LMP2 Pro/Am and LMGT3 classes. The season opener at the 4 Hours of Barcelona will see 37 cars racing on Goodyear Racing Eagle tyres at a circuit infamous for pushing both tyre performance and pit strategy to their limits.

What makes the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya so demanding is the constant dilemma it creates for team strategists. The common practice of running two stints on a single set of tyres offers valuable time savings by reducing pit stops, but that benefit must be weighed against the gradual loss of grip over many laps. Goodyear anticipates this very calculation will once again shape the outcome of the 4-hour contest.

For the LMGT3 category, the hard compound of the Racing Eagle has been chosen specifically to endure Barcelona’s abrasive surface, a tyre previously proven on tough tracks like São Paulo, Austin and Bahrain in the FIA World Endurance Championship. Meanwhile, LMP2 contenders will run Goodyear’s newest Eagle slick, a specification introduced at Le Castellet last season that now becomes the fixed LMP2 tyre for the full 2026 ELMS season and for the 24 Hours of Le Mans this June.

Beyond the dry tyres, each class is also equipped with a Racing Eagle wet tyre whose tread pattern is designed to channel away water and sustain grip in the rain. Goodyear’s presence this weekend extends far beyond Spain, as its Racing Eagle tyres are also competing at Bristol Motor Speedway in Tennessee across three NASCAR series and at the NHRA Winternationals in Pomona, California.

Stephen Bickley, Goodyear Endurance Program Manager, said, “Barcelona is demanding on tyres, with long, high speed corners and a layout that typically places enormous load on the front-left. That high stress is exactly why we’ve chosen the Eagle Hard compound for LMGT3 this weekend: it can withstand the aggressive wear and degradation, giving teams the confidence to plan their strategies and decide whether double-stinting will deliver the best race performance.”

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Kumho Tire USA has announced a significant contribution to the Tire Industry Association’s Tire Industry Scholarship programme, which operates in collaboration with the University of the Aftermarket Foundation (UAF). Over the next five years, Kumho will donate USD 5,000 annually, resulting in a total pledge of USD 25,000 aimed at supporting the next generation of professionals in the tyre and automotive service sectors.

This scholarship programme provides USD 2,500 awards to students who are pursuing higher education or vocational training directly related to the tyre and automotive service industry. By administering these funds through the University of the Aftermarket Foundation, the programme seeks to build a stronger talent pipeline for the industry through educational support.

Kumho Tire now joins a growing list of member companies from the U.S. Tire Manufacturers Association (USTMA) that have chosen to back this scholarship effort. The programme was first established in November 2025, and Kumho’s commitment reinforces the collective drive to invest in future workforce development.

Ed Cho, CEO, Kumho Tire USA, said, "Our five-year pledge to the TIA Scholarship programme reflects KUMHO's broader commitment to developing and supporting the next generation of tyre industry professionals. We are proud to invest in education and help provide greater opportunities for the future workforce who will shape our industry."

Dick Gust, CEO, Tire Industry Association, said, "Kumho Tire USA's generous commitment is a powerful investment in the future of our industry. By supporting the Tire Industry Scholarship programme, they are helping to build a stronger, more skilled workforce and opening doors for the next generation of industry professionals."

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The Dunlop RoadSmart IV has emerged as the top performer in the latest road tyre test conducted by renowned German publication MOTORRAD. This premium sport touring tyre received high marks for its outstanding handling characteristics and its ability to deliver balanced performance regardless of weather or road surface conditions. The victory adds to Dunlop’s growing list of independent testing successes this year, following a similar overall win for the SportSmart mk4 in an earlier sport tyre comparison.

In the test, MOTORRAD fitted three road focused tyres to a BMW R 1300 GS using the specific sizes of 120/70 R19 at the front and 170/60 R17 at the rear. The RoadSmart IV secured first place overall in the road tyre category, demonstrating class leading wet performance while also tying for the best results in the dry sub category. This achievement marks the second time in half a decade that this particular tyre has claimed top honours in a MOTORRAD test.

Testers were especially impressed by the tyre’s precise dry handling and the clear feedback it provides to the rider. They observed that the RoadSmart IV turns in more easily than its rivals, making it highly recommended for motorcycles that tend to have sluggish steering behaviour. On the BMW test bike, the tyre felt stable rather than unsettled, excelling with high cornering speed, solid grip at maximum lean angle and extremely accurate feedback. In wet conditions, the tyre offered easy manoeuvring ability through fast cornering sequences, with its precise communication clearly signalling the limits in a user-friendly manner.

MOTORRAD summarised the RoadSmart IV as an incredible all-rounder that combines excellent handling with top performance in all conditions, even suggesting that riders on a GS could use it to annoy superbike riders. Thanks to its strong showing on both dry and wet surfaces, the tyre also earned the magazine’s coveted Kauftipp, or purchase recommendation, award.

Roberto Finetti, Marketing Manager, Dunlop Motorcycle Europe, said, “This result for RoadSmart IV reinforces our goal to deliver a perfect balance of outstanding dry performance and exceptional wet grip and precise handling, even after several thousand kilometres. We’re proud to see it recognised once again as a benchmark in the sport touring segment.”

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The JK Tyre - WIAA Women's Car Rally to Valley 2026 took off on 28 March from NSCI, Mumbai, with a flag-off ceremony led by Western India Automobile Association (WIAA) Chairman Nitin Dossa and JK Tyre officials. Over 200 women participated, decorating their vehicles around themes like cancer awareness, gender equality and women’s empowerment before driving towards the Novotel Imagicaa hotel in Khopoli.

Families and supporters gathered at the start, creating a festival-like mood as participants wore themed attire. The rally follows a Time-Speed-Distance format, rewarding precision and teamwork over speed, with contestants navigating hilly roads for about 125 kilometres to the finish.

Organised by the 107-year-old non-profit Western India Automobile Association, which advocates for safe mobility, road safety, environmental sustainability and policy change, the event has become a platform celebrating womanhood and resilience. This year’s edition reinforced the global road safety messages of #CommitToLife and #BeSafeBeStrong.

JK Tyre has long supported women in motorsport through dedicated initiatives, and its continued partnership with the WIAA Women’s Car Rally reflects a belief that motorsport can drive meaningful change both on and off the road.

Srinivasu Allaphan, Director – Sales & Marketing, JK Tyre & Industries, said, “For over a decade, we have been committed to encouraging women’s participation in motorsport, and the JK Tyre–WIAA Women’s Car Rally to Valley stands as a testament to that vision. Now a marquee event, the rally celebrates the spirit of motorsport while championing important social causes. We are encouraged by the strong enthusiasm of the participants as we continue to build greater awareness around road safety.”

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