First Inverter Designing Challenges in India: How Su-Kam and Kunwer Sachdev Changed the Game
Before Su-Kam became a household name in power solutions, it was a modest cable TV company with just 50 employees. In those early, chaotic days, one man’s vision turned obstacles into opportunities. That man was Kunwer Sachdev, later hailed as the Inverter Man of India.
What began as a cable TV venture soon transformed into one of the boldest technological journeys India had ever seen. Sachdev dared to imagine something no one else had — an efficient, reliable inverter designed and built in India.
From Chaos to Innovation
Employees recall the experience as nothing short of transformative. Sachdev’s leadership style stood apart. “Take your own decisions,” he would tell his team. “And if you feel you’re not capable, then come to me.” That culture of trust and empowerment became the foundation for the innovations that followed.
The First MOSFET-Based Inverter
Among the most pivotal milestones was Su-Kam’s work on India’s first MOSFET-based inverter with a charger built onto a single board. At the time, no other company had achieved this. It was a leap that demanded technical brilliance and relentless perseverance.
The initial design of the charger, using an SCR driver circuit, was not just functional but revolutionary. Compact, simple, and plug-and-play, the board could be replaced by anyone — a far cry from the bulky, transistor-based inverters that dominated the market.
A Leap in Efficiency
Perhaps the most astonishing breakthrough was in power efficiency. Where competitors needed two batteries to run a 500W load, Su-Kam’s design managed it with just one. This not only reduced costs for customers but also set a new benchmark for innovation in India’s power backup industry.
Lessons in Leadership and Resilience
Those who worked with Sachdev during those years describe him as tireless, visionary, and unshakable in the face of failure. Each setback was met with greater determination, and every small success was a step toward transforming India’s relationship with power.
“This was not just a business,” one former colleague reflected. “It was a mission — to innovate and to improve lives.”
A Legacy That Endures
What began as experiments in a small R&D lab grew into an industry-defining movement. The inverters that millions rely on today trace their DNA back to those first bold experiments at Su-Kam.
For those who stood beside him in those early days, the lessons were invaluable: resilience in the face of challenge, belief in one’s vision, and the courage to dream bigger than circumstances allowed.
As Kunwer Sachdev continues to innovate even today, his early story serves as a reminder of what determination, vision, and a refusal to give up can achieve.
Kunwer Sachdev, popularly known as the “Inverter Man of India, is the Founder and Ex-Managing Director of Su-Kam Power Systems Ltd. However, after the bankruptcy of Su-Kam Power Systems Ltd. in 2018, Mr. Sachdev has not been associated with Su-Kam Power Systems Ltd. in any capacity. Any use of his name in connection with Su-Kam Power Systems Ltd. after 2018 is incorrect and misleading. Su-kam Bankruptcy