Anil Saboo, chairman and managing director of Elektrolites Power Private Limited, a venture he launched in 1981, is currently president of the IEEMA. He is also chairman of ELECRAMA 2020, and an executive council member of CII’s national and regional councils. Saboo is a first-generation entrepreneur, a philanthropist and a technocrat with vast experience in the design and manufacture of medium voltage and high voltage switchgear up to 400 kV.
“The year 2020 was a transformational and learning tunnel. Everybody learnt how to survive in the most difficult situations and realised the importance of digitalisation and global connectivity,” says Saboo. The key post-Covid focus areas for the electrical sector should be privatisation and competitive markets. He is upbeat about Atmanirbhar Bharat, an idea he says the IEEMA has been suggesting for some time. “The five pillars that the IEEMA is focusing on to help the Indian electrical industry go global are localised manufacturing, digitalisation and innovation, global penetration, enhancing capability through international collaboration, and focus on quality and productivity. I foresee huge growth potential for India in the global supply chain and an opportunity to capture a $500 billion electrical equipment industry by 2030,” he says.
The biggest challenge for the sector has been the lack of investment in R&D and upgradation, he asserts. This calls for investment in infrastructure in government institutions and encouraging talent at the grassroots levels.
Saboo’s most memorable assignment was in 1987, when his manufacturing unit was in distress. There was a problem of frequent burning of contacts in isolators based on 35-year-old designs. They addressed this by developing 11 kV isolators with reverse loop-type fixed contacts with tubular blades, thus landing an order worth Rs 7.2 million from the erstwhile Rajasthan State Electricity Board.
Saboo maintains a healthy work-life balance by focusing on mental health and is committed to providing a healthy and balanced environment for others too. He devotes his free time to reading, exercise and yoga, and enjoys spending quality time with his wife and his son. An aspiring writer, he plans to put his experiences on paper some day. Saboo is a graduate from the Visvesvaraya Regional College of Engineering, Nagpur, and BITS Pilani. He is also a founder-trustee of Jagriti NGO, which provides free education to about 4,000 children in 14 schools.