Director & Managing Partner – M/s Orient Fire Curtains India Pvt. Ltd. (Indo British Joint Venture)
An entrepreneurial executive who is a Civil Engineer and post graduate from IIM Calcutta.
He has extensive & varied experience of more than 25 years in
-Organizational Operations & Strategic planning within and outside Fire protection Industry
-distinction of exploring new markets for expanding businesses from scratch and scaling them on a Pan India level
Has worked in Sales and Marketing, Product development and Senior Management roles in both Indian and Multinational Companies like ICI Paints Etex- Belgium, Eternit Everest Ltd, Promat International.
He is an active member of the various professional Organizations Like FICCI , Indian Plumbing Association , Fire & Safety Association of India .
Apart from this he is also one of the main promoters of a NGO- Swayam that promotes self-employment to the deserving members of the less privileged section of the Society.
Q.1.Could you give us a brief of Orient Fire Curtains Pvt Ltd; could you share with our readers the success mantra of this wonderful journey?
Orient Fire Curtains India Pvt. Ltd.- an Indo-British JV , a subsidiary of Fire curtains Group- UK , specializes in providing high quality domestic and commercial automatic fire and smoke curtains in India. These systems automatically deploy in the event of a fire, helping to protect property and save lives.
Orient is the first ISO 9001: 2008 certified company in its market segment and key to success of Orient ,backed by Technology tie up and knowhow from the Parent group in UK, has been to be the only manufacturer / JV in India offering a cost effective solution provider to the Fire Compartmentation needs of the market segment . We can offer a 5 day turnaround time on production which is something that no one else can normally offer.
Q.2.What is the latest products launched by Orient Fire Curtains Pvt Ltd? Could you brief us about their usage & how is it helpful?
Orient specializes in the Field of Fire Compartmentation and promotes latest products and technologies like
- Fire Curtains
- Smoke Curtains
- Fire Escape Chutes
Orient Fire curtains are certified to BS EN : 1634 , BS 476 Part 22 , tested at Exova Warrington test centers in UK .
Orient Fire and smoke curtains are an essential safety component, not just an addition to existing smoke ventilation systems and alarms. They help save lives and protect property by containing and stopping the spread of the fire and the lethal, super-heated, noxious gases produced during the incidence of a fire .
As per the new NBC revision all Lift lobbies need to be segregated as a 2 hour Compartment and Fire / Smoke curtains are an ideal solution to the functional and aesthetic requirements of the said location. It facilitates free and easy movement of humans and vehicles during normal conditions and in case of fire they drop down to form a Fire Compartment and restrict spread of Fire / Smoke across the affected area . It is also an ideal solution of Compartmentation and Smoke control in Basement Car parks, Atriums, Open Kitchens , Hotels, Hospital and IT buildings with large floor areas .
Q.3.How do you find the Fire Safety market in the India? Name a single product where you hold the maximum market share in Indian markets?
Fire safety market in India is evolving but still at a very nascent stage and requires a humungous effort from all stakeholders of the Industry in spreading awareness on Fire prevention and control. Key role of the Manufacturing industry is envisaged in promotion of the Fire safety concept amongst the general public and not limiting to the target market segment of Commercial and Industrial buildings.
Orient started promoting Fire / Smoke Curtains way back in 2012 and within 2 years of operation became the only company in India that provides turnkey Supply, Installation and After Sales service as per International norms and Standards. It is a leader in the Fire curtain market segment range with more than 100 + projects successfully completed in the last 3 years of operations.
Q.4.Brief us about your outreach & facilities offered?
Orient Fire curtains has a Pan India network catering to Fire Compartmentation needs of clients across all the metros namely – Delhi- NCR Region , Mumbai , Pune , Kolkata , Bangalore , Hyderabad and Chennai .
Orient provides turnkey Supply, Installation and After Sales service as per International norms and Standards with a dedicated team of its own well trained staff as well as Dealer and Applicator network to ensure proper installation as per company norms and requirements.
Q.5.What is your market expectations with regards to some of the pioneering product launched by you in the Indian market Region?
The Indian market region is slowly evolving and with rise in Fire incidents over the years has resulted in the increasing the awareness level and acceptance of new technologies and systems in the Indian market. There is ample scope of increasing the volumes of the Fire as well as Smoke curtain range in India provided the product offered is in line with market expectations of a Quality product / system at a reasonable price premium to the traditional forms of Compartmentation.
Q.6. Tell us the agenda to improve your Company position in India & what are the Business benefits to look forward
The Agenda of Orient is very simple – To be Numero Uno in its market segment and several steps like Skill development of Employees and Network has been envisaged for 2016 -17 to cater to pre and post sale support to the clients across its operations in India . Sizeable Capex has been planned in this financial year to augment latest plant and machinery and reduce the Indian JV’s dependency on the Parent group from UK .
Key Research development work is going on at present to develop the world’s First Fire curtain with a see through vision panels.
Q.7. Looking further ahead, how do you see Orient Fire Curtains even more in the future, especially in the International & Indian market?
After becoming a market leader in the Indian market now Orient Fire Curtains India has started to plan to open up operations in the Middle East , Singapore and South Africa which were earlier catered by the UK operations . Several key projects in Hospitality segments like Hilton , Double Tree have been serviced in South Africa, Srilanka , Qatar , Kenya and Brunei by the Indian operations .
Civil defense approvals have been taken from Qatar and UAE regulatory bodies and in 2015 end specific tests have again been done for latest PSB Standards for the Smoke Curtains as desired by the Singapore regulatory body latest requirements .
Orient is on its way to become the First Indian Multinational in its Market segment with own operations in India, Middle East , South Africa and Singapore .