Today Mr AK Tyagi who is the CMD of the reputed company The Nuberg Group talks about his journey and how he established the company into what it is now. His story is definitely an inspiring one! Let’s take a look!
- Tell us more about your company Nuberg.
The Nuberg Group is an engineering and technology-driven industrial conglomerate based in India. As a group, it provides engineering and industrial plant solutions and services across chemicals & fertilizers, hydrocarbon, nuclear & defence and steel industries. Since its inception in 1996, Nuberg has set up more than 60 Greenfield chemical plants around the world and has the privilege of being the biggest EPC company for the Chlor alkali industry in the UAE. The Nuberg Group has three divisions vis-a-vis Nuberg EPC, specializing in turnkey projects; Nuberg GPD, one of the biggest manufacturers and suppliers of gas plants across industries and Nuberg HFD, manufacturer and supplier of heavy machinery and industrial equipment. The group is headquartered in Noida, India.
Nuberg EPC is a global EPC & turnkey project management company providing single point responsibility services and solutions for executing industrial plants from concept to commissioning. As one of the most respected global EPC companies, Nuberg has its engineering set up, indigenous technology with dedicated teams of engineering experts with 300000 available engineering man-hours to deliver safe, modern and efficient engineering solutions.
Nuberg GPD, another business division of Nuberg Group is amongst India’s leading manufacturers of Nugen PSA Nitrogen Gas generators under technical collaboration with M/s. Rutgers CarboTech GmbH. As India’s top manufacturer of Nitrogen gas Generators, Nuberg GPD has a spectacular track record and has installed over 800 Nos. of plants all over the world.
Nuberg HFD is a sprawling 115000sqm state-of-the-art in-house fabrication facility in Gujarat that provides end to end engineering, designing, manufacturing and supplying of large industrial equipment such as pressure vessels, reactors, absorbers, columns and towers, heat exchangers, tanks, etc.
- When was Nuberg first established and what was the idea behind it?
Nuberg was established as an independent company in 1996. Back then, Mr AK Tyagi had the vision to establish a significant and admired Global Organization in his chosen areas of business & delight the customers while growing exponentially.
I embarked on this journey with much courage and a burning desire to forge my path. I have pursued my degree in Mechanical Engineering and work experience of 10 years in the private sector.
I hope my accomplishment and journey serve as an example to individuals who wish to start their own company. I always knew if I ever wanted to feel fulfilled in life I had to take a chance and start my own company. Desire is pivotal when it comes to success in business. However, all the business desire in the world isn’t worth much unless you turn it into action. The key to capitalizing on what inspires you is to drive toward concrete, actionable steps you can take to turn that desire into a living, breathing business.
We first picked up pace as we received a few projects for PSA Nitrogen Gas plants in association with a global technology licensor. Then we got the opportunity to set up the first Caustic Soda plant in Bangladesh on an EPC-LSTK basis. The project was interesting and full of learning as it involved the relocation of the plant from the UK to Bangladesh. This subsequently led to fifteen Greenfield projects in Bangladesh. It also set the ball rolling for a core set of learning and domain expertise that went on to define Nuberg EPC and our roadmap to success.
- How do you plan to expand Nuberg EPC?
The experience of inter-country planning and execution on EPC-LSTK got us on the path of chosen destiny. We learnt the need for mastering local and international laws regulations, norms, and expectations for key geographies. We understood the value that a talented engineering strength brought to the table despite the high initial cost. The Indian focus on maximizing resources and impact at minimal costs showed us the way to profitability.
We additionally imbibed the habit of doubling down on domain expertise to create global leadership. Most importantly, our success has been built on our R&D facility and India base manufacturing division.
The R&D facility in Sweden, EB Nuberg, contributes innovative technology for speciality chemicals. The country offers the best global talent, and it makes us proud to share that we have patented technology for hydrogen peroxide. We are thus amongst the very few Global Technological Licensers of Hydrogen Peroxide technology. We are also the Global Technological Licenser for sulphuric acid plants.
- Your company is spread across the world, how did you manage to expand Nuberg to around 30 countries?
Our drive to continually build on the lessons learnt has resulted in significant core strengths that give us an unparalleled advantage globally. Our global experience of operating in more than thirty countries has made us adept with laws, statutory requirements, and societal norms across geographical diversities. We have more than three hundred engineers with 300,000-person-hours of skills available. This is towards the higher side of engineering strength vs revenue ratio for the EPC industry.
