A.T.E. Emerging clean technology player

A.T.E., which occupies a leadership position in textile engineering business in India and has also established itself as a strong player in the flow technology and print and packaging solution businesses, is in a hurry to make a mark in the fast emerging clean technology space. In an interview to Corporate India, Mr. Bhagwati spells out the road map of his company.

Excerpts from the interview:

Corporate India: A.T.E. enjoys a leadership position in textile engineering, backed by its 7 decades of experience. Currently, A.T.E.'s thrust area seems to be clean technology.  Does it signify a shift in focus?

Mr. Anuj Bhagwati : A.T.E. has an inseparable bond with the Indian textile industry and, therefore, our thrust on textile engineering will always remain.  We are also active in the print and packaging solutions business and the flow technology business and here again we are committed to develop these businesses further. Clean technology is emerging as a promising business vertical with a lot of synergy with our other businesses, which also has a lot of social significance, we have strategically decided to focus on developing this business as well.

CI : Could you explain the group's vision in clean technology space and what were the motivating factors for the group to get into this space?

AB : A.T.E. looks at clean technology as an imperative for sustainable development of the earth and its eco-systems. Its vision is to develop and implement innovative solutions to create sustainable stakeholder value and to be a dominant player in the next three years. Clean technology makes business sense and we are deeply concerned with the issues of climate change and sustainable development, particularly as we think of India as being one country that would be badly hit. We then came up with the idea of effluent treatment plants for the textile processing units, who are our customers. We also realized that for machine manufacturers with a large installed base, remote monitoring could be a fantastic idea for energy and performance optimization.  Air-conditioners are part of all of our daily experience, so it was natural to look at ways to do this in a greener way.  So, in short, it's a combination of business potential, social significance and synergy that took us to this space.

CI : Could you throw more light on the specific businesses under the clean technology umbrella of A.T.E.?

AB : Our clean technology business comprises of water and waste water management, comfort conditioning solutions, renewable energy solutions, and remote monitoring solutions. Under water and waste water management, we offer packaged sewage treatment and recycling plants, effluent treatment plants, etc.; in comfort conditioning we offer 'Ambiator', while we are almost ready with another product, 'Economizer'. We are also developing hybrid air-conditioners and Treated Fresh Air (TFA) units.  In renewable energy solutions our offerings range from bio-gas plants, solar water heating systems and solar photovoltaic systems. In remote monitoring solutions, we offer a machine-to-machine (M2M) communication technology platform for control and remote monitoring of industrial plants and equipment.

CI : What is the financial performance of the group during the last three years and where do you see A.T.E. in three years from now.?

AB : As the economy was in the grip of a severe recession in the last two years, i.e., 2008-09 and 2009-10, there were very few fresh investments. This had impacted our business.  However, the situation is now improving and we expect to do much better in 2010-11. If you look back, the world has been witnessing technological revolutions: first with IT, followed by telecom in the last couple of years. With growing awareness on the need for sustainability and environmental protection, and aptly supported by the governmental regulations, I am sure the demand for innovative products and solutions in clean technology would grow exponentially in the next three years.  A.T.E. with its thrust on offering 'value for money' to its customers, in terms of differentiated technology, quality and service, thus expects to establish itself as a strong player in the clean technology space by the next two to three years.