This Coimbatore-based water pump company has become a case study in one of the world's top MBA schools – INSEAD

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This Coimbatore-based water pump company has become a case study in one of the world's top MBA schools – INSEAD
Arumugam & Kanishka Arumugam (CEO & Co-CEO)EKKI
  • EKKI Pumps is now a part of the MBA curriculum at INSEAD – one of the world’s top three business schools.
  • The company which had started as Deccan Pumps in 1981, has evolved from being just a water pump company to a sustainable water technology provider.
  • The company’s business evolution is a part of the case study titled “Sustainability in Asia” included in the MBA reading list subject “Social Entrepreneurship and Innovation”.
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A 39-year old water pump company EKKI Pumps, is now a part of the MBA curriculum at INSEAD – one of the world’s top three business schools. The company’s business evolution is a part of the case study titled “Sustainability in Asia” included in the MBA reading list subject “Social Entrepreneurship and Innovation”.

“EKKI, which was the only firm based in India in our study, was archetypical: with generational change, external orientation, and a focus on innovation to help the community being key factors driving them towards sustainability. Their mission, to become the leading provider of sustainable water solutions, in India and globally emphasized the kind of fundamental societal change that all of the firms pursued,” said Stephen J. Mezias, Professor of Entrepreneurship and Family Enterprise at INSEAD in a statement.

A look at EKKI’s transformational journey

The company which began operations as Deccan Pumps in 1981, has evolved from being just a water pump company to a sustainable water technology provider and that’s what made it a case study in the business school.

Founded by K.K. Veluchamy, M.S. Sundaram and P. Arumugam with just ₹90,000, the company used to initially make submersible pumps for farmers. Today the company services sectors like agriculture, domestic and commercial building spaces, public utilities and more.

Over the years, the company has turned to focus on sustainability. The company in 2018 had also signed a partnership with the German leader in waste-water pumps Homa Pumpenfabrik GmbH. With the partnership, the companies have set up a plant in Coimbatore which produces waste-water pumps for India and its neighboring countries.
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‘Water is one of the least technologically influenced industries, so it holds big opportunities for EKKI. From office towers to factories to homes and agriculture, the need for clean water has never been greater. The future wave is water sustainability, and EKKI will be part of it. Our goal is to ‘Provide access to Clean Water using cutting edge technologies and sustainable ways’. This has been our fundamental purpose since 1981,” said Kanishka Arumugam, the Co-CEO of the company.

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