How IIT alumnus Mahesh Gupta built Kent RO Systems into a Rs 250 crore business Amit Shanbaug, ET Bureau Oct 17, 2011, 12.59pm IST Tags: SS Engineering|RO|Mahesh Gupta|KENT Tap Guard|Kent RO systems|Kent|IIT engineer|IIT Necessity, they say, is the mother of invention. KENT RO Systems was borne of the need to provide clean water to my kids, when both of them fell ill in 1998. I was compelled to consider installing a water purifier at my south Delhi home, but the available options left me disappointed. Being an IIT engineer from Kanpur, I decided to piggyback on the existing technology and develop it further to make a better water purifying system for my family. In pics: How Mahesh Gupta built KENT RO Systems The purifiers available in the market in those days worked on ultraviolet (UV) technology, which kills bacteria in the water. I knew this was not good enough since the water we drink also contains many dissolved impurities, which cannot be treated with this technology. I wanted to develop a water purifier that would also take care of the undesirable dissolved elements, while recognising and retaining the good minerals. After several trials and six months of hard work, I zeroed in on a technology—reverse osmosis (RO)—which promised the results I wanted, and the first KENT purifier was born in March 1999. Recognising its potential, and in order to promote a healthy and happy life for other families, I decided to market this invention. Though I did not conduct any market survey before starting my business, I was aware of the fact that 80% of diseases in India are caused by water-borne micro-organisms, and that 80% of urban families do not even purify tap water. Obviously, there was a huge market for my product. I invested about Rs 5 lakh as seed capital for procuring equipment for the RO system and getting my product patented. This amount came from my own savings from my other entrepreneurial foray—SS Engineering. After working for Indian Oil Corporation as a deputy manager, technical service, for 11 years, I quit in 1988 to start a business making oil meters, which could be used to test the quality of oil. Though my company had 10-15 employees at that time, we lacked trained manpower for the new venture. About a decade later, when I started the second venture, I did so from a small garage at my house at South Extension in Delhi, where I designed the purifiers. It was tough initially since I had to manage both my ventures simultaneously (Gupta continues to head SS Engineering). In the first year, the sales were a dismal 100 units, and we were even accused of overcharging by some customers. /photo.cms?msid=10364760
Posted on: Fri, 15 Nov 2013 15:46:08 +0000
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