Doctor of Vehicles

Lead:

‘There is a saying in English that ‘prevention is better than cure’.  Following that saying, many people get their annual health check-up done. These tests help to keep diabetes, blood-pressure away or keep them in control.  What applies to the human body is also true for vehicles. Getting the car serviced from time to time does help. A businessman has developed software to get prior intimation whether the car is going to have any problems.  Let’s get to know this businessman and his software.

Matter:

A recent event.  A gentleman and his wife (both senior citizens) were going to Mumbai by their car to attend their relative’s wedding.  We will now reach soon, they thought, when they reached near Panvel, and suddenly the gears of the car stopped functioning.  When the gentleman put the car in reverse gear, it got stuck and didn’t move at all. With the help of people, then it was pushed aside. After that, it was a series of events from calling the toe car to taking it to the garage and later staying in Mumbai was an additional financial burden, they missed the wedding that was a further sad part.  The car was well-maintained and well-serviced. The mechanic looked at it as an accidental breakdown. Just like a person can get a heart attack even after following a healthy routine!

Many gadgets show the malfunctioning in the human body.  But what about vehicles? The city traffic is flowing day and night incessantly.  The road carries light and heavy vehicles, personal, cargo, Government-Semi-Government (cars, buses, trucks).  Crores of Rupees, a lot of worries, time and energy, will be saved if the vehicles can sense the fault beforehand.        

There is no equipment lending reassuring support to the vehicle.  Some enthusiastic software Engineers made it and made improvements in it after understanding the customer requirements.  The numbers of customers and the demand started increasing slowly. Then they started their start-up ‘Intangles Private Limited’.  The company has stabilized, and it is taking new flights.  The company is now well established and growing rapidly.  

The CTO of the company (Chief Technology Officer) and the brain behind this is a 29-year-old young computer Engineer ‘Neil Unadkat’.  The story of him and his business unfolds after talking to him.   As we talk to him, the story of his life and his nusiness unfolds. 

Neil was born in ‘Manjha’ in Tanzania and was there for the first ten years of his life.  The British took his grandfather there in 1920. Being a Gujrati, he was always inclined towards business.  He started a cycle repair there. Neil’s mother was born there.  

After the birth of Neil’s father and three uncles, his grandfather started the company “Tabora Trading Stores’, which was a grocery store.  After settling down, his father completed the Civil Engineering Diploma from Wadia College, Pune. His uncle completed his education from BMCC College, Pune and they all went back to Manjha and started looking after their wholesale grocery business.  They lived in a joint family. Neil grew up in this environment and also in the environment of cash, grocery and godown. He never knew what it is like to do a job! Every evening boxes filled with money used to be brought home and cash was counted. Neil’s curiosity increased when counting machines were used.  He went to ‘Isamilo Primary School’ till ten years in Manjha. The Britishers and Europeans used to run this school for children who came from other countries. There were only 15 children in a class. Neil and his sister must get Indian education, their father thought. Neil should not do the family business, he thought.  In 1999 Neil came to Pune with his mother and sister. His father joined them after a month. His sister got admission in the St. Mary’s school. She stayed in a hostel. Neil could not get admission so quickly. He did not like these crowded schools. For some days he studied in Hutchings school and then he got admission in Bishop’s school, thus making his journey till 10th standard easy.   Neil narrates an incident, “I had to write a written entrance exam.  I had to write an essay on the topic of my favourite sports. I didn’t know what an essay was.  I wrote, “My favourite sport is tennis and I cannot write an essay about it, but I can play it very well”. 

Neil was an average student till 10th standard.  However, he scored 89% in the tenth standard.  His favourite subjects were mathematics and physics.  He did not get admission in Fergusson College and had to complete 11th and 12th from Choksey School.  He didn’t like the school, but he got a particular subject in the curriculum – ‘Computers’.  Programming was taught to him since 9th standard.  He loved it because it was very logical.  The thought of ‘do this, and this is the result’ appealed to him.  So, he chose to study computers in PICT Engineering college after 12th standard.  The subjects are the same everywhere but the environment, the attitude of students, professors of PICT made a good impression on Neil’s mind.

