B ill Gates has said, “Automation applied to an efficient operation will magnify the efficiency. Similarly, automation applied to an inefficient operation will magnify the inefficiency". Such is the criticality of Automation, that not only is it needed, but it is also needed to be implemented for the right process.
Automation has become an integral part of any plant and machinery. End users need improved quality, higher through put and maintenance free equipment. Hence, manufacturing is leveraging automation to a very high extent. Adding to this, the push for Make in India where end users are giving far more opportunities to Indian suppliers has further boosted the growth of Industrial automation. At the forefront, leading this growth is Gujarat-based Pima Controls, a ISO certified professionally managed Company focused on Distribution and Supply of Industrial Automation and Electrical Products and Services, having partnering with world renowned companies since 1986.
“We have been in this business for nearly four decades, 36 years to be precise. We are one of the pioneers of Industrial Automation in India. When we ventured into this industry, Automation was a domain of only the large public sector plants like Fertilizers and Petrochemicals or Large private segments like Cement. Today there would be hardly any industry that does not leverage automation for its manufacturing activities. Even making rotis or namkeen which traditionally was a cottage industry has turned to automation for mass production", says Vineet Parikh, Director at Pima Controls. The company’s decades of experience, application knowledge, customer expectation and most importantly the experienced team has put it in a very strong position to leverage the technology boom. Over the years, Pima has worked with more than 1,000 customers across India.
Pima Controls is a family owned but professionally run organization. The business was started by Madhukar Parikh in 1986, a young engineer from Larson & Tubro, when the word PLC was alien to most factory engineers. Since then, the company has constantly worked to introduce latest technology by partnering with global leaders. The next generation consisting of Vineet and Pravit who joined the business in 1997 and 2005 respectively. Today Madhukar Parikh is the Chairman of the company guiding the board to achieve its vision.
Offering End-to-End Services & Solutions
To build a strong and meaningful relationship with its customers, Pima has invested and developed a range of offerings and value-added services. To complement the product offerings, the company has developed an ISO certified panel shop where it can build various types of panels for OEMs, End Users and even SI partners. “We can also provide a range of energy services like Energy Audits, Energy Monitoring, Energy Saving and so on. We also have ability to help our customers implement their Industry 4.0 digitization journey", adds Vineet. The company connects each manufacturing asset to servers and helps customers analyze productivity, quality, energy utilization and maintenance management on the go.
Pima bridges the gap between identification of energy saving opportunities, mostly done via energy audits and process improvements to optimize energy consumption. It satisfies the need of the industry to depend on someone to be able to execute with guarantees the energy initiatives identified. The company also has the required know-how, both of components and process to be able to confidently execute solutions. Pima serves are a single point of contact for organizations seeking to identify, execute, realise and sometimes finance the energy saving solutions. “With more than 28 years of experience in providing Automation Solutions with a team of highly qualified and experienced Engineers, we have the required capability to make your savings a reality", says Pravit Parikh, a BEE India Certified Energy Auditor.
Talent & Manpower
Pima employs a group of people across India with more than 50 percent having an engineering degree with varied experience enabling it to give
sound advice and support to its wide spectrum of customers. “At Pima, we believe in creating a team that we called 'The Pima Family'. Our team is empowered to deliver with authority from young age, thereby being able to discharge responsibility with confidence. This is the core of our culture. Employees have the opportunity to share knowledge, collaborate, and work with customers to create a long-term impact", adds Vineet. The quality and competency of a Pima employee is a strong differentiator, it reflects on the enthusiasm to serves its customers, implement projects and seize new opportunities. We are happy to share the Pima has a very strong base of past employee that are successfully placed all over the industry as professionals and entrepreneurs, not just in India but over the globe.
As the next generation of owners and managers, the company continues to invests in the growth and development of its people through modern HR tools and methods. Pima is dedicated to aspiring people to thrive, achieve their career goals, and make a lasting impact on society.
The management team consists of a perfect blend of first generation and second-generation entrepreneurs who have a work experience ranging from nine years to thirty years in the fields of software development, industrial automation and energy conservation technologies. The team comprises of highly qualified and experienced directors who have graduated from renowned institutes like MS University Baroda, Georgia Institute of Technology, US, and North Maharashtra University . To bring external and professional views, they have hired an industry veteran as their CEO who brings 30 years of Industry experience. They are also lean on extra-ordinary advisors who provide tactical and technical input on strategy, finance and growth aspects of the business.
Pravit Parikh, Executive Director
Onward & Upward
Pima’s work with various industries and processes over 35 years has given it great insight of technology, customer needs as well as the local Automation and Electrical Market. It has therefore used this insight to grow, expand and upgrade itself to serve its customers better. In 2015, the company spread its wings to the state of Rajasthan to serve the customers in that State. Subsequently they have opened offices in Bharuch, Indore and Mumbai, there by covering customers in entire western India. Each of these branches is a full service office, with technical sales, customer support and local inventory all very close to the end customer. At its head office in Ahmedabad, they take care of corporate activities like finance, banking, HR, ITand more. Pima at Ahmedabad has more than 10000 Sq. Ft. of office, 4500 Sq. Ft. of centralized warehouse and 3000 Sq. Ft of Panel Shop Floor to assemble configured panels. The operation of the organization is managed through a best-in-class web-based ERP system covering from Customer Relationship Management to Service after Sales.
To remain relevant and meet the needs of its customers, Pima is continually expanding its product portfolio aswell. It identifies white spaces in its portfolio vis-a-vis customer needs and looks to quickly align with suppliers that have strength in that area and values that can make it work together. “Many a times the alignment is geographic while other times it could be based on industry. We represent Rockwell Automation in North Gujarat and Rajasthan, while we work with Schneider Electric in South Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Mumbai", adds Pravit. Apart from these they have distribution agreements with various companies including Rittal, Teltonika, Prosoft, Posital Fraba, connectwell and more.
Madhukar Parikh,Chairman
“We also work closely with various Startups that develop new technology in our industry. We provide them with mentorship, grant and access to a market for customer validation. This is both a CSR initiative plus as well as an opportunity to invest in the future of the Indian automation industry".
Pima identifies white spaces in its portfolio vis-a-vis customer needs and looks to quickly align with suppliers that have strength in that area and values that can make it work together
In the future, Pima hopes to be present in top 10 industrialized states of the country and internationally aims to expand its reach to developing countries in Southeast Asia, Middle East, and Africa. “We are focused on development and delivery expertise around sustainability, IIOT, cybersecurity and MES software, which we firmly believe is the need for the future", concludes Vineet.
