Striking when the metal is hot is what Mohan Gidwani believes in, and this has helped shape his life into a success story. From an ambitious youngster in an engineering college in Mumbai to the director of Simplicity Projects, a leading material handling unit in Delhi, Gidwani has travelled a long way. This long road to success was paved by Gidwani through hard work and diligence.

"Since my college days, I wanted to start my own business, but I knew that time was not ripe," says Gidwani. So, after completing his course, Gidwani joined a private company as a production engineer to put his skills into practice. "I worked hard and tried to gain as much knowledge as possible."Later, Gidwani switched over to Wesman, Calcutta, where his work profile included marketing. "Working in the marketing department opened my eyes to the world," recalls Gidwani, who learnt that the world was bigger and more diverse than he had thought, and there were plenty of business opportunities waiting to be explored.

But Gidwani was not in a hurry. He knew that venturing out without creating a strong base could be fool-hardy. Gidwani continued working for Wesman for more than a decade enriching himself with the experience he had gained on the job.

Finally in 1970, Gidwani felt confident enough and started Simplicity Projects with a friend. "Things started working right from the word go, and we did not face any teething problems," Gidwani recalls.

Material handling involves transportation of goods or raw materials in bulk for industries like cement, steel, fertilizers etc. In the seventies, since a major thrust was being given to the process of industrialisation a large number of industries were mushrooming in the country. "As my business grew, I saw opportunities every where. I started designing ways in which I could make the most of them". For a person who knew the intricacies of the market as well as Gidwani, this posed no problem.

Gidwani started taking projects on a turnkey basis. He started manufacturing a whole range of equipment and would conceptualise the entire process of material handling for his clients. "This satisfied my clients and I would get more orders from them."

Over the years, business expanded, in terms of services provided and markets covered. "Expansion is the name of the game. If a business does not expand, then there must be something wrong with it". That every thing is just right with his business is clear from its performance. From a turnover of Rs 1,00,000 in the initial years, Simplicity Project's current turnover stands at Rs 50 crore.

Gidwani feels competition is cutthroat. Shockingly, his former employees are today his toughest competitors. "They have a fair idea of my weaknesses and know where to strike." But they are not able to harm Gidwani much as "I know my work quite well". Gidwani, however, does not harbour bitter feelings against his erstwhile employees for starting their own businesses. "This is a natural process. After all, I also grew out of the company I worked for."

On the export front too, Gidwani stands a winner. The export of conveyors to different countries across the globe won him the regional special shield for outstanding export performance 1992-93.

An active member of the Confederation of Indian Industry for nine years, Gidwani believes that in today's competitive world, adequate capital is the prime requirement for being successful, followed by technology. "Capital should be arranged by hook or by crook and should be used judiciously. Technology should also be updated regularly for maintaining high quality which would ensure a regular inflow of customers."

Coming from a person who has learnt from experience, these words of business wisdom command respect.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.