Most of the Engineers came to learn so that they could take up a good job after that; however, some also began to gain knowledge.  Some students chose that branch, as they were hoping for good job offers after graduation. But a few opted for it to gain knowledge.  He not just studied for the exam but also was interested in various projects, experimenting on what he had learnt. He used to score 60% here too.  The project was compulsory for final year students. He selected the best project of Tibco company. It was: ‘Performance monitoring and analysis of Java application’.  This involved analysis and presentation of reasons if Java application failed and became unsuccessful. The project had 4-5 different subject experts from various fields. Some were from the application field, and some were from research.  The papers written by everyone were published in the journal of IIT Kanpur, and it won the first prize too. This project of finding system faults was the foundation of the future business of these 4-5 people.  

Many companies used to come for campus placements in the college.  4-5 companies used to come every week. Some companies refused Neil, but the written question paper of ‘Taviska’ was different, it was not based on the things learnt.  The company representatives used to give information themselves and used to ask where it can be used. They asked Neil, “What is innovation?”. Neil’s answer was different from others.  His reply, ” Innovation does not mean inventing new things, and it means doing things in a new manner”. It was different from others, and he got selected in Amdocs Innovation Lab. It was the first batch of the company conceptualizing this.  This batch was specially trained for this. His annual package was Rs. 3.5 Lakh. Neil did not get attracted to companies offering Rs. 5-6 Lakh package. Parents also supported his decision. In this way, Neil started working in Taviska in 2010.

‘Taviska’ is a start-up company with 35 employees.  Neil learnt the basics of technology from ‘Nikhil Prasad’ the founder of the company.  He also learnt how to get expertise in technology, how to use it, how to put forth your views and approach confidently.  Instead of a project, he worked in research and development. He got busy in learning various tests, implementing them and learnt from it.  A team of 14 separated from ‘Taviska’ and started a subsidiary in Koregaon called Apsitiv in a rented flat. A limited investment was made by Taviska.  There was no guarantee of salary. Everyone was making a high technology product. But it was only for developers and programmers. The method was time-consuming.  There was no market for it in India. There was no money to search a market for it outside India. All were experts only in technology. Nobody had marketing expertise.  Investors were not ready to invest in it. So, the product did not take off as a business. Many left the sub-company and joined Taviska again. Neil also joined Taniska again. However, he used to dedicate some time for Apsitiv.  He was in touch with some customers. He started discussing with them. It is important to see the next part of this story to see how Neil developed as a businessman and how a new business was founded. 

The discussions gave Neil a different approach. The discussions with these businesspeople gave Neil a different approach.   He changed the method of technology, and more importantly, he started attending various technology events.  Meeting different people in conferences, telling about the product solving friend’s problem without charging them., after After doing this for one and a half year, he started working in Bangalore as Technology Head with his friend in the company ‘Step In-Out’.  He was still an employee of ‘Taviska’, but he used to do this work in the evening. The project was to make a card to give a discount on restaurants on bills.  It was a project for creating a Discount card. The subscribers would get a discount in various restaurants. 4-5 thousand people had started using this card (like Zomato gold).  There was a huge opportunity for business in this, but suddenly the company turned its attention to events and technology took a back seat. There was nothing for Neil to do there.    

Neil’s colleague Anup Patil was CTO (Chief Technology Officer) in ‘Taviska’.  He was developing a product to keep an eye on his child. It was called a child tracker.  It was only tracking. Neil started discussing with him. Jayashree Patil was also involved in the same work.  At the same time, the students of PICT were trying to do the same project for cars. It involved getting data from cars and predicting when it and predicting when the car component will would stop functioning and how.  This was a hardware-oriented project.  They had cheap Chinese hardware, and it was not functioning properly.  Neil started working with them. (After this project the students joined Jayashree and Neil as full-time employees).

‘Taviska’ now had 300 employees.  The device was fixed to a car in their parking lot and tracking to find out what could be the problem a car can face started.  Data was being analyzed for this. The work was interesting. But it was enough as a profession.  But as a professional venture, it was not attractive. Nobody was interested in buying it.     

