TP Gopalan Nambiar, the founder of BPL Group, passed away on Thursday at the age of 94. Known as TPG, Nambiar was born in Thalassery, Kerala, in 1929. By establishing BPL in Palghat (now known as Palakkad) in 1964, he laid the foundation for high-quality electronic manufacturing in India. In this guest column, his former colleague Suresh Namboothiri pays tribute