Falgun Shah : Dr Bhabha Award Winner Who Became An HVAC Thought Leader
Falgun Shah
Director - Operations
In India, the HVAC industry is growing in double digits and is expected to hit $30 billion by 2030. However to comprehen -sively tap into this growth prospect, the industry needs to adopt global trends. Setting benchmarks in innovating and envisioning at par with and often beyond the global trends is Falgun Shah, the Director of Operations at RAJ Cooling Systems Pvt. Ltd, an IIT Madras alumnus and HVAC industry veteran with close to four decades of professional experience.
Over the past 40 years, Falgun has held top positions at various organizations and exhibited a documented history of commanding aggressive growth and profitability. He stays ahead of the consumer trends and market demands, pioneering unique revenue-building strategies for organizations. Falgun is instrumental in scaling up businesses, entering new markets, and implementing high-impact growth strategies. Below is an excerpt from CEO Insight’s exclusive interview with Falgun, who reminisces about his IIT days and talks about the latest endeavors of RAJ Cooling Systems.
You visited IIT Madras a few years ago. What is the difference you found between then and now?
Also, what was the first memory that came running back?
The key differences I noticed include the significant increase in the number of courses offered and the robust support for startups - a concept that didn’t even exist back then.
The first memory that came running back was the huge difference I felt when I came onto the campus. I graduated from NIT–Surat and pursued my postgraduation at IIT Madras, which made me feel like I was in a different world. For instance, we had a weekly open book test here, where you can refer to as many books as required. It emphasized the importance of understanding and presentation over memorization. From this, I learned to always be ready in advance to face the future. A lot of extracurricular activities on campus were buzzing, and they are happening even now. The all-around infrastructure develop- ment was also astonishing.
Could you tell me about the major turning points in your life?
The first turning point in my life was starting my career (1985) with BARC and receiving the Dr Bhabha Award. Despite continuing as a scientific officer with two promotions, the inner me was not happy as the results at the end of the year were not personally satisfying. Everything depended on the government strategies, which kept on changing each year.
Hence, I made a decision to quit my cozy government job and join the private sector. The second turning point was when I went abroad, i.e., to Tanzania for the first time on a business trip. I was reluctant to go at that point, as I heard many stories about Africa. But after having gone there, I now realize that it changed my life as well.
You have witnessed a whole global tech revolution. How do you perceive the evolution of the cooling systems industry?
I have 20 years of experience in the cooling industry, witnessing a
The key differences I noticed include the significant increase in the number of courses offered and the robust support for startups - a concept that didn’t even exist back then.
There is no alternative for hard work
The first memory that came running back was the huge difference I felt when I came onto the campus. I graduated from NIT–Surat and pursued my postgraduation at IIT Madras, which made me feel like I was in a different world. For instance, we had a weekly open book test here, where you can refer to as many books as required. It emphasized the importance of understanding and presentation over memorization. From this, I learned to always be ready in advance to face the future. A lot of extracurricular activities on campus were buzzing, and they are happening even now. The all-around infrastructure develop- ment was also astonishing.
Could you tell me about the major turning points in your life?
The first turning point in my life was starting my career (1985) with BARC and receiving the Dr Bhabha Award. Despite continuing as a scientific officer with two promotions, the inner me was not happy as the results at the end of the year were not personally satisfying. Everything depended on the government strategies, which kept on changing each year.
Hence, I made a decision to quit my cozy government job and join the private sector. The second turning point was when I went abroad, i.e., to Tanzania for the first time on a business trip. I was reluctant to go at that point, as I heard many stories about Africa. But after having gone there, I now realize that it changed my life as well.
You have witnessed a whole global tech revolution. How do you perceive the evolution of the cooling systems industry?
I have 20 years of experience in the cooling industry, witnessing a
lot of transformations in the segment. Going forward, I see a huge potential in India and worldwide, driven by diverse market trends. For instance, in our residences, we can now achieve air conditioning in places that are impossible to close down. On the other hand, in commercial spaces, the industry is moving toward personalized cooling rather than cooling the entire atmosphere.
There are also some industrial segments, such as assembly lines, warehouses, laundry shops, pump rooms, kitchens of big restaurants and big hotels, which cannot be traditionally air-conditioned. The industry now has solutions to all these challenges. Additionally, the corporate culture is also changing toward a vision to provide all classes of employees with conditioned air. Beyond these trends, government interventions and initiatives like Make in India are also helping the industry thrive.
In the fast-moving world, what could be the future of air conditioning?
The technology trends shrink every piece of equipment. I think the same applies in the case of coolers. From space cooling to personal cooling, we now have products like cooling helmets, cooling jackets and so on. So, I think the process of cooling is getting more personalized, targeting specific areas rather than the entire space.
What is your advice to budding leaders in the HVAC industry?
We need more manufacturing jobs over computer jobs. We are nowhere close to replacing China in exports as we lag in manufacturing. There is a good scope in manufacturing for young leaders who want to make a good career. Secondly, there's no substitution for hard work, as it is the key to success.
Falgun Shah, Director (Opera- tions), Raj Cooling Systems
With over 38 years of experience, Falgun has an excellent track record of effectively managing operational efficiency, business expansion, growth and profitability. He holds an M.Tech in Mechanical Engineering from IIT Madras.
There are also some industrial segments, such as assembly lines, warehouses, laundry shops, pump rooms, kitchens of big restaurants and big hotels, which cannot be traditionally air-conditioned. The industry now has solutions to all these challenges. Additionally, the corporate culture is also changing toward a vision to provide all classes of employees with conditioned air. Beyond these trends, government interventions and initiatives like Make in India are also helping the industry thrive.
In the fast-moving world, what could be the future of air conditioning?
The technology trends shrink every piece of equipment. I think the same applies in the case of coolers. From space cooling to personal cooling, we now have products like cooling helmets, cooling jackets and so on. So, I think the process of cooling is getting more personalized, targeting specific areas rather than the entire space.
What is your advice to budding leaders in the HVAC industry?
We need more manufacturing jobs over computer jobs. We are nowhere close to replacing China in exports as we lag in manufacturing. There is a good scope in manufacturing for young leaders who want to make a good career. Secondly, there's no substitution for hard work, as it is the key to success.
Falgun Shah, Director (Opera- tions), Raj Cooling Systems
With over 38 years of experience, Falgun has an excellent track record of effectively managing operational efficiency, business expansion, growth and profitability. He holds an M.Tech in Mechanical Engineering from IIT Madras.