We have launched our R&D facility in Sweden, EB Nuberg intends to contribute with innovative technology for speciality chemicals. We have patented technology for hydrogen peroxide. We are thus amongst the very few Global Technological Licensers of Hydrogen Peroxide technology. We are also the Global Technological Licenser for sulphuric acid plants.
We also have our manufacturing division that produces Pressure Vessels, Reactors, Heat Exchangers, Columns & Towers, and Tanks. We own a 115,000 sqm manufacturing plant in Gujarat, which manufactures large industrial equipment and machinery that caters to the EPC projects as part of Nuberg EPC. We cater to numerous international as well as large Indian clients such as big PSUs and private companies.
We are continually incorporating the latest in digital technologies and work processes. This includes IoT-enabled monitoring and maintenance of projects and commissioned plants, Big Data for smarter design and inspections, AI-driven intelligent automation, AR and VR for superior safety, communication, and training, and 3D software for delivery accuracy.
- Tell us about a project or accomplishment that you consider to be the most significant in your career.
Nuberg EPC has won multiple numbers of projects since its inspection. However, we believe that every project that we have received is a success for the Nuberg team.
Some of the projects I’d like to highlight are important milestones in our business portfolio.
- Won 1st EPC Chlor Alkali Project in 2000
- Won 1st Sulfuric Acid EPC Project in 2006
- Won 1st Hydrogen Peroxide EPC Project in 2007
- Established 115000 sqm manufacturing facility in 2009
- Opened R&D facility in Sweden in 2014
- Won 1st Calcium Chloride EPC Project in 2014
- Won 1st Sulfolane EPC Project in 2015
- Won 1st $100 million EPC Project in 2015
- Who is your role model and why?
I hold the Hon’ble Prime Minister in high regard as a role model. PM Modi’s accomplishments and journey were encouraging. PM Narendra Modi has risen to become one of the most powerful leaders of our time since his public debut.
The fact that the prime minister works for more than 16 hours a day at a stretch and takes no holidays does not surprise the youth. Many of the young entrepreneurs, scientists, farmers, educationists, artists, and so on who pursue their work with passion, have known to be equally dedicated to their work. The hardworking lot appreciates this quality of PM Modi.
PM Modi’s missionary zeal in laying forth his vision and then carrying it out has brought professionalism and accountability to governance. In the 75th Independence Day address to the nation from the Red Fort’s ramparts, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the National Hydrogen Mission to make India energy independent in the next 25 years. As part of the vision, Nuberg EPC is at the forefront of the Green Energy revolution in India with two clean energy plants under development. This will allow us to make an even greater contribution to the Hon’ble Prime Minister’s vision of a clean, sustainable environment and a carbon-neutral India. We are happy to be at the forefront of the country’s green energy infrastructure development.
Prime Minister Modi is a true team player. He shares his idea with the public and urges them to adopt it as their own. Every government department, commercial or public institution, and a person feels a sense of belonging to a larger purpose. They are energised and inspired to serve the country. They are confident in their ability to make a difference through their activities. It’s no surprise that every call to action issued by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on multiple platforms, from cleanliness to Digital India, has been enthusiastically received and implemented by the citizens.
- If someone is starting their business, what advice/tips would you like to give them?
It’s easy to talk about having a business plan and a strategy, but the most essential part is putting that strategy into action and remaining on track. However, as an entrepreneur, the most important thing is that you have to be willing to fail to achieve. Small businesses fail for a variety of reasons in their first year like Inadequate capital, Location problems, Inadequate inventory management, Excessive reliance on fixed assets, Defaulted credit arrangements, Unexpected expansion, Competition or Low sales.
Looking at these reasons, you could conclude that failure is unavoidable but look at failure as an opportunity.
Failure should not be a deterrent: Even the best-laid plans and intentions don’t always work out. These pivotal times will be faced by the majority of people. What differentiates the successes from the failures is not what happened, but what you did in response to it.
Make a strategy: Even the best individual must have a plan of action to overcome being thrown off their game. So, what are your plans? How do you plan to handle a crisis? What will you do if you fail or lose? You should believe in yourself that nothing could stop you. Always prepare a backup plan in case things went wrong. With that plan in place, you will be able to bounce back more quickly.
Make the most of your resources: It’s not a good idea to go it alone! Make use of your favourite experts and contacts to assist you to get back on track after a setback. No entrepreneur works by themselves. Even if you don’t have any workers, you’ll need a strong support structure to help you run your business.
It is not easy to build a successful business. Most entrepreneurs came from poor beginnings and faced their own set of hardships. But remember that whatever your stumbling block may be, you must keep moving forward.