Once everyone went to the native place of Anup, Satara.  He was talking to a dealer of trucks there. Neil and his friends attached the device to the truck.  It showed that the truck engine light was on. It was a brand new truck but still was showing a problem.  They found out the problem with the help of their device and asked, ‘What will happen if this problem is solved?’.  They got the answer. ‘There will be a saving of 15 to 20% mileage’. Then they did a pilot project. The average of PMPML CNG buses is 2.53 Km. Per kilo.  They found out the problem in it. The mechanic repaired the problems, and the average went up to 2.73! 10% more. Thus they would save Rs. one crore on 200 vehicles by this change.  There was not much investment for the device. A training program would also be given for drivers to improve their driving, gear technique etc. Neil gave information about it. ‘The owners of vehicles don’t know what exactly is the problem.  They can’t find out by checking all 200 trucks/buses. A lot of dust, traffic are the main problems. Even if the owner tells the problem, the mechanic does not have time to fix them. The vehicle is with the mechanic only for some time. They have to send the vehicle to the service station sometimes.  Owners having more vehicles (fleet owners) have their own mechanics. However, the small businessmen using Tata, Ashok Leyland have a tie-up with the professional service stations. A problem, for example, the engine heats a lot, can be solved with a small expenditure of 3 to 4 thousand rupees. But, if that problem is ignored, and the engine gets blocked, then it can cost 3 to 4 Lakh rupees for repair.  We could save this cost. Then we started giving predictions of what was going to be the problem in advance, be it any vehicle – bus, truck, car. Just like a human body starts giving indicators that there is going to be some problem, we do the same in the case of vehicles. We were given an online application for that. The device fitted in the vehicle continuously sends us signals, and we know the condition of the vehicle before breakdown.  We save lakhs of rupees of fleet owners.     

ACPL company of Satara was the first one to help Neil.  They gave him an offer to experiment on their trucks. The owners of Purple, Prasann, Konduskar, Shivshahi, SRS Travels and personal owners of heavy vehicles became the major customers of this team.  In 2014 the software start-up ‘Intangles Pvt. Ltd.’ was founded. The founder members of the company are Anup Patil (CEO), Neil Unadkat (CTO), Jayashree Patil (Hardware expert), Aman and Mudasir Khan.  Everyone is an expert in his or her own field. Their device is made in India and not abroad.     

There were so many problems at the beginning that the turnover of 1st year was not even Rs. 1 Lakh.  There is no uniformity in the Indian bus producers.  Each bus is different. So, this device is not suitable for each and every vehicle.  The device used to be unsuccessful due to the driver’s fault. They used to doubt why this device is fitted?  The drivers were opposing this device. So, they used to throw it in water, dip it in oil or break it. Sometimes data could not be received due to poor network, and sometimes sim-card gave problems while functioning.    

So, the company started using the memory card (of a phone), which could store data even if there was no network and could store more data.  Due to bad roads, there were vibrations. Neil and team went with the truck all over Maharashtra and Gujarat. They studied how and why the device was facing problems.  They discussed with the customers and improved the device accordingly. It can be seen from the team’s effort what all has to be done when you are running a technology-based business.  

The device of ‘Intangles’ is 7 centimetre in length, 4 centimetres in height and 4 centimetres in width.  It is not very heavy. It is fitted in certain positions, e.g. near the driver, behind the steering, below the speedometer.  It receives the signal from there. It can be connected to the O. B. D Ford (Onboard diagnostic), and data can be read. RPM of the car, pressure on accelerator, how much the engine has heated, is the battery going to fail, is there any leakage in the high power turbocharger, how do the drivers use the gears, what is the mileage, how can it be saved – such and many other things can be understood in advance.  

Based on the data, the owner prepares training programs for the drivers.  Since drivers are not car owners, they drive the vehicles carelessly. Vehicles are always on the road.  If the owners get a message before their breakdown, they won’t have to maintain more vehicles than required.  Thus, the owners can save on investment, maintenance and other things.   

