Latest news with #FarrokhNCooper
Time of India
15-07-2025
- Automotive
- Time of India
Don't plateau at vehicle components, think bigger, says Farrokh N Cooper
It's not so common that the top boss of a company wears humility like a badge of honour and laces it with humour. For Farrokh N Cooper , CMD, Cooper Corporation , the secret to running a business lies in knowing when to step aside. 'I know how to smell money. But I also know when to ask people smarter than me to handle it,' chuckles Farrokh N Cooper. Satara-based Cooper Corporation, once a modest foundry, is now a name behind diesel engines powering everything from tractors to defense launchers. From making crankshafts to exporting engines that meet stringent U.S. emission norms, the leap happened by design, not luck. Watch the candid conversation here: Leadership, legacy & future of Indian manufacturing | Farrokh N Cooper in conversation And underneath the humour lies a story of strategic bets, process discipline, and a deep-rooted belief in India's ability to lead globally. Components matter, but shouldn't be the end goal Cooper Corporation's playbook is clear: start with parts, grow to products, and never plateau. 'Many component makers grow in the shadows of big companies. But at some point, you must ask, do you want to remain a parts supplier or build a product?' Cooper says. The company's own evolution reflects this mindset. Starting with crankshafts and liners, it ventured into engine blocks, heads, aluminium components, and then into fully integrated engines, and eventually tractors. Partnerships with Ricardo, and a willingness to out-invest in technologies early, allowed Cooper to build in-house IP and production ecosystems. 'Why not make a tractor? We already had the engine,' he says. Now, the company supplies critical power units to both civil and defense sectors, including rocket launchers and satellite systems, showing how India's manufacturing ecosystem is no longer peripheral to strategic technology. Electronics, AI & automation: Driving quality and discipline When asked about electronics in manufacturing, Cooper doesn't call it hype, he calls it hygiene. 'Electronics is discipline. It removes human error,' he states. His gen-sets, now connected via apps, can be started or shut off remotely anywhere in the world. 'That's not artificial. It's synthesis,' he says of AI and IoT in operations. With over 100 robots on the shop floor and remote diagnostics for CNC machines, Cooper believes automation doesn't kill jobs, it creates smarter, more fulfilling ones. 'Earlier bank unions feared computers. Now, no bank works without them.' He sees a similar opportunity with AI in agriculture, where Cooper is already deploying predictive models for irrigation, soil, and yield optimisation. 'AI is not magic. It's just putting together all variables and making sense of them in one cockpit,' he says. India's manufacturing milestones: From licences to leadership Looking back, Cooper says liberalisation removed shackles, from import duties of 400 per cent on machines to ease of doing business today. 'Earlier you needed licences to even operate. Today, the doors are open. You have a level-playing field.' From telecom to tractors, pharma to plastics, he sees manufacturing now deeply integrated into India's national growth engine. But policy alone isn't enough, he cautions: 'You still need a plan. Leadership isn't setting up a factory and wandering. Plan, execute, review, grow.' Today's development cycles are shrinking. What took six to seven years earlier from concept to production, now happens in under three. But the manufacturing floor must keep up. 'You need to digest your growth,' he warns. And that starts with involving your suppliers early, right from R&D. 'It's a synergy. It's a collaboration from day one.' Cooper is vocal about Indian engineers' readiness to lead globally. But he also sees a familiar arrogance in youth. 'We were the same. We thought we knew everything. You grow by falling, not by knowing,' he says with a smile. His advice to India's next-generation engineers, 'Be focused. Go step by step. And always stay with your people. There's no shortcut to that.' The final word: Innovate, don't over-Invest 'Don't over-invest, but keep innovating. Make your own product obsolete before someone else does,' Cooper says. And when asked to choose between collaboration or competition, he offers a characteristically grounded answer: 'Choose your own path. Both can work, if you know where you're headed.' Cooper Corporation's journey, much like its founder, is proof that India's future as a manufacturing powerhouse won't be built on shortcuts, but on grit, foresight, and grounded innovation.
