The fire-fighting industry in India has tremendous potential as the government is investing heavily in infrastructure development. As the economy grows, both industry and government are updating fire protection systems for continued operations in industrial plants and offices. To ensure continuous productivity, safety of investment and human resources, the use of advanced fire protection systems is inevitable. Government regulations for fire safety are now mandatory and this has further brightened the market outlook for fire protection systems in India, says Mr. Manohar Bidaye, Director, UNISAFE India, in an interview with Maria R.
Could you please tell us about your company and its different verticals?
UNISAFE a leading Fire Protection company in Middle East for the past 15 years, is a joint venture company of Zicom Electronic Security Systems Ltd. With Head office in Dubai, it also has a branch office in Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Doha, Qatar. UNISAFE has now established a direct presence in India with the introduction of its Indian arm UNISAFE Fire Protection Specialists India Pvt. Ltd.
It has experience in handling fire protection jobs in various sectors in the Middle East markets with special focus on Highrise Buildings and Infrastructure related projects.
Unisafe India operations may be classified broadly under Infrastructure and Enterprise business.
Recently, UNISAFE has entered into the Indian market; how do you view India as a market for fire protection industry?
The Indian Information Technology (IT) & IT Enabled Services (ITES) continue to drive the growth of large office complexes in the country. Technology parks and office buildings for IT/ITES contribute to the demand for fire protection in India.
The government is investing heavily in infrastructure development, upgrading existing airports and setting up new airports and metros in various cities. These airport/metro projects will support the growth of fire protection demand in the country.
In addition to these, new hospitals, large shopping malls, five star hotels, banks, financial institutions etc will continue to drive the demand for fire protection.
Large refineries, petrochemical complexes, biotechnology ventures, pharmaceutical, automobile, steel, other manufacturing projects, oil/gas exploration programs, are expanding in the country. These large projects have specialized fire protection requirements.
Every year number of conflagrations take place in India due to lack of awareness about the fire detection and protection systems; what steps UNISAFE would take to promote the usage of these systems in the country and prevent accidents? What supports and guidelines you surmise from the government's end for this?
We hope that the government would consider the importance of having a company with previous experience in providing fire protection for multi-storey buildings. Providing fire protection for multi-storey buildings is different from the standard buildings. We are sure that in the years to come, local companies would learn the techniques. However, at this stage, it is important not to risk human lives by experimenting with novices in field of fire protection for multi-storey buildings.
Please describe UNISAFE's expertise, knowledge and product offerings that help it to serve the country better.
Having proved its competence in design and customization of in-house Fire Protection Systems by managing eminent projects across the Seven Emirates and Qatar, Unisafe has set up its Global Design Centre in India equipped with the latest software to carry out Design and Engineering for Unisafe's projects in Middle East as well as in India.
Committed to building trust that exceeds a customer's expectations, Unisafe India offers a unique package of innovative technologies, timely and precise project execution and superior customer servicing enabling the company to create awareness on the importance of having a reliable fire protection system in place and building a safe environment.
Tell us something about company's products range and turnkey solutions?
Supported by a combination of focused management and dedicated professionals committed to rendering high quality services and setting performance records, Unisafe India aims at establishing project management and implementation capabilities by using specialized techniques and offering total capability services for turnkey projects to its customers in India.
Projects undertaken by Unisafe India are managed by a structured project team who are well trained and experienced in installing and maintaining a full spectrum of equipment and systems.
What are the important projects handled by the company globally and sectors aimed for India?
Unisafe brings with it a rich lineage of domain knowledge and expertise gained from managing some of the most iconic projects in the Middle East for over a decade, including Etihad Towers, Al Salam Street tunnel in Abu Dhabi, the Abu Dhabi Air force Base, Al Wakra Hospital in Qatar, Concourse 3 at the Dubai International Airport and the D1 tower in Dubai to name a few.
In the Indian Market, Unisafe is targeting IT/ITES, Hotels, Banks, Commercial Complexes, Shopping Malls, Manufacturing Industries, Steel Plants, Petrochemical/ Oil & Gas, Marine / Offshore etc.
Words about the training programme undertaken by the company for skilled manpower in order to install and maintain a full spectrum of equipment and systems?
Unisafe has employed professionals having vast experience in the field of Fire-protection. The company is headed by Mr.Easwaran who has over 42 years of experience in designing installing and developing Fire Protection systems in India and abroad. Mr Easwaran has been a member of all the Bureau of Indian Standards and has drafled many of the ISI Standards for Fire Protection. He is also a faculty for the B.E. Fire Engineering course conducted by Nagpur University. He teaches B. Arch. Students on fire protection systems at the Anna University. He has immense experience in the field of Fire Protection System and handled major projects in an all-around manner. He is also a member of the ITC Corporate Safety group to give directions on Fire safety in all their manufacturing units, hotels and Offices all over India. The Unisafe team has been specially picked up from amongst the best talents in the Fire Protection Industry who are experts in their field with several years of experience.
Please share your company's future plans for the country with us and where do you see UNISAFE in the next three-four year?
Unisafe is setting up regional offices in Delhi, Kolkatta and Chennai and plans to set up offices in every major city of India. The company has already planned an investment to set up offices and establishing its network across the country and aims to register a sales revenue of `600-`800 crore in the next five years.
