COOPER CORPORATION, AN IDEAL SYNCHRONIZATION OF WORLD-RENOWNED ENGINEERING AND MANUFACTURING SERVICES

"Powering growth and prosperity, Cooper Corporation is always a step ahead!Always challenge your assumptions, what you are doing today is good, but contemplate on how to make it better"

Farrokh N Cooper

The first company to manufacture diesel engines in India, Cooper Corporation, for almost a century has aced as a brand that's with the industrial revolution in Satara, a rural district in south Maharashtra. Establishing their brand in diverse fields, ranging from agriculture, education, social reform, politics to liquor, engineering, and other industries, this Parsi family-owned business has values rooted in excellence, trust, and empathy and has revolutionized the employment and wealth scenario of their home city.

The founding idea (Cooper Corporation) of Sir Dhanjisha B Cooper, the first entrepreneur in the family, currently has a technical tie-up with RICARDO, UK, which incidentally also a century-old company.. Taking ahead the legacy of the company at present is Farrokh Nariman Cooper, CMD who has escalated the brand to become a prominent engineering company, manufacturing and supplying to world's renowned manufacturers, today Cooper Genset is known in the market for being compact in size, its best-in-class fuel efficiency and lowest cost of ownership with value for money.

THE EVOLUTION OF THE BRAND

Cooper Corporation over the years has grown into a gigantic engineering enterprise steadily and quietly without compromising on product quality and innovation backed by a healthy environment. Today, Cooper exports to over 20 countries and has a formidable loyal workforce of over 3000 employees. From a single captive customer and manufacturing cylinder liners & aluminum parts to exports and manufacturing cylinder heads, cylinder blocks, compact graphite, Aluminium pressure die casting, complex engines and Genset, Cooper has made significant inroads by boldly entering the bastion of multinationals.

Farrokh further adds, "Over the years Cooper Corporation's businesses have expanded and grown exponentially in the industry verticals of automotive, power, marine, defence, agriculture & construction."

RIGHT TARGET AUDIENCE 

Cooper is among the top three manufacturers of cylinder liners in India and a trusted source of engine components for major domestic and international engine manufacturing company. Their sales are geographically diverse, with 40% of the business being with the well-established customer base in India and 60% established globally.

"Cooper always says to clients 'Let's do something together. We do not entertain any compromise on integrity or honesty. We believe in setting examples, to establish an unparalleled level of customer satisfaction and confidence in our service and product quality that others would strive to emulate the world over" states Farrokh.  

MARKETING STRATEGIES & TECHNOLOGY

The company is involved in ATL, BTL, TTL & Digital Media activities to promote products across various types of media. Cooper Business Model is backed by engineering excellence, relentless innovation, and commitment to quality. Cooper has been one of the classic examples of governments' 'Make in India' initiative. At Cooper, they believe in forecasting future industry trends and foreseeing the demand to adapt to technology upgrades.

This philosophy has always given them the first movers advantage in the market vis-à-vis other players. Cooper has a longstanding relationship with Ricardo, the UK since 2008; this technical collaboration along with the nearly century-long experience in India has allowed them to bring market competitive products that comply with even upcoming regulations and norms in India.

INDUSTRIAL TRANSFORMATION

With global competitiveness on the rise, the success of present-day economies will be technology-driven and adapting to consumer behaviour and forging partnerships by introducing consistency in process and upgrading technology with the latest machinery. They've been registering steady growth over the past one decade and aim to aggressively scale new heights in the years to come, discovering newer horizons and at the same time, continually improving current operations to add more value to customers.

Farrokh asserts, "If we say that everything has to be electric three years down the line, it won't work. Instead, we should look into selective areas and have a gradual transformation." 

HICCUPS & TRIUMPHS

One of the major hurdles for the company has been from the unorganized sector in the diesel Genset market that violates the permissible emission limits set by the Ministry of Environment Affairs. Many of these Gensets are not certified by either CPCB or ARAI. One of the ways that cooper has succeeded in offsetting local demand recession is by exporting 50% of their products.

Three main factors set Cooper Corporation apart from such competitors; "Technology, customer relations, and quality". The successful longstanding association between Cooper and Ricardo has made Cooper products years ahead of their competition in terms of innovative technologies, the total cost of ownership and the durability of products. They have to their name Quality Certificates: ISO9001:2008, 14001:2004, Lloyd's Certified, ABS Certified with awards from Jaguar Landrover, BAJAJ, CUMMINS, ITP, KAWASAKI and many More from Aditya Birla-Manufacturing and the machinist for operational, quality and CSR excellence.

 CSR & COMPLIANCES

"We aspire to be trailblazers in whatever we do, whenever we do and wherever we go. There is a beautiful quote by Benjamin Franklin which says those if you wish to be remembered after your life 'Either write something worth reading or do something worth for people to write about.' At Cooper we desire to do something worthy for people to write about us" shares Farrokh. 

Cooper Corporation, as part of its corporate policy and ethics, has been actively engaged in social impact initiatives for many years now, even before CSR became mandatory under the Companies Act. They developed a cancer check-up camp for women and organized blood donation areas. Then, concerning the environment, they distributed tree saplings to schools as well as supported cleanliness campaigns and water conservation initiatives.

Further, Cooper Corporation has raised social awareness about using eco-friendly Ganesh idols rather than the traditional variety that is made of plaster of Paris and toxic chemical colours. The company supported the reform centre in the Satara District Prison by providing a library, computer lab, and counselling services. It has set up Sam N Cooper Learningcentrein India's first NDA preparatory Military School in Satara. It is also involved in programs that support farmers and initiatives such as 'Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan' (Clean India Mission), and water Conservation projects to support in drought-prone areas.

CORE TEAM AT COOPER CORPORATION

• Ramesh Jadhav – All through casting expert, Ramesh has been serving Cooper Corporation for more than years 30 years. Rising through ranks, Ramesh is Director and Chief Manufacturing Officer and heads foundry operations and casting product development.
• Aslam Pharas – Aslam is Chief Commercial Officer and looks after the component operations, marketing, commercial matters, supply chain, key local and overseas client accounts.
• Rajesh Deshpande – Rajesh is Chief Finance Officer, serving for the last 27 years. A commerce graduate with hands-on accounting, financing and taxation Knowledge, Rajesh is responsible for the group P &L.
• Ravi Avalur- Ravi has extensive experience in heading and setting up business and sales organization. He is responsible as Head of international sales. He holds a prestigious degree in Business Management from INSEAD France/Singapore.
• Nitin Deshpande- Nitin, a post-graduate in Management with engineering qualification, has over 32 years of management experience. He is Chief Human Resource Officer and looks after Strategic Peoples Management, Policy and Program formulations & implementation and Employee & Industrial Relations.