A few years back, United Nations' study report revealed an alarming fact about our nation – over one lakh people die in India annually due to water borne diseases. Industrial wastes and improper agricultural practices leading the course by injecting highly toxic agents like Arsenic (which can even cause cancer) into the water & soil in larger amounts than ever before, this condition has only travelled from bad to worse, alongside the increasing water scarcity. The cure is intrinsically Reverse Osmosis (RO) process, but the irony is that barely three percent of people have a RO purifier at home and most of the market leading purifiers still treat this impurity dissolved water with Ultraviolet (UV) principle, which just kills bacteria but can’t rid the water of dissolved toxic agents.

A leading brand providing technologically advanced healthcare products (Water, Air, &Food Purifiers), and the pioneer in bringing the revolutionary RO technology to India, Kent RO holds 40 percent of the total RO purifier market in the country with its innovative & patented RO water purification process that filters all the soluble impurities in the water such as arsenic, rust, pesticides and fluorides. On the other hand, while conventional RO & UV purifies recover only around 20 percent of the intake and allow the rest to drain, Kent RO offers zero percent water wastage through a computer controlled process that washes the membrane automatically and thus recovers more than 50 percent of intake water as purified, while the balance rejected water is stored in a separate ‘Reject Water Tank’, which can be utilized for household purposes.

The Success Path
A brand which is known for its breakthrough technologies, Kent’s origin can be traced to 1998 when Dr. Mahesh Gupta (Chairman & Managing Director, Kent RO Systems) decided to install a water purifier at his home in south Delhi. The available UV and Gravity water purifiers only left him unimpressed, which ushered him to go beyond the status quo

and flesh out his own ideas, banking on his IIT background (graduated in 1775 from Kanpur). After several trials and six months of hard work at his garage, Dr. Mahesh zeroed in on the RO technology which promised the results he wanted, and thus the first Kent RO purifier was born in March 1999.

Kent RO holds 40 percent of the total RO purifier market in the country with its innovative & patented RO water purification process that filters all the soluble impurities in the water such as arsenic, rust, pesticides and fluorides

“Besides the lack of financial self-sufficiency, it took me quite a while to create brand awareness in consumers’ mind. Well, we have been successful in killing the germs and removing the dissolved contamination, and people have accepted it now,” proclaims Dr. Mahesh. From a Rs.25 crore firm in 2005 to a Rs.800 crore giant in 2017, Kent RO has grown immensely to establish itself as a socially responsible & trustworthy healthcare products brand with the persona – ‘House of Purity’. Needless to say, trust develops only when the accredited certification bodies endorse the product / brand and when it comes to Kent, the company is accredited by laboratories of international repute like NSF, WQA and more recently by Government of India with an ISI certification. Moreover, the company has also been adjudged as the Best Domestic Water Purifier for 'Kent Superb' at UNESCO Water Digest Award.

Choosing one of the evergreen heroines of Bollywood – Hema Malini as its brand ambassador, Kent further consolidates the trust factor, as the customers always recall the brand through her face. In addition, it also adopts a 3600media approach including the leverage of social media platforms to ensure brand visibility, alongside spreading awareness about the water-borne diseases. Kent even plans to establish a chain of 10 Experience Centers in Delhi NCR, which will bestow hands-on experience on Kent’s health conscious products.

Abreast of a multi pronged marketing strategy, the company has also built a broad distribution network across the country

through e-Commerce, Big Bazar and white good stores; no wonder Kent grew 15 percent year-over year with a bunch of loyal customers. Today, the company plans to press its footprint further in Africa, Latin America and other Southeast Asian countries, targeting a turnaround of Rs.50 crore compared to Rs.20 crore worth healthcare products exported in the previous year primarily to Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Kuwait and Kenya. “Recently, we have also launched our products in GCC Markets,” adjoins Dr. Mahesh.

Driven by Social Responsibility
Even with this exponential growth, Kent never forsakes to widen the horizons for its 1500+ people strong workforce, in addition to providing them with a healthy work culture, where no one feels a hitch to speak to the super boss. A people friendly company that rigorously believes in Honesty (building relationship on trust) and Teamwork, Kent travels in line with its fundamental vision of producing innovative healthcare products that purify water, food & air to help people live a healthier life and thus remains as a socially responsible brand. Period. "One of our latest campaigns that brought tremendous attraction was centered on Smart Chef Range (kitchen utensils), and our growth map certainly includes segments like Car Purifier, Air purifier, Bed Cleaners, Cold Pressed Juicers, and Fruit & Vegetable Purifiers. Our moto is ‘Drink pure, be pure, eat pure and live pure’,” adds Dr. Mahesh.

From Dr. Mahesh’s small garage in Delhi, Kent has grown to a couple of manufacturing centers in Roorkee and is readying up a new manufacturing plant in Greater Noida with an investment of Rs.100 crore to back-lift its plans to double the production and enter Rs.1000 crore club without much delay. “By April 2018, we will be manufacturing one million RO Water purifiers in a month,” concludes Dr. Mahesh.

Panel
Key Management:
Dr. Mahesh Gupta, Chairman & Managing Director
Having more than half a dozen technology patents to his credit, Dr. Mahesh is known worldwide for revolutionizing the water purification industry in India.

Offerings:
• Water Purifiers
• Air purifiers
• Cooking appliances
• Vacuum cleaners

Offices: Noida