The most important advantage of the device is to identify diesel theft!  Many drivers used to take out diesel from the tank and used to get a receipt for a higher amount.  Intangles prepared a fuel sensor (ultrasonic) and fitted it beneath the tank and started monitoring diesel through it.  Where, how much and when fuel was filled, at what time, how much and where theft was done, all this information could be gathered with accuracy, and this prevented a huge loss of the owners.  The business was saved, and the customer was relieved! In a company called ASPL, a theft of 50-60 thousand rupees was identified for a particular truck. This figure was scary.  

Company’s profit increased.  But how to handle the drivers?  The drivers told frankly to Intangles in front of the owners that they steal diesel because their families cannot survive with a salary of Rs. 15 to 20 thousand a month.  The stolen diesel worth 50-60 thousand rupees is sold at 25 to 30 rupees in the black market. Neil and his team talked to the drivers. They then spoke to the management, and the driver’s salaries were revised.  The fleet owners started this incentive program on a large scale. Many prepared a different control room for this. They appointed 7 to 8 people, and they track all their vehicles, which travel across the country.  The device proved beneficial to a company from Surat too.          

Intangles reached a turnover of 1 crore in the second year.  Initially, the cost of GPS was high. Now the cost has reduced as the sales are going up. EMI option was started for bus drivers.  The company has now appointed distributors for the sale of devices, as they are connected with the fleet owners. Intangles could then concentrate on technology.     

‘Intangles’ did not take a bank loan; it instead looked for personal investors, but they selected these people very carefully.  Employee numbers increased when investors increased. Intangles has a 2500 Sq. Ft. office in Koregaon Park and there are 40 employees.  For various reasons, employees are touring. This year the company’s device got demand from countries like England, Belgium, Thailand, Kuwait and Dubai.  There is theft of diesel in Kuwait even if diesel prices are reasonable comparatively low there (Rs. 14 per litre).   

Neil realized after meeting big Telematics providers that the Intangles product is more effective than other products.  Next year the company will focus on acquiring that market. Facebook, Google used the same method.

The difference between Intangles and other companies is that Intangles is totally independent, even if it is a start-up.  When investors give money, the first expansion is done, and then the money is earned.   After the first round of funding, the startup expands its business and starts earning money.  They want to employ many people.  People outside India invest money in India due to the big market.  But this approach is risky, Neil says. A good business can prosper if the approach is about solving the problems of Indian customers and increasing the quality of products.  Even if there is starting trouble, the company prospers eventually. 

So, I do various types of investments.  Customer size is increasing due to word of mouth publicity.  I go to various events for networking. Last year there was an event called ‘Pravas’ at ‘Cidco Bhavan’ in Mumbai.  Bus operators from all over India were present there. We had not only booked a stall there, but we also won in the competition ‘Start-up of the year’.  This gave us an identity. We demonstrated the ‘fuel tank sensor’ with the help of Sintex water tank, pipe and water and told the audience how a fuel theft is caught.  The demonstration created confidence in the product. The bus owners are limited, and they give feedback to each other, this helps the business to grow.  

Neil says that he is not afraid of piracy.  Preparing hardware and the circuits is very difficult.  The software can have that fear. Neil says, “We are afraid that the product will be copied and people will say that their product is cheaper.  But such devices do not sell in the market.”  

How much investment is required to start such a start-up?  Neil says, “It depends what exactly you want to do. Software development does not cost a lot.  If you have knowledge of technology, then the cost is reduced. But, while starting a Start-up, I would say that instead of falling in love with your own ideas, understand the current market situation and act accordingly.”

Neil’s wife is a Maharashtrian (Marathi).  She is an electronics engineer and works with ACI Software Company on a high post.  She is from Nasik and her father Kiran Petkar is a businessman himself. He supported the marriage, and he is proud of Neil.  Namrata feels that patience of Neil is important; however, Neil feels that the approach of both families has helped him to keep this patience. 

A company with a product beneficial to fleet owners, drivers, travellers and end customers shall always have bright prospects.

Details of –

Neil Unadkat, CTO (Intangles Pvt. Ltd.) – 9860693192

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Jyotsna Naik 9881255434

Originally Published in Yashashwi Udyojak. Subscribe Today.