Oil, water and a swim across

Font Size

Print

Feedback

Email

Discuss

: samples only in laboratories.” So, testing a large number of samples took time and the results came still later.

Visgage was an answer to that. “It tests and gauges the viscosity of oil on the spot. It is really useful to test the viscosity of lubricating oil in a generator, where you use l00 litres of oil.”

Now companies like Indian Oil Corporation, Hindustan Petroleum, Maruti and the Tata Motors use Visgage, but he had a hard time convincing people in the beginning. “Then, I just employed an office boy. I had to go on my own to each company to convince people to try my product.” It was sheer struggle, but soon people started accepting his product. Visgage, which got a patent in 1991, was then priced at Rs 20,000, but now, with innovations, he sells it for Rs 14,000. “In 1988-89, I had a turnover of Rs l lakh.” That was his first year of operation.

Later on, he made several oil testing kits and a hydrogage to measure water content in fuels and oils. Three years down the line, by 1992, he had 60 people working for him. Last year, that is 2007-08, he clocked a turnover of Rs 5 crore.

“I have offices all over the country. There is a sales person in every city. I have a factory in Noida that I bought in 1989.

All this happened rapidly over a period of five years.”

Then, destiny struck again. This time, as illness in the family. His two children, Varun and Surabhi, were laid down with jaundice. This unleashed another creative potential for him, and in 1998, he decided to get into water purification. “Before my children caught jaundice, I never used a water purifier,” says Gupta.

At the time the best water purifier was using the ultraviolet method of purification. “Then I found that the process of reverse osmosis was the best.” Gupta registered Kent RO Systems Ltd in 1998. “I decided to first make one for myself. It was an adaptation of foreign makes, not much investment involved—bought components and assembled them. The one that I made cost Rs 20,000, whereas the UV model would cost Rs 5,000. As time progressed, we made many innovations in our factory. After two-and-a-half years, we came up with the current model of the RO system.”