Web exclusive: It's all in the mind
By Anil Parameswaran Nair August 09, 2010
Aasif. A. Khan, Director of Fatech !echnologies
"nternational P#t $t% has o#er 22 years of usiness
e&'erience, (e starte% his usiness with Fatech in
)umai in 1999. *tarting mo%est with a 1,000 s+ ft rente%
facility manufacturing unit, Aasif e&'an%e% ra'i%ly an%
to%ay his 'ro%uction facility is an e&'ansi#e 1,la-h s+ ft,
e+ui''e% with machines from .uro'e an% /a'an.
"nitially Khan starte% his com'any with a 'ro%uct -nown as
laminar airflow units 0$AF1 for e&'orts, an% gra%ually mo#e% on to %omestic mar-et with mo%ular 'refa
'artitions. (is gran%'arents migrate% from Pa-istan %uring the Partition. "t was Aasif2s %ream to ta' the
"n%ian mar-et for mo%ular 'refa 'artitions, es'ecially after his #isit to an American ma-er of 'anels in
*yracuse, New 3or- in 1991.
"nno#ations, he says, comes is %ri#en y ins'iration. 4hen we caught u' with him at his hea% office in
)umai, he was in his effacing self. !hough his 'ro%uct can ma-e a remar-ale change in all -in%s of
construction, e it resi, commercial s'ace or *.5s, the 'otential of the "n%ian mar-et sent his team into a
ti66y.
On the dynamics of the Indian marketplace:
" was awar%e% 78utstan%ing contriution to engineering in%ustry7 y 9hemtech in 200:. " was also a
managing committee memer of the "n%ian Pharma )achinery )anufacturers Association. " strongly elie#e
e&'ansion an% e&'loration, an% the suse+uent %i#ersification in #arious #erticals of usiness can hel' in
creating a forte in the mar-et. !his, in return, rings gloal recognition.
"n "n%ia the most suitale way is to grow organically with no alliances or ;oint #entures. " can also sell
internationally without any mar-et restrictions. )y #ision is to estalish Fatech as the 'referre% 'artner of
choice for any construction an% engineering nee% internationally.
" was hugely ins'ire% y the $ate Dhiruhai Amani. Fatech !echnologies "nternational P#t. $t%. %esigns
an% uil%s Pharmaceutical < Biotech facilities internationally. "n 1= years, Fatech has e&ecute% more than
>? 'ro;ects s'rea% across 20 countries.
On Fabtechs innovation thrust:
" am a first generation entre'reneur. 4hen setting u' the country7s largest manufacturer of mo%ular
'refaricate% 'anels, " -new my com'any will ha#e the first mo#er a%#antage in eing a lea%ing 'layer in the
"n%ian 9leanrooms mar-et for mo%ular 'anels an% %oors with a 2? 'er cent mar-et share. 4e ha#e
estalishe% usiness in 4est Asia, the Persian @ulf an% Africa an% Afro,Ara countries, with certification
from 4arrington Fire.
Fatech has forge% alliances in the A*, .uro'e, $atin America an% *outh Africa to ma-e a foot'rint in these
territories. 4ith Bio safety las, )o%ular Prefa Pre engineering internal walls, an% "solation systems, we
aim e Ba *'ecialist construction com'any2. For this, Fatech as'ires to get into the outer o& 0e&ternal
construction1 segment.
4e are hea%+uartere% in )umai with a manufacturing facility at Amergaon, Calsa% @u;arat, it is a fully
integrate% manufacturing facility, with an installe% ca'acity of aroun% 100,000 s+ mts of mo%ular 'anels an%
%oors for 'harmaceutical an% allie% mar-ets.
Fatech has uilt infrastructure to manufacture 're,faricate% an% 're,engineere% mo%ular 'anels 0inner
construction1, isolation an% containment solutions an% clean air e+ui'ment inclu%ing sterili6ing tunnels which
it su''lies in the "n%ian an% international mar-et.
*terling 9onstruction has 'atente% a new construction techni+ue, which asically uses 're,engineere%
custom ma%e wor- systems consisting of mo%ular wall 'anels, use% in construction of uil%ings. !his is a
%ry construction techni+ue, which re%uces time an% cost significantly.
Fatech technologies has tie% u' with *terling construction an% De#elo'ment 9or'oration to form a ;oint
#enture name% Fatech *terling Buil%ing !echnologies 0F*!B1. Fatech an% *terling F*B! has een gi#en
e&clusi#e franchisee y *terling to utili6e this techni+ue in "n%ia, 4est Asia, @99, Persian @ulf an% Africa
region for resi%ential, commercial ,in%ustrial construction.
