Looking Beyond Tomorrow

Delhi-based Prime Group of Companies has meticulously aligned itself in developing highly diversified and advanced technologies. The group brings to the country latest and state-of-the-art technologies from across the industries and the globe and is miles ahead of its competitors. The group’s ideology "Looking Beyond Tomorrow" governs its functioning and pumps the group's 800 staff strength to continue to serve and augment the growth of India's core sector.

Their suave and dynamic chairman and managing director, SURINDER MEHTA has recently been honoured with Padma Shri by President Pratibha Patil, at Rashtrapati Bhawan. Excerpts from an interview with SARITA CHOUDHURY. Excerpts:

Give us a brief overview of Prime Group?

Prime Group, a leading force in the field of hi-technology & equipment, systems & machines etc. relating to power generation, transmission & distribution, precision engineering, thermography, cable fault location, online condition monitoring systems, power conditioning systems (UPS), high-voltage test equipment and protection test equipment for HV/EHV electrical installations transformers, cables, turnkey projects etc .

Our company plays an important role in providing hi-tech solutions for vital applications relating to priority sector areas such as power and energy, electronic production line industry, IT enabled services, aviation &aerospace, railways, defense and other infrastructure industries including engineering sector, metallurgical industry, petroleum, oil &gas, steel , fertilizers, shipping, space etc . Our diversified business interest include manufacturing of Engineering components including turbine parts, precision Castings , turn key projects and HV/ EHV power conditioning systems (UPS Systems).

At Prime Group, the prime asset is its intellectual capital. Our highly qualified, motivated and experienced personnel imbued with zeal and dynamism constitutes its core team. The group has maintained a continuous growth and expansion since inception through organic and inorganic growth as well as diversifications.

The company is obviously a much different company today than it was when you started the business. How would you say the business is different today than when you started?

I had a modest beginning in my career which was in the field of underground power cable fault location through computerized hi-tech van-mounted equipment that obviated the very need for endless digging of roads all over. This totally. revolutionised power distribution, saving hundreds of crores of rupees for power utilities across the country through drastic improvement in power supply and significant reduction in the downtime.

Our latest foray into power generation by setting-up a wind farm in Gujarat to begin with, is truly symbolic of the importance the group accords to the national  and global commitment on green energy and to the ecology. A state of-the-art R&D capability coupled with years of engineering excellence has seen the group develop world-class turbine blades, main oil pump, impeller, guide and blade carrier assembly and other critical parts that form the backbone of large steam turbines upto 500 megawatt. Now, the Prime Group has grown from being a prime idea to a multi-activity organisation catering to high-tech requirements of various sectors of the economy as mentioned above and particularly the core sectors relating to the infrastructure development. Today, we have presence across the entire Indian sub-continent and also in Europe and the far-east through its wholly owned subsidiaries.

Padma Shri Surinder Mehta, Founder CMD of Prime Group

What have been your major recent achievements?

Prime Group is the pioneer and number one in India in the field of power cable fault location, using computerized hi-tech van mounted equipment and latest microprocessor based technology with absolute precision without digging. We also supply specialised power conditioning systems for managing the ground control and operations of the Chandrayan-I (Mission Moon) project. We have also been providing over 100 MW of power through unique battery-less UPS systems, significantly assisting in reduction of carbon emission. Our company is engaged in developing the latest technology software solutions to Indian navy for Ship designing and infrared signature suppression for all future warships to protect them from enemy attacks.

Who are your prestigious clientele?

We have our customers covering all major segments of the economy and virtually all top of the line companies, government or private, are our customers and these include organization like NTPC, Power Grid, NHPC, BHEL, IAAI, BEL, HAL, ISRO, TATA, Reliance, L&T, railways, Defence, HCL Ltd.,
CPRI, SAIL, IOC, DRDO etc.

How do you intend to grow Prime Group’s business going forward and what will Prime Group’s business model look like two years or five years from now?

To be at the right place at the right time and to make the best use of the opportunities is the best recipe for success and growth of any business house and fortunately for us, we are a part of one of the fastest growing economies of the world with huge opportunities for growth in each of the several verticals that we are active in. We have not missed the available opportunities in the past 23 years of our existence and we will not miss them in future as well.

I see huge growth for the group in the field of power equipment manufacturing, Power Gene ration, EPC and turnkey projects, precision engineering, aerospace and specialized software solutions relating to power, Defence and aerospace. We have been focusing into technology based solutions since inception and in future too I look forward to our group to grow on technological lines and be counted among top technology driven engineering companies in the country and abroad.