The Vendor I am talking about is Weigh Control Systems Pvt. Ltd., particularly Mr. Samarjit Biswas. Weighmatics based in Bangalore are manufacturers of Filling Machines, Weigh Bridges and other weight based control systems. Mr. Biswas is the director of the company.

On the first day after I started my life as a Coconut Oil businessman at Puttur, I went with my father to our coconut oil retail outlet. A customer visited the shop and asked for 2 litres of coconut oil. Father asked me to give it in loose by filling his long bottle. Oil was filled in a 50-litre steel drum. It had to be measured in a measuring container and filled carefully into the bottle through a narrow mouth. As a first-timer, I struggled and spilt the oil all over the place, mostly on the outer surface of the bottle. The customer and my father were both getting frustrated at what was happening, but they didn’t show any of it towards me. Now that a partial quantity was poured, it was difficult to find the balance portion to be filled. Then our helper came out and helped service the customer. Father said, “Don’t worry, it comes out of practice”. I thought it was not my cup of tea that I would dispense oil like that.

I had seen every consumer product dispensed through a vending machine in Japan, and there was absolutely no human being on the vendor side. Items and Quantities are to be selected, cash is to be inserted, the exact change will be dispensed, the bill will be automatically printed, and items will be rendered. How simple, fast and perfect. When they can dispense items like rice and juice bottles that are difficult to dispense, I thought dispensing a liquid like coconut oil should be easy. Though I was not looking for a machine to collect cash, dispense change and print bills, I was at least looking for an oil dispenser, given the Quantity.

I searched the Internet for filling machines using various keywords. I got many results for bottle filling machine that one can use inside the factory for filling bottles in large scale. But couldn’t find one that can be used at a retail counter.

Finally, I came across “Flowmatics”, which is now rebranded as “Weighmatics”. They said they have already supplied many edible oil brands in India and overseas. I requested a quote and got a quote in a beautifully written document. I asked for a few customizations, but the sales executive could only deliver lip service and couldn’t come back to me with a revised offer or concrete actions. I called him on his mobile, and after a few calls, he stopped picking them up. I got desperate and called up the landline. This time, it was a holiday, and instead of the receptionist picking up, somebody else picked up and said, “Hello, Mr Keshava Ram; I am Biswas, the director; how may I help you?”. I explained my requirements, and he listened carefully and said what could be done and what could not be done. He understood that I was a first-timer and offered to educate me through a live demo at his factory in Bangalore. I promptly made a visit there and learnt about the systems. He took a lot of patience in educating a novice in the field. At that time, I felt it was just a marketing pitch, but reflecting back, I realize it was a genuine attempt at educating a prospect.

He also told me about his filling machines that I could use inside the factory for filling bottles, cans and tins. I discussed this with my father and placed an order for three machines: an oil vending machine, a bottle-filling machine, and a tin-filling machine. Before coming for an erection, they gave me a list of things to get done at the site. I promised they would be done by a certain date and they would do their work from that date. Due to inconsistencies from our vendors for plumbing, electricals, fabrication, and civil works, they couldn’t be done. Still, their Service Engineer came and completed his erection works in one day but had to wait for 6 days to do a trial run. Despite that, their service fees didn’t increase.

We were happily using their machines to get our work done. After about 4 months, Vending Machine stopped working. We immediately called them for service and next day their Engineer was here. He immediately found that the cables were cut and how? by rats running around. Even if it was our problem, he didn’t charge any service fees as it was within the warranty period.

I started working on setting up the new company and factory. I managed by hiring a fresh graduate as an Accounts Executive; after some time, the extent of compliance required mounted high, and we were not in a good position to deal with them ourselves and with the local Auditor. I tried through various references and on the Internet, but the options I got were either not good enough or were too expensive. I rang up Mr Biswas and requested help; he said, “Don’t worry, I will request my company’s auditor and see if he can help you.” These auditors are always short of time and don’t want to take up any new accounts. The auditor sort of agreed and set up a meeting with me and Biswas. The Auditor said, “Normally, we don’t take any new accounts, even if they are multinational software companies; we only took yours because you have come through Biswas’s reference”. The Auditor has served us well over the last 2.5 years.

For filtering systems, we need to pump oil at a pressure, and the flow has to be adjusted based on the filtering speed, which varies with the cycle. One solution is to have bypass valves that release excess flow. A better solution is to have a Variable Frequency Drive (VFD) when the speed of the motor can be adjusted at run-time. When I tried looking for vendors, their quotes were very high and many times higher than the cost of the pump itself. Again, Biswas gave me a reference for a Vendor in Chennai who offered at a reasonable rate. In between, I asked for several other references. But many of them didn’t work either. For Pouch Packing Machine, Air Heater and Centrifugal Blower, Screw Conveyor and Fabrication services. He even shared references of a couple of distributors who may be interested in selling our coconut oil. He has also shared with me many industry insights that helped me learn more about the industry in which I operate.

We have later purchased Volumetric Bottle Filling Machine, Load Cells for Copra Tank Weighing systems. He has set sight of selling me a Weigh Bridge one day. I have recommended his products to other oil millers and industries. He has got a few orders from them.

In our very first meeting, he used to call up people and refer to me as his friend. I used to think it was just a lame marketing tactic. But over the years, I have realized he really meant it. Most vendors talk rubbish, but they give good customer service and cater to their needs. Again, his company has gone the extra mile to meet our needs. He has a team of service engineers to service his machines all over. He isn’t motivated towards service because it is his business or it is good for business, but because he believes his customers need the service. While in distress or at good times, he calls me, or I call him. We share jokes; to be specific, he cracks jokes, and I just laugh both Veg and Non-Veg, and he tells me various stories/incidences from his vast experience. He looks young for a man in his early 50s; more importantly, he thinks he is young.

When one customer was bargaining over phone for a machine in front of me, he said, “I have already given you the best price. Please understand, if you are to grow, you need suppliers also. They are the pillars of support for any business”. Good suppliers can indeed be strong pillars on which business builds.