Sagar Karulkar

To drive strategic growth and operational excellence by applying 27 years of expertise in supply chain operations, lubricants manufacturing, production, warehousing and logistics management, while strengthening cost efficiency, safety, process innovation and business performance through effective leadership and continuous improvement.

Strategic

Operations &

• Supply Chain Leader with 27 years of experience across production, warehouse management, road transport management, logistics, plant administration and multi-unit operations, driving business growth, cost optimisation and operational excellence. Production &

• Process Improvement Specialist skilled in KPI-driven planning, manufacturing strategy, root cause analysis, troubleshooting and workflow optimisation, delivering measurable savings, enhanced productivity and quality improvements. HSSE, Compliance &

• Business Transformation Expert with strong expertise in plant policies, regulatory adherence, risk management, safety standards, process validation and change implementation to strengthen operational reliability. People &

• Stakeholder Leadership Professional adept at building high-performance teams, coaching employees, managing contracts and vendor relationships, and collaborating with senior leadership to implement best practices and sustainable supply chain improvements.

Factory Manager - Arabian Petroleum Pvt Ltd

(2023-09)

• Direct end-to-end factory and supply chain operations across blending, filling, logistics, stores, and maintenance, ensuring smooth production flow and operational efficiency.
• Drive SOP standardisation and delivery excellence through daily pending-order reviews, OTIF implementation, and customer-focused service improvements.
• Lead ERP and inventory management initiatives, overseeing stock reconciliation, co-packer volumes, third-party storage contracts, and inventory accuracy.
• Ensure ISO compliance and OEM audit readiness through comprehensive documentation, internal controls, compliance mechanisms, and quality system improvements.
• Strengthen EHS and process safety through Management of Change (MOC), Permit-to-Work (PTW), emergency mock drills, and employee safety practices.
• Promote continuous improvement (CI) and root cause analysis (RCA) to resolve operational bottlenecks, prevent recurring issues, and enhance productivity.
• Implement cost control and resource optimisation across manufacturing, maintenance, logistics, and warehousing to improve cost efficiency.
• Establish KRA, KPI, and MIS frameworks across functions to monitor performance, improve accountability, and support data-driven decision-making.
• Manage stakeholder engagement and employee relations, resolving frontline grievances and coordinating external partners to maintain operational continuity.
• Champion employee engagement and workplace culture through Employee of the Month (EOTM) initiatives, welfare programmes, and employee-level safety and improvement practices.

Production Manager - Royal Dutch Shell

(2015-03 - 2023-09)

• Base Oil Terminal & Multi-Vessel Operations: Managed BO terminal operations and coordinated vessel discharge activities across multiple vessels simultaneously, ensuring seamless execution, effective team coordination and operational efficiency. Directed end-to-end JNPT and LOBP operations, ensuring production planning, SOP compliance, asset utilisation and resource optimisation.
• Contract Management: Served as contract holder for operations-related contracts, ensuring effective execution and compliance.
• Budget Planning & Cost Control: Reviewed monthly budget versus actual expenditure, analysed cost variances and prepared budgets for the upcoming financial year to support effective financial planning and cost optimisation.
• Digitalisation & Process Automation: Drove OEE digitalisation and implemented high-speed camera vision technology for bottle scanning, checkweighers and high-level sensors for large oil tanks to enhance process accuracy, monitoring and operational efficiency.
• Operational Performance & Continuous Improvement: Monitored Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE), PSA and On-Time In-Full (OTIF) performance, driving corrective actions, resource optimisation and continuous improvement to achieve production and service-level targets.
• Contract & Contractor Performance Management: Served as contract holder for OSP (Aegis) and other critical operational and HSSE contracts, ensuring service delivery through Operational Risk Management (ORM), Business Performance Reviews (BPR) and rigorous contractor governance.
• HSSE Compliance & Emergency Preparedness: Ensured statutory compliance, safe bulk handling, timely ullage creation and effective flush/part-filled management; implemented LFI, Consequence Management, CI, NMPI, NLF and SSWT initiatives, and coordinated mock drills with government authorities.
• ERC (Emergency Response Coordinator): Acted as ERC (Emergency Response Coordinator) for LOBP and JNPT, maintaining effective relationships with government authorities and internal stakeholders to streamline end-to-end vessel operations and ensure safe, uninterrupted terminal activities.
• Workforce Leadership & Industrial Relations: Led 72 Shell operators and supervised 10 Shell secondees, managed multiple unions and negotiated long-term settlements; reviewed Individual Development Plans (IDPs) to assess employee competencies and readiness for career progression, while driving OTIF (On-Time In-Full) performance improvements.
• Operational Strategy, Budgeting & Audit Compliance: Led plant budgeting, cost control, operational strategy and workforce transformation with Supply Chain leadership; represented operations as an auditee in VDI 6.3, MSIL, ISO 14000, TS 16949, IATF, Bosch and CRLPA audits, as well as LOD3, MPM and HEMP reviews.

Road Transport Manager - Shell India Markets Pvt. Ltd.

(2010-03 - 2015-03)

Career progression at Shell India Markets Pvt. Ltd.: Road Transport Manager (03/2010 - 03/2015) & Warehouse Manager (12/2005 - 03/2010).

• Road Transport & Distribution Management: Managed road transport and distribution operations, ensuring timely deliveries and efficient resource utilisation.
• Road Transport Risk Management: Managed high-risk road transportation contracts, ensuring compliance and operational safety.
• Driver Engagement & Development: Implemented the Humrahee Driver Enhancement Programme in collaboration with IIT Bombay, driving engagement initiatives and milestone-based development for 100 drivers.
• Contract Competency Assessment: Participated in competency assessment teams for transport and warehouse-related contracts.
• Lead Haulier League: Led the Haulier League initiative to identify and recognise the Best Transporter of the Year based on zero violations, safety compliance and overall transport performance.
• Transportation HSSE & Risk Management: Enforced transportation HSSE standards, statutory compliance and risk-management procedures.
• Transport Performance & Cost Optimisation: Monitored transport KPIs, SLAs and costs to improve fleet productivity and delivery performance.
• Cross-functional Coordination: Coordinated with transport partners and supply chain teams to resolve escalations and streamline logistics processes.

Warehouse Manager - Shell India Markets Pvt. Ltd.

(2005-12 - 2010-03)

• Warehouse Management: Managed warehouse operations, inventory control and material movement in line with established SOPs.
• SAP Implementation: Collaborated with the SAP implementation team to support WMS technology integration across warehouses.
• Warehouse & Depot Reconciliation: Managed warehouse and regional depot reconciliations to ensure record accuracy and operational control.
• Cycle Count Implementation: Implemented cycle-counting processes to improve inventory accuracy and control.
• Safety & Quality: Ensured warehouse quality, HSSE compliance, service standards and adherence to internal procedures.
• Manpower Management: Optimised warehouse capacity, manpower deployment, storage efficiency and operating costs.
• Team Leadership: Led warehouse teams, monitored KPIs and implemented process improvements to enhance productivity and customer service.

Stores & Dispatch In-charge - Vista Films & Packaging Pvt. Ltd.

(2002 - 2005)

Stores Officer & Export Coordinator - Celetron India Pvt. Ltd.

(2000 - 2002)

Stores Assistant - Godrej & Boyce Mfg Co. Ltd.

(1996 - 2000)

Supervisor - Spectrum Corporate

(1994 - 1996)

B. Com. - Mumbai University (1994)

DBM - National Council of Labour Management (1995)