Premendra Singh, Founder at Securefire Safety Industries Pvt Ltd

Great Companies: How did you get your idea or concept for the business?

Premendra Singh: I had been working in the field of fire safety for more than a decade when I was approached by one of my clients to provide a fire-proof material for industrial use. I thought that it would be a simple matter of just sourcing the material. However once my team and I started searching we were surprised to find that there was no suitable material in the market. It was at this point that the idea for TiFi (our indigenously developed fire-proof material) was born. It took us more than eighteen months of hard work including R&D to be able to come up with a satisfactory solution.

Great Companies: What are the various services provided by Securefire Safety Industries Pvt Ltd?

Premendra Singh: Securefire Safety Industries Pvt Ltd is committed to provide a one stop solution in the field of fire safetyn and heat insulation . We aim to provide a wide range of products including fire-suits, various fire-fighting equipment, fire safety equipments (fire doors, heat shields etc.) industrial insulation solutions.Our focus area is also to provide innovative, customized and cutting edge fire safety related solutions to our armed forces, fire brigade and all kinds of major industries.

Great Companies: What makes Securefire Safety Industries Pvt Ltd different from hundreds of other safety firms?

Premendra Singh: When we were developing our business idea the team was very clear that we wanted to find a business model that had a larger social relevance/impact. During our research we had realized that the fire accidents were a source of great human tragedy in terms of the lives lost and an obvious financial loss too. The existing fire safety technology and equipment in the country were not up to the mark and failed to prevent many avoidable loss of life and property. So we decided to focus on this segment to ensure that the scope and magnitude of this human tragedy is reduced with improved technology and equipment. We also want to contribute to the national defense effort by enabling the armed forces with innovative, customized and cutting edge fire safety related solutions.

Finally we want to ensure through indigenous technology and products that India has a bigger footprint in the international fire safety market, currently it is below 2%. At this point of time our patents are filed or published in 5 countries eg. INDIA, USA, CANADA, CHINA, UAE & SAUDI ARABIA. we are approved & supported by NRDC, DSIR, supported by MHRD (imprint) for further R&D in association with IIT KANPUR and just a few days before (7th June 2021) awarded as winner by DRDO under India's one of the prestigious contest: dare to dream 2.0 for our innovative work for year 2020-21.

Great Companies: What are the struggles and challenges you face?

Premendra Singh: The biggest challenge that I faced was the apathy and lack of respect/support that exists in our society towards research, only the monetary aspects are respected. I had to put my career on hold for almost 3 years while we were involved in research, experimentation and product development. This was a period of intense struggle and disappointment as friends, even some family members and society at large failed to provide encouragement and material support. My mother was my primary inspiration as she continued to encourage me and kept me motivated.

This culture of chasing only money and not supporting innovation/R&D is very harmful. In the last few years of course things have improved in terms of support and funding for innovation.

Great Companies: How do you plan to grow in the future? What does 5 years down the line look like for Securefire Safety Industries Pvt Ltd?

Premendra Singh: Our primary target is to ensure that these technologically advanced materials based cold/heat insulation and fire-fighting equipment reach all the fire fighting departments in India. We also want to reduce the dependence foreign products for high quality fire safety products especially in the defense sector. We are targeting a turnover of 100 crores over a period of two years.

Great Companies: If you had one piece of advice to someone just starting out, what would it be?

Premendra Singh: I would advice any budding innovator/entrepreneur that to prevent disappointment and fatigue. They must have small and doable milestones that keep the motivation going. Celebrate each milestone and move on to the next. Keep confident, calm till you achieve your dream in full by keeping your killing attitude at top. Till then never jump to other goal.