Editorials

by Rajen Kumar

No Escaping Social Media

Running a magazine concentrating on issues of small and medium enterprises and managing with limited resources is a like living life on the edge. In this rush of meeting deadlines,...

Special Reports

Apr 2012

EMRC, Brussels Associates with SME WORLD as its New Media Partner

EMRC has promoted business partnerships with the developing world and has organised dozens of business forums in key decision-making cities, such as Amsterdam, Rome,...

Top Stories

Inspired by Vedas they produce Patriotic Energy

Rishi Sonwal
May 2010

This energy story begins with the petroleum crisis that India faced during the seventies of the last century. No country was willing to provide petroleum to India. The industrial units who were based on the petroleum and its products were not getting crude oil and the units were forced to purchase hardly available tankers at five-six time higher prices. And if purchased, they had to justify the sources of funds to government authorities and tax departments to purchase the tanker. So, the entrepreneurs were facing the twin dilemmas like how to survive without oil and how to face the government authorities.

During such rigid industrial surface the government established Petroleum Conservation Action (PCAG) to evaluate the industry consumption, to organize energy surveys, to identify the points where energy can be conserved.

Energy Confident India

The entrepreneurs too decided to find out the ways that reduced the energy costs and consumption. Many of them tried new ways of production and new equipments and newer technologies. One such effort was also made by V. B. Mahendra, a true patriot and visionary. He, along with his friend, founded the Encon Thermal Engineers in 1978 with a tangible foresight to contribute to country's movement to be an energy efficient India.

Mahendra recalls the days of energy crisis, “Many businesses were afflicting with energy problem, they had many problem to find energy resource, reducing energy consumption and cost as well. We used to visit the factories and advice them various methods and ways to reduce the energy (oil) consumption, furnace operations, improved burners beside all other alternatives. Whatever energy sources are there, either oil, gas, electricity or anything else; our new and ever improving technologies have since been enabling the industries to reduce the energy cost or even energy conservation by 5 to 75 per cent. The nature of our work i.e. giving advice as well as equipment to reduce energy conservation, we gave our business a name ENCON that represent energy conservation.”

Charity Began at Home

Mahendra even at their own premises has adopted various measures and techniques for energy conservation. He even started his conversation with his efforts to save the energy. He has installed room-coolers in his office too and which are used more often than the air conditioners. He takes visible pride in his efforts. “We strived to save the energy. We have energy savvy architecture of our plants, offices and stores. The walls are designed to conserve the maximum energy. We have taken special care and even adopted the concepts of vaastu for right direction to get maximum natural energy as well.”

Mahendra decided to export in 1985. He says, “To sustain in unhealthy competition during those days we decided to export our equipments. During those days very few people were thinking about exports. In India most of the industries were importing different technologies including furnaces and their burners. Even the situation has not improved much so far. Most of the industries even today are using equipments that are fully or partially imported. In 1985, we launched first self-made burner on a project of Petroleum Conservation Research Association (PCRA). We convinced many industries to use them. We rectified its drawbacks and improved it gradually with the suggestions in respect of noise, oil consumption, carbon, etc.”

The burner that PCRA and Encon developed was totally indegenous, made by the Indian brains using Indian technologies. The scientists who were engaged in development of this burner were even awarded by the President.

Research & Development

Mahendra always gave foremost attention to the research and development. He has own R&D development team and technologies to invent new models and designs that meet the demands of the industry . “We established our own R&D and design lab. We have been investing huge money on the development of new models and designs. Initially, we were called names by our competitors who dubbed us fools as we were spending huge funds on R&D. But we ignored all this and we continued our efforts in R&D.

Today, our models and designs are being copied by our counterparts. In fact R&D is a major factor to excel. If SMEs don't give enough attention to R&D, they can't sustain in the long run. We excelled because we always have been introducing newer technology. We have installed very costly software (Rs.25 lakh) to invent new design. We have well-equipped labs and very qualified and efficient engineers.”

The new models and designs that were invented by Encon were copied by the others but Mahendra was never interested to register his patents. “We don't go to file patent for our models and designs. It costs time and money both, and in any case of infringement, one has to go through a very lengthy process and again a new hurdle that would demand time and money. We regularly invent new models conforming to industry requirements. We have too many orders and we are always engaged in catering to them.” Mahendra, however, has very liberal views towards the government's efforts to increase awareness about the intellectual property rights (IPRs).

Mahendra is always in favour of self-improvement rather than blaming the government. “We have to make our own initiatives if we want to go ahead. Our Vedas say, you have to manifest yourself with your idealisms. We ought to strive to live a beautiful and healthy life and its methodology is mentioned in our Vedas. But it's sad to say that I haven't met more than 3-4 people during my whole life who have read the Vedas or adopted its way of living. Vedas are wealth of knowledge and government should take initiative to introduce Vedas in today's education system,” opines Mahendra who even requested us to publish a prayer along with this write up.

0 Comments >>

Our Achievements

Winner of appreciation award for promoting SMEs in India.
1st ever Indian magazine to penetrate tier II, III cities & the rural belt.
Industry Partnerships include CII, FICCI, ASSOCHAM, PHDCC, AIMA, ITPO, SME Network, Federation of Indian Micro Small Enterprises (FISME)
Official Magazine Partners for several national & international MSME events.

The Last Word

More Learned than Educated, You were!

I was speechless. Rather hesitatingly I asked him, “So, what have you decided, Sominder ?” His reply was curt and candid, “I have told the doctors that I don’t want to live life as dumb. Only...

You can also write for SME WORLD

We are looking for writers and experts to contribute original stories and articles. Send an email to smeworld@gmail.com with your story idea and lets get talking.

Some of our valued contributors are...