8ur clientele inclu%e Pfi6er, No#artis, )erc-, *anofi, A#entis, @*K, Ba&ter, Becton Dic-inson, Dana&y,
[Link]%%y2s, Auroin%o, Bosch, !erumo Pen'ol, Proctor<@amle, Col-swagen to name a few.
Fatech will hol% >> 'er cent in the ;oint #enture. F*B! shall su franchise this technology 0tech -now,how,
su''lying 'ro%uction 'lant, man'ower training to 'ro%uce 'anels1. F*B! will charge royalty on the re#enue
generate% y the su franchisee1
On the new technology called Plaswall:
Fatech *terling Buil%ing !echnologies P#t. $t%. 0F*B!1,, a ;oint #enture etween Fatech !echnologies
"nternational P#t. $t%. an% *terling 9onstruction an% De#elo'ment 9or'oration, intro%uce% Plaswall in the
"n%ian mar-et recently for a #ery s'ecific 'ru'ose.
!he technology is essentially aout easy uil%,construction techni+ue that is 'ro#en its cre%entials in
Phili''ines, Australia an% 4est Asia. (omes uilt using Plaswall 'romise to e etter, safer, highly %urale
an% more energy efficient.
Accor%ing to a Anite% Nations (aitat re'ort, E,illion 'eo'le will re+uire homes o#er the ne&t 2= years.
@etting %own to essentials, the re+uirement ecomes construction of E00 homes e#ery fi#e minutes, the
worl% o#er. A large 'ortion of this nee% stems in our country. 4e ha#e een celerating the oom of the
construction in%ustry for some time now. "t is time we reali6e% the nee% is far igger than our 'resent
technology.
!he use of Plaswall will ring %own the time of construction, sa#e costs, an% 'ro#i%e a etter, safer, highly
%urale an% more energy efficient o'tion than the 'resent technologies a#ailale in "n%ia.
!he 9onstruction "n%ustry is one of the most #irant an% fast,growing in%ustries in
"n%ia an% res'on%s to challenges faster an% etter than most. !o hel' it meet the mounting nee% of
%eli#ering faster an% etter +uality, we aim to hel' re'lace costly aluminum an% 'lywoo% framewor-s.
!his e&ce'tional technology of Plaswall 'ro%uces a com'letely loa% earing wall when ren%ere%. 4ith the
economies of scale, this technology is low cost. Plaswall is easy to trans'ort, an% the 'ro%uction facility can
e assemle% at the construction site itself. !his, cou'le% with the fact that %ue to the #ery nature of the
'ro%uct, wastage an% 'ilferage is re%uce% to a minimum. )any of our customers ahe# tol% us that the
sa#ings ma-e Plaswall the 'referre% construction techni+ue.
!he 'ro%uction 'rocess of Plaswall is also green, with the fire,cement manufacturing 'rocess arely
creating any in%ustrial %ust, %irt an% oil. !he 'ro%uction also uses the 'ul' from farme% trees, which means
that no green forest co#ers are sacrifice% or harme% in the 'rocess. (")" *'acers are also manufacture%
from 100 'er cent recycle% 'lastic. During se#eral stages in the 'ro%uction 'rocess, the water is reuse% an%
recycle%, an% also to all stages an% materials use% in the 'rocess. As a res'onsile memer of "@B9, F*B!
has certain 'olicies to e followe% within the organi6ation after recogni6ing the im'act 0oth negati#e an%
'ositi#e1 that %aily acti#ities can ha#e on the en#ironment.
4e are -een to 'romote the use of faster technologies that are green, effecti#e which
woul% meet the nation2s nee% for housing. Plaswall is suitale for all ty'es of construction, right from small
housing 'ro;ects, to #illas, to commercial structures. "ts clean uil%ing system is the fastest an% the cleanest
concrete walling system in the mar-et, i%eal for oth warm climates an% for insulation in col% tem'eratures
as
well.
A%%itionally, F*B! 'ro#i%es training, ser#ices an% su''ort at the construction sites, to ensure efficient
han%ling of this technology. "t has een a''ro#e% y A"!.9( , Accre%itation of "n%igenous !echnologies for
(ousing, a 9ommittee tas-e% to e#aluate an% accre%it #arious inno#ati#e technologiesFsystems for housing.