Power shortage is a problem many of us have learned to live with. But Kunwer Sachdev, who manufactured cable TV equipment in the 1980s, was not willing to take it lying down. When the inverters he used also did not serve the purpose of providing power back up effectively, he took it apart and found there was much room for improvement.

And so he started Su-kam in Delhi in 1988 to provide quality power backup solutions, which was then a cottage industry. But knowing the limitations of such inverters, he invested in R&D. From one research engineer in 1991, the company today has a full-fledged R&D team of 40, and owns over 60 technology patents. The R&D department has also been endorsed by the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, Government of India, for the work it does across product ranges. It also received the Elcina-EFY Award for Excellence in 2010.

“In India, there are several challenges in the power segment from generation to distribution,” says Sachdev. He started with backup solutions initially for homes, and then expanded the product range gradually and today, services a range of segments – including solutions for businesses, green inverters and batteries for OEMs (original equipment manufacturer) and even customised solutions, like the one for Bharti Walmart, to cater to the varying power needs of a retail chain.

The reach

In the initial stages, there were challenges as the unorganised sector dominated and there was no concept of branding. But the currently Rs. 600 crore Gurgaon-based Su-kam managed to establish its name because of reliable products. “There were several local players mushrooming at that time, and even we used to copy,” he admits. In fact, in the first year, he manufactured 100 inverters which had to be written off due to unsuitability. He realised that such products did not last and that Indian solutions were needed for Indian conditions, so he focused on research and innovation.