From Pioneer To Defaulter: Su-Kam, The Downfall Of A 600 Crore Company That Revolutionized The Power Backup Industry In India

Kunwer Sachdev has been given many titles, such as ‘The Inverter Man of India’ and ‘The Solar man of India.’  He founded Su-Kam Power Systems Limited in the year 1998 and was associated with the company in one capacity or another till April 2018.  Today, he is mentoring up-and-coming Power Backup & Storage company Su-vastika Power Systems Private Limited (Hereinafter “Su-vastika”).

Introducing the man behind the power backup revolution in India.

Kunwer Sachdev is an entrepreneur, marketer, innovator, motivational speaker, thinker, and leader. He revolutionized the power backup sector in India with innovative and user-friendly products that made India-made inverters a household name not just in India but also in the Middle East, Africa, and Southeast Asian countries, including Bangladesh and Nepal. Due to his contributions to the UPS/inverter and solar sector, he is also referred to as ‘The Inverter Man of India’ and ‘The Solar man of India.’

The Story Begins in the 90s.

In the 1990s, when India was grappling with electricity problems, Kunwer Sachdev quickly analyzed the unorganized market in the power backup industry, which was in complete disarray at the time, with substandard products and local players dominating the market. He was instrumental in transforming the power backup industry into an organized sector.

Most of the breakthrough innovations you see in the power backup sector are his brainchild.

• He invented the world’s first plastic-body inverter, adjudged as ‘Innovation of the Decade’ by India Today.
• He introduced world-class technologies such as MOSFET
• He brought Microcontrollers and DSP Sine Wave into inverters.
• He gave ‘Home UPS’ to India, combining UPS's features and an inverter into a single piece of equipment.
• He introduced World’s first touch-screen UPS, which is Bluetooth enabled so that users can monitor it from their phones.
• He created the first 100KVA inverter in 2005, which nobody used to believe. He made a truck with having 100 KVA inverter, and it used to travel all across India to showcase our Indian technology called “Power on wheels”.
• He created the service network having service vans moving all across India to give door-to-door service

He envisioned a ‘Make in India’ company to make a distinguished mark in the global market. He swept the international markets in the Middle East, Africa, Bangladesh, and Nepal, where his products are loved for their quality and reliability — so much so that Chinese and American products are completely ousted from these markets.

Even today, Indian inverters and UPS are preferred over Chinese, and for that, huge credit goes to his efforts. Under the able guidance of Kunwer Sachdev, Su-kam kept expanding quickly and became widely known for its expertise in the solar energy industry.

Leaving Su-Kam

Due to a series of unfortunate circumstances, Su-kam went into bankruptcy. Due to the asset freeze, Kunwer Sachdev found himself helpless.  This had a negative impact on the customers and distributors as all the services were closed down in an instant.

Brand Su-kam was taken away from him, and now Kunwer Sachdev is no longer associated with Su-kam in any way. Dealers and distributors, along with the customers, were suffering due to the lack of services and unsold materials lying with them. Unable to help out his customers, distributors, and retailers, Kunwer Sachdev fell into depression for quite some time.

The Turnaround

After so much struggle and challenges, his wife, Khushboo Sachdev, came forward to help give services to the customers left in the lurch.  After a lot of help from friends, distributors, and employees, Khushboo Sachdev started a new venture Su-vastika under the mentorship of Kunwer Sachdev. Since then, the company has been able to give several services and help to employees, dealers, and distributors.

The products built by Kunwer Sachdev at Su-vastika outsmart others due to their easy handling and ruggedness. The products he has developed at Su-vastika are set to bring the next generation of power backup solutions to India.

Under his able guidance, Su-vastika made a record for being the only company in the power backup industry to file for over 60 patents, with 6 granted. At Su-vastika he is continuously coming up with newer patent ideas, not just in the power backup industry but in many other fields related to energy, artificial intelligence, communications, etc.

Some of the key products developed by Kunwer Sachdev as a mentor of Su-vastika include LiFEePO4 battery technology-based Energy Storage Systems, Automatic Testing Setup for EV, PCB, BMS,  Solar compatible EV chargers and Emergency Rescue Devices for lifts and elevators.

“I wish to see every household in India get powered by solar energy. I want every business, big or small, to invest in solar energy and reap the seamless benefits of this natural resource,” says  Kunwer Sachdev.

Kunwer Sachdev is once again revolutionizing the power backup sector in India. With so many innovations he is doing with LiFePO4 batteries, he is set to acquire a new title, “The Lithium Man of India.”