PATNA, December 25: Vankos, hydraulic equipment-maker with a Rs 5-crore turnover, bagged the ISO-9001 certification this September. The company, which is one of the 2000-odd firms to have bagged the ISO norm, has developed a number of import substutions for the Indian Railways out of which five railway tract maintenance items have been approved by the Railway Board.

Vankos started its operations in Patna in 1960 as a small-scale industry (SSI) units with five men and three machines.

At present the company employs about 250 workers and 70 machines.

"We plan to pump in an extra Rs 2-3 crore by the year 1999-2000 in our hydraulic cylinders division," chief executive Shabbir Hussain told The Financial Express.

Hussain fondly remembers the contribution of a German engineer, Robert Buehler (now an expert in the United Nations), in the success of the firm. Buehler was part of a team that visited Bihar in 1965 to work towards the development of SSI units in the state. In fact, Buehler worked for five years in the company and his expertise helped the company a great deal, Hussain says.

Apart from opening up new vistas for the firm, the certification has proved that industry can grow and thrive in Bihar too. "I have found Patna to be a most peaceful and congenial workplace. Any industry can grow in this state provided it remains ethical in its approach -- honest both to its employees and its customers. With this motto I have covered a vast areas in a period of 37 years," Hussain adds.

Vankos has built its own design and development section and uses a computer software called Autocad to prepare drawings and designs. The company is also one of the few SSIs that have an electronic instrument -- surtronic -- to measure the surface smoothness of a honed cylinder or ground piston. It has also a number of test rigs having capacities ranging between 2 and 2000 tonnes.

Hussain says Vankos plans to double its turnover to Rs 10 crore within the next three years. There are no diversification plans as yet and all developments will take place in the hydraulic department only.

"Hydraulic jacks is a vast field with a huge potential and so far we have hardly scratched the surface," Hussain says.

There is a plan to convert the partnership firm into a private -- and later a public -- company by the year 1999-2000. The company plans to go public early next century.

The company received an award from the central government in 1977 in recognition of its import substitution efforts in developing hydraulic jacks for aircraft.

"We have started to develop jacks for the latest generation Sukhoi jets, being imported from Russia," Hussain reveals with pride.

Blue-chip companies like the Indian Space Research Organisation, CIL, Bhel, HAL, Indian Airlines and Air India figure prominently on the company's list of customers.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.