The year 2000 came with a commendation certificate - Rajiv Gandhi Quality Award and the Small Scale Entrepreneur Special Recognition Award by the Ministry of Small Scale Industries, Government of India. In the following year, 2001, it received the National Entrepreneurship Award from the government.
Few years later, Blaise set up his second plant outside Goa, at Pune in Maharashtra in 2005. He also bagged the 2009-GERA Big FM Businessman of the Year Award. In 2013 the company received Volvo - Supplier of the month January, Rototour-2013 Participation by Association of Rotational Moulders AustraliaAsia Inc and Decade of Dedication Award. Three years later, in 2016 it received Godrej - Best Support New Product Development Award and also the Businessman of the Year 2016 by NRB Group Business Goa Awards for Corporate Excellence.
The list does not end here. It continues with Volvo CE - India - Best Supplier in MSME (2017), Winner of CII Third Quality Circle Competition - Small Scale Category (2021) and Winner of CII Third Kaizen Competition - Small Scale Category (2021). Runner up of CII Fourth Quality Circle Competition - Small Scale Category (2022) and Winner of CII Fourth Kaizen Competition - Small Scale Category (2022), was followed by establishing the third plant in 2023 at Verna.
“It’s been six years now that I joined the company officially in 2019 after graduating. I learn how to interact with customers, decisions that have to be made. I learn about our production process and things we can do to improve our processes from my father,” shares Alistair Costabir, currently an executive assistant to his father, the MD of GMI Zarhak Moulders.
“We have recently added a new building and machine in Verna, this expansion, allows us to expand the Shakti water tank range, we do not plan to increase the size range, currently we do 200 to 5000 litres, but we plan to move in to ISI certified tanks to stay abreast of the new Quality Control Orders on the anvil to be implemented by Bureau of Indian Standards.
We also want to push other Shakti products viz: septic tanks, rain water harvesters, composters, roller bins etc,” shares Alistair, and adds, “At present we have doubled our capacity in Pune and added a new facility in Goa, so we are now in consolidation mode.”
Blaise, a post graduate from Asian Institute of Management, Manila, decided to venture into plastics business because it was a sunrise industry in 1994. He further zeroed on roto-moulding because at that time, out of a 100 roto-moulded parts in India, 99 were tanks; however in the west only one was a tank and the rest were other products. So he started with tanks and planned to get into others. Today GMI Zarhak business is 20% water tanks and 80 % custom moulded parts. The company has seen many ups and downs but staying firm on maintaining the quality of the product, the father-son duo has taken one vow “ value the customers and offer quality products that they approve.
“Today, the decision continues to hold us in good stead, faced with a range of cheap, low weight, recycled water tanks. Our brand continues to grow with a solid reputation for good quality across the product range,” asserts Blaise, adding, “What is not widely known is that this exemplary quality system has enabled us to develop and supply bespoke moulded components such as fuel tanks, canopies, water tanks, fenders etc to some of the most esteemed OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers) in India “ among which are John Deere, Atlas Copco, Wirtgen, Olikara, Dynapac, and Bomag in Pune; Amman in Ahmedabad; Volvo, ACO, and Doosan in Bangalore; Epiroc and Husqvarna in Nashik; as well as Primax in Duba, Putzmeister and Pai Kane in Goa.
Blaise further explains, “Apart from water tanks, Shakti has conceived a range of innovative products, such as a patented septic tank specifically designed for bungalows, grease traps tailored for hotels and residences to safeguard soak pits, composting bins for efficient management of household waste, sumps for the recharging of groundwater, and even a bio-digester that transforms refuse into biogas. We also manufacture fuel tanks for automobiles, boats, and trawlers, hose retainers for earth moving equipment, ballast for tractors, plastic consoles, plastic water tanks for road construction equipment etc.”
Shakti, as a brand, has been successful because it stands for quality. Every new product introduced under its banner has the stamp of quality. It’s a trusted brand in the market, getting repeat customers who are satisfied with its quality and durability. Today, the name Shakti is enough for the customers to go for the product. But there were days when, to grab attention, they tried different methods. A half tank was put on a hoarding in the initial days, but now staying in line with the concept of visual pollution, the company does not rely on ads, or wall paintings. “Today, we rely on print media, brochures and websites. Our trust with social media has not really taken off, but it is an area we wish to work on,” admits Blaise.