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
03-07-2025
- Business
- Business Standard
Cooper Corp forms JV with Japan's Sinfonia Tech to manufacture LPG gensets
Engine maker Cooper Corporation on Thursday announced the official launch of its strategic joint venture with Japanese firm Sinfonia Technology to manufacture 10-kVA LPG generator sets at its Satara facility in Maharashtra. The latest emission norms (CPCB IV+)-compliant co-branded product will be jointly marketed across India and exported globally, Cooper Corporation said. The two companies had announced the partnership in June. The Cooper Sinfonia genset, CSG-0010L-IN, will be marketed in India under the brand name 'Daimon', named after the town where Sinfonia Technology is headquartered, while in the Japanese market it will be sold under the brand 'Satara', which also houses the over 100-year old Cooper Corporation's headquarters, the company said. Both partners will jointly market and distribute Daimon Genset across India and international markets, with a strategic emphasis on Asia, Africa and the Middle East, it added. "This partnership with Sinfonia Technology marks a purposeful step towards reshaping the energy landscape with cleaner, smarter solutions. The Daimon Genset reflects our belief that progress is driven by collaboration where Japanese precision and Indian engineering come together with intent," Cooper Corporation Chairman and Managing Director Farrokh N Cooper said. With CPCB IV+compliant and high-efficiency LPG gensets, the JV aims to help industries transition to sustainable and cost-effective power solutions without compromising on reliability or performance, he added. CPCB IV+ norms are India's most stringent emission standards aimed at combating air pollution and promoting sustainable energy. "Our collaboration with Cooper Corporation underscores our shared vision of delivering sustainable, high-efficiency power solutions worldwide. The Daimon Genset combines Japanese precision engineering with India's manufacturing prowess, creating a product that meets the highest international standards. "Through this collaboration, we are proud to push the boundaries of clean energy accessibility and drive meaningful progress toward a greener future," Sinfonia Technology Co. General Manager and spokesperson A Makoto Saito said.
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
03-07-2025
- Business
- Business Standard
Cooper Corp, Sinfonia Tech launch joint venture to make LPG generator set
Engine maker Cooper Corporation on Thursday announced the official launch of its strategic joint venture with Japanese firm Sinfonia Technology to manufacture 10-kVA LPG generator sets at its Satara facility in Maharashtra. The latest emission norms (CPCB IV+)-compliant co-branded product will be jointly marketed across India and exported globally, Cooper Corporation said. The two companies had announced the partnership in June. The Cooper Sinfonia genset, CSG-0010L-IN, will be marketed in India under the brand name 'Daimon', named after the town where Sinfonia Technology is headquartered, while in the Japanese market it will be sold under the brand 'Satara', which also houses the over 100-year old Cooper Corporation's headquarters, the company said. Both partners will jointly market and distribute Daimon Genset across India and international markets, with a strategic emphasis on Asia, Africa and the Middle East, it added. "This partnership with Sinfonia Technology marks a purposeful step towards reshaping the energy landscape with cleaner, smarter solutions. The Daimon Genset reflects our belief that progress is driven by collaboration where Japanese precision and Indian engineering come together with intent," Cooper Corporation Chairman and Managing Director Farrokh N Cooper said. With CPCB IV+compliant and high-efficiency LPG gensets, the JV aims to help industries transition to sustainable and cost-effective power solutions without compromising on reliability or performance, he added. CPCB IV+ norms are India's most stringent emission standards aimed at combating air pollution and promoting sustainable energy. "Our collaboration with Cooper Corporation underscores our shared vision of delivering sustainable, high-efficiency power solutions worldwide. The Daimon Genset combines Japanese precision engineering with India's manufacturing prowess, creating a product that meets the highest international standards. "Through this collaboration, we are proud to push the boundaries of clean energy accessibility and drive meaningful progress toward a greener future," Sinfonia Technology Co. General Manager and spokesperson A Makoto Saito said. The LPG genset is powered by Cooper's indigenously developed lean-burn gas engine, designed in collaboration with Ricardo, UK.
