An Interface with Mr. Shetul Shah, Director, Neweage Fire Fighting Co. Ltd.
NewAge has been operational for long time as leading player in fire protection equipment provider; please share some of the company’s milestones & achievements?
Some of our major milestones are as follows:
1962: First order from Defence Establishment of India was received
1970: Started the unit for manufacturing of Fire Hose
1970: First order for Export of Fire Equipment was bagged
1993: Started production of Type B Hose
1994: Bagged order for ‘Long Range High Velocity’ Foam Monitor
2002: Took over Jayshree Textiles’ from Aditya Birla Group of Companies
2007: Bought out the Textile Division of ‘Lehavot Fire Protection, Israel’
2013: Developed UL Listed HVLR Monitors (Manual & remote Controlled)
2015: Developed Portable fire Pump with CE marking, Water curtain Hose and Large Diameter hose – to supplement Imported Products
2015: First in India to fix HVLR monitor over Fire Tender with 60 mtr. Vertical throw
2016: First Company to start Boom Tower Manufacturing in India
2016: Elevated Tower Mounted Monitor
2016: Developed Truck mounted Turbine Operated Mist Fire Fighting System in India
2020: Signed Agreement with Ministry of Local Government & Disaster Risk Management – Mauritius for Supply of Trailer Fire Pumps & Fire Vehicles
Could you brief us about overall business activities of NEWAGE (tie-ups, associations, reach, network)?
NewAge® was founded in the year of 1960 at Surendranagar, Gujarat for the manufacture of Fire fighting delivery hoses and various kinds of Fire fighting equipment. NewAge® is a registered Trademark of NewAge® Gujarat. The company’s quality based products lead to the company’s meteoric rise. Today the company has the factory spread over 50,000 square meters at Surendranagar, regional offices in Pune, Ahmedabad, Delhi, Bangalore, Kolkata Hyderabad, Chennai and an efficient network of agents throughout India and abroad. Since its inception NewAge® due to its
quality based principles is the indisputably the leading manufacturer of Fire hoses
and Fire Fighting equipment in the sub-continent.
Many of India’s reputed organizations are our esteemed clients. NewAge® has been a regular supplier of quality goods for five decades to organizations like Indian Oil Corporation Limited, Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited, Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited, Oil and Natural Gas Corporation, Ports Trust, Defence Establishments, Airport Authority of India, Chemical Plants, Fertilizer Plants and other industries. A majority of our equipments and hose are manufactured under Bureau of Indian Standards Institution License. We are ISO‐9001:2015 accredited company
manufacturing company. We have approvals many International approvals also for Our products like UL, FM, BSI etc,
The company has a staff strength of around 500 people with a network all over India for fast and prompt access in case of sales and after sales service. It has been exporting products to more than 60 countries, and has been a regular recipient of Export Excellence awards. Some of our overseas clients include countries in the Middle East, South East Asia, Africa and also technologically advanced countries like Italy, Germany, UK, Singapore, Thailand, Greece, Ireland, Canada, Australia etc.
Having been in this field for more than 60 years now NewAge® totally understands fire & safety and has been constantly thriving to provide the best fire solution to its customers
Can you elaborate more about the product portfolio & its applications?
NewAge® today is the largest manufacturer of hoses in the whole of Asia after taking over Jayshree Textiles (a division of Indian Rayon Corporation, Aditya Birla Group Company). NewAge® covers a broad spectrum of products in fire fighting including various types of hydrant valves, hydrant fittings, water monitors, foam equipments, nozzles etc.
We manufacture various types of Fire Fighting Vehicles and Pumps. NewAge® brings you world class Hydraulic Rescue Protection Products from Holmatro BV, The Netherlands. A wide range of Cutters, combination Tools, Rescue Rams, Power Units are available from the Holmatro House.
We undertake fabrication work of Water Tenders, Water Bauser, Water canon, Foam Tenders, Multipurpose Tenders, DCP Tenders, Foam Nursers, Emergency Rescue Tender, Special Purpose Fire Vehicles, Hazmat Vehicle, Small Fire Tender, Trailer Fire Pumps, Portable Fire Pumps as well as Fire Fighting solutions. We feel proud and no hesitation in saying that NewAge is the only one company
providing Fire Fighting vehicles laced with most of the fire fighting equipments, accessories being manufactured under single roof as solutions from NewAge®, This plus point is not beneficiary to us but also to our customers as well as our business associates for effective & efficient after sales service as well as to avoid interchangeability problems.
