Sun Pharma Took Two Years To Integrate Ranbaxy’s Employees

Touted as one of the most complex merger in terms of human resources, Sun Pharmaceuticals has finally completed the integration process of Ranbaxy’s employees. The exercise was termed intense due to the sheer size of the two firms where the sales force of the combined organisation was close to 30,000 in India and overseas, as per the industry estimates.

“Mergers and acquisitions are not common in India as they are abroad. We took two years to integrate employees of Ranbaxy into Sun Pharmaceuticals. In two years we designed, planned and executed the plan to conclude the merger of people,” said Yashwant Mahadik, executive vice president & global CHRO, Sun Pharma.

While Sun Pharmaceuticals started out the process of easing out excess employees from Ranbaxy, company also undertook several initiatives to relax and motivate the rest. “It is natural that there was a bit of uncertainty among employees. However, Ranbaxy was a top pharma company and its human resources were valuable. We drove various initiatives to undertake a smooth integration process,” Mahadik said.

Company educated Ranbaxy’s employees, made them aware of what Sun is planning to do, made new policies and motivated the employees through several inter-office meetings as well.

Company in 2015 also said that, "In order to make this (integration) happen, the company has made and will continue to make all efforts to utilise the total available talent in the most appropriate manner. If there are a few employees who could not be positioned appropriately, the organisation will make all attempts to handle the same in a fair, transparent and sensitive manner. We reiterate that our focus continues to be on creating an environment of meaningful professional opportunities for our employees to lead, succeed and grow."

In March 2015, the merger of Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd, India’s most valuable drug maker, has completed the $3.2 billion acquisition of Ranbaxy Laboratories Ltd after almost a year of navigating the regulatory gauntlet to create the world’s fifth-biggest generic pharmaceutical company by revenue.