How His Family Built a Boring Business That Sells to Tata & Adani

Summary

Kich Architectural Products built a large architectural-hardware business by developing stainless-steel products before India had a significant market for them. Rather than wait for domestic demand, the company began as an export-oriented manufacturer, established a foothold overseas, and later brought its products back into India.

Strategy and growth playbook

• Choose a product advantage: Starting in 1992, the founders focused on stainless-steel door hardware, seeing it as more durable and lower-maintenance than hardware made from brass, aluminum, or mild steel. It generally needs no plating or external coating.
• Build before the market is ready: Kich’s production plant was ready by 1995, but the company found little domestic recognition or demand for stainless-steel hardware.
• Use export markets to establish the product: The company sent products to a warehouse in Dubai, then expanded across parts of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). After two or three years, it began supplying projects in Africa, including Dar es Salaam and Seychelles airports.
• Re-enter the home market through proven demand: In 1998, Kich re-imported some products into India via the Middle East for project installations. It decided to enter the Indian market that year and launched nationally in 2000.
• Expand through product breadth and market coverage: Its categories include door fittings, glass and furniture fittings, bathroom accessories, digital solutions, and railings. It serves corporate, education, pharmaceutical, airport, hospitality, and other segments.
• Build credibility and reach: The company uses a global sales and marketing team and appointed Ajay Devgn as brand ambassador, reasoning that a well-known public figure could help customers trust the brand.
• Invest in capabilities: Kich emphasizes in-house manufacturing, R&D, and equipment development so it can respond to customer problems and market needs with new products and processes.

Operations and organization

• The company reports manufacturing with CNC and VMC equipment, five-axis automated bending, laser and laser-pipe cutting, and robotics.
• It says it develops some special-purpose machines in-house to suit its production requirements.
• The business is family-led across generations: the founder started the company; Bharat and his brothers oversee areas including production, product development, and overseas operations; a third generation has also joined.
• The speaker describes ethics, culture, and inclusion as important organizational values.

Scale and proof points cited

• Started: 1992; production facilities ready by 1995.
• Domestic launch: 2000, following the 1998 decision to enter India.
• International reach: Exports to more than 44 countries across six continents; headquarters in Rajkot, an overseas office in the UK, and branch offices in Mumbai, Delhi, and Kolkata.
• Customers and projects: More than 1 million customers, over 11,000 projects, and more than 1,500 corporate customers, according to the presentation.
• Workforce and facilities: About 750 manufacturing employees, more than 100 people in global sales and marketing, and roughly 80–85 support staff. The company cites 3.5 lakh sq. ft. of manufacturing space and over 50,000 sq. ft. of office and corporate-center space.
• Project examples: Central Vista in Delhi; more than 27 airports completed or served, with airport work also underway; educational institutions including IITs and IIMs; and companies including Tata, Reliance, Adani, Torrent, Zydus, and Sun Pharma.
• Recognition: The speaker says Kich received a national award for product quality from then-President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, and describes the company as the first and only Indian company to receive that award.

Actionable takeaways

• If a new product category is not yet accepted locally, test demand in markets where the category is already established.
• Use export or project experience to demonstrate performance before making a larger domestic-market push.
• Treat manufacturing capability, R&D, and customer problem-solving as connected parts of product development—not just production functions.
• Pair technical product differentiation with trust-building through quality credentials, project references, and marketing.
• The speaker’s view on AI is that it is a tool rather than an inherent threat, provided people use it wisely and ethically.

Presenters and sources

Bharat Hapani, identified in the video title as Managing Director of Kich Architectural Products (the autogenerated subtitles also render his name as “Bharat Tapani”); company and project claims are presented in his talk.