Which are the some of your pioneering products you introduced in the market recently or is there any plan to launch the new products?
FM Certificate on Hydrant with 16 bar Working Pressure.mm UL Listed Foam Making Branch pipes, UL Listed Medium & High Velocity Water Spray Nozzles. We are the only manufacturer to have a manufacturing facility of GRP Tanks in India. We have certain Projects in Pipeline. R & D is our continuous process and we keep launching new Products.
How do you account R&D activity in your company?
NewAge® is committed to a continuous research and development programme, to ensure future advances and the enhancement of existing products. Unlike similar manufacturers, we are virtually self‐sufficient with all research, design and manufacture being undertaken in‐house, using some the most advanced technologies currently available. This background enable us to continue to lead the
way in technical innovation, quality and reliability, as we believe, excellence can be carried to a great length.
Brief us about the quality policy for your business?
Having been in this field for more than 60 years now NewAge® totally understands fire safety and has been constantly thriving to provide the best fire solution to its Customers. Quality has been at the core of NewAge’s development policy and we are committed to provide the customer the best quality solution. At NewAge, quality is the core value and this idea remains imbibed in each and every employee. We believe that only the best quality provided at an affordable price can yield satisfied customers. Our products complies requirement of respective standards as follows and they are
approved by agencies like Underwriters’ Laboratories, Germanischer Lloyd, Marine Equipment Derivative (MED), Conformite Europeenne (CE), factory Mutual (FM), British Standards Institution (BSI), Indian Register for Shipping (IRS), Etc.
How do you foresee “India” as a potential market, what are the prospects?
India as a whole is a growing market for firefighting industry. Laws for Fire Fighting and Safety are getting stricter day by day and along with increase in awareness of the general public. This makes India a very potential market for business.
What are the distinguishing facts of global market as against the Indian fire protection market?
The fire protection market is extremely fragmented and primarily dominated by large unorganised players with strong regional presence. At present, there are only a few players in the organised market with a pan India presence. Moreover, the market is also flooded with counterfeit products and cheap imports from China. However, over the last decade or so, the Indian market has seen the arrival of global giants from the fire safety industry.
In next five years due to advancements in fire protection systems and increase in infrastructure investments India will be dominating Global markets. Additionally, rise in commercial construction activities should also boost the growth of the market internationally.
What are your strategies to improve the NEWAGE’s position in Indian & global market as well?
- Quality Objectives
- Quality Policy
- Management Commitment
- Customer Related Precesses
- Customer Focus
- Resource Management
- Design and Development
- Production and Service Provision
- Monitoring and Measurement
- Analysis of Data
- Corrective & Preventive Action
- Dispatch As Per Schedule
According to you what are the factors affecting to your business?
Manufacturers in the fire fighting industry in India have great resources in terms of innovation and unique solutions for the users. However, unfortunately, the users still have very little recognition of this fact. As in many developed countries, the users must call in the manufacturers to discuss issues they face while fighting fires or to improve the design and performance of the equipment according to the changing scenario of the fires. Not only will the industry grow and evolve due to these inputs from the users, but also the users will benefit from this exercise.
Unfortunately, the users’ mindset today is to pay more for imported equipment rather than pay the same amount of money to an Indian manufacturer to provide a better solution. The thinking and the mindset that an Indian manufacturer cannot match the quality of an imported equipment need a drastic change.
What are the key technological trends that are driving the fire protection industry?
The industry is moving from conventional methods of fire fighting to more technology-based and information-based approach to fire fighting. Use of High Tech Camera Systems, Robots, Thermal Imagers, Drones, etc. by the users shows a new evolving trend in the fire fighting industry. NewAge sees artificial intelligence as a next big change in technology and approach for the industry.
What is your vision for NEWAGE?
Our vision statement goes like this:
- To acquire and maintain a global leadership position in our chosen areas of businesses.
- To continuously create new opportunities for growth in our strategic businesses
- To remain among the top 10 most admired companies to work for in the industry