GROWTH ARCHITECT

Under the deft guidance of Kushal N. Desai, APAR Industries seems well set on a profitable path thanks to its agility in doubling down on opportunities

- Prerna Lidhoo

IN THE HEART of Mumbai's bustling cityscape, 57-year-old Kushal Narendra Desai's influence reverberates far beyond the confines of his office in APAR House, nestled in Chembur.

Dressed in a crisp business suit radiating quiet strength, Desai powers APAR Industries' empire, which is spread across 140 countries. His demeanour may be soft-spoken and his presence unassuming, but his impact on the nation's infrastructure is considerable. Through the manufacturing of cables, industrial lubricants, specialty oils, and conductors, his firm is perhaps the silent force behind the grand edifices and sprawling projects that define the landscape.

"When one looks at a fancy-looking building, people appreciate the external things like the glass and signage. Our products are all hidden, but we do the bricks, the steel, and the network without which the building can't stand," says Desai, Chairman & MD of APAR Industries, who is a third-generation businessman at the company founded in 1958 by his grandfather, Dharamsinh D. Desai.

Desai, who runs the company with his brother Chaitanya, who is the MD, likes to stay true to his company's name, which translates to 'limitless' in Sanskrit. "I firmly believe that we work on tomorrow's solutions today. That's what makes us limitless. There's always been a need to think out of the box," he says.

That thinking has helped it become the largest global manufacturer of aluminium and alloy conductors and the third-largest manufacturer of transformer oils. It has blockbuster projects like the INS Vikrant, India's first indigenous aircraft carrier, to its credit. It is also the largest supplier of cables for the flagship Vande Bharat trains and accounts for nearly 98% of the cables used in them.