What does Ahlada’s MMSA with Tata Steel entail?
As per the MMSA with TSL, our company is manufacturing and supplying decorative, wood finished steel doors for the residential sector and commercial doors. The doors are marketed and sold by TSL under the brand name Tata Pravesh. This alliance with Tata is one of our most important milestones in the history of our company and also one of our biggest strengths.
Ahlada Engineers Ltd was set up in 2005 for making clean room equipment and stainless-steel furniture for the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and food industry. The company gradually expanded its products to the healthcare, entertainment and real estate sectors. In 2013 it started manufacturing steel doors for the residential sector in Andhra Pradesh, and in 2017 entered into a Master Manufacturing and Supply Agreement (MMSA) with Tata Steel Limited (TSL), whereby TSL has assured offtake of the doors manufactured, along with improvements in the manufacturing process and line efficiency
Our doors are safe and long lasting being of GI steel. They are fire and smoke resistant – they can withstand fire for 60 minutes and have a unique lining that prevents spreading of smoke, which is a bigger hazard than fire. They are corrosion-resistant, termite and weather proof, and maintenance free. I would like to add - eco-friendly too - as every two steel door saves one tree. What’s more, they can be installed in a single day without requiring a carpenter. Our steel frame windows are also sturdy, and they come with various options as we have developed more than 70 prototypes.
Another USP of the company is that we supply our doors and windows along with the necessary hardware and accessories, and we also provide the installation services. Their retail price ranges from ₹18,000 to ₹38,000 as per their size and design specifications. The major end-users of our products are independent homeowners and real estate builders.
How would you rate the aesthetic value of steel doors and windows?
The aesthetics of our steel doors are better because these doors are factory made and their finish is attained by a special process called sublimation, which is superior to the manually polished wooden doors. Our windows are made to match the doors, so that the aesthetic value is enhanced further.
How would you rate their quality?
Since the doors are made of GI steel, under normal usage conditions they last much longer than wooden doors, plus they are zero maintenance. We use D Grade lock forming quality steel (IS 277 std). This is a zero-spangle galvanized steel and is oil free. We procure steel from TSL as well as reputed suppliers like POSCO and others.
What are your expansion plans?
Our steel doors and steel frame windows are made at our facilities on the outskirts of Hyderabad. We are ramping up manufacturing from the existing capacity of 1.3 lakh doors to about 3.4 lakh per annum
