By Priyanka Roy Chowdhury

Messung is a pioneer of PLC technology in the automation industry in India and the eminent distributor for Mitsubishi Electric's range of state–of-the-art Factory Automation (FA) products. It has been instrumental in providing a blend of world-class factory automation products such as PLCs, VFDs, HMIs and Servos from Mitsubishi Electric - Japan and international standard PLCs manufactured by Messung for their customers.

In conversation with Bizxchange, Farook Merchant, CMD of Messung Group shares his successful journey.



Edited excerpts from the interview:

Brief us on Messung’s inception. What were the initial challenges?
I started my career in 1980 with Electronica Machine Tool Ltd. With a strong conviction for utilising automation technology to common benefit, I was determined to do the unthinkable and believing in my dreams, I spent my first salary of Rs 400 (which was a big amount back then) to buy the equipment and wires necessary for my experiment.

My tenure with Electronica saw me design a product called Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) in my house as I wanted to make something new, following which I resigned from my job and decided to make this product as my own, toiling in my garage. At a time when youngsters yearn for a cushy and well-settled job and seek marital bliss, giving up a well earned job created a stir in my community. However, undeterred by the odds stacked against me, I kept giving my best to the task at hand and eventually gaining confidence on the product, I decided to realise my automation dream in 1981 through my own venture, Messung Systems.

What is Messung’s line of business?
Messung is into manufacturing PLC, which helps in automation machineries to work automatically. I feel proud to say that presently Messung is considered to be one of the leading brands in industrial automation products, having grown from a modest capital of Rs 1000. We have an established presence across diverse industry verticals like automotive, pharmaceuticals, textiles, plastic and printing and packaging with plans to enter other verticals in the near future.

What are the key business strategies that you plan to adopt to boost business in the domain?
We participate in exhibitions to grow the business. Also, we have a pan-india network that helps us grow our business. At Messung, we have wide scale expansion plans to become the most preferred automation solutions provider to various industries.

Please highlight some of the milestones achieved.
Despite the innumerable challenges along the journey, faith and self belief motivated me to keep the efforts going. I started taking part in exhibitions to show my product to people. It finally paid off when my PLC called Meprolog-H was able to replace and oust Relay Contractor Logic in 1984. Following this, in 1987-88, a new product incorporating micro-processors was crafted by me. Our overheads being low, we were able to sell our products at a much competitive price. Therefore, we attained a fast paced growth. Laying foundations in a garage, we gradually shifted to a leased shed in Parvati Industrial area. From there we shifted to Bhosari in 1988 with a manufacturing and R&D facility for their indigenous products and an equally large set up for the distribution business for Mitsubishi FA products, spread over 5,000 square metres.

How do you perceive the growth of the industry to be?
Automation has brought about a drastic change in the way manufacturing functions. Currently, industrial automation relates to higher production rates, efficient use of materials and better product quality and despite claims of high quality from good workmanship by humans, automated systems typically performs the manufacturing process with less variability, resulting in greater control and consistency of product quality. So its future is definitely demanding and progressing.

By employing what strategies does Messung plan to leverage its position in the near future?
Automation brings all machines together, it helps to manage and control production activities to optimise quality, production volume, delivery and cost. Thus, the entire factory can be controlled and supervised by a single control system. This has improved safety, shortened the work weeks for labour and has reduced factory lead times. Due to this Messung will definitely leverage a promising position in the near future.

What tips would you suggest for aspiring entrepreneurs?
Entrepreneurs are generally considered to be adventurous and risk takers, who are willing to take chances in support of an idea or enterprise. I hope my account inspires the younger generation as it proves that success is not about where you start from but where you get to at the end of the journey. My suggestion to rookie entrepreneurs is to have the end in mind and make sure you are working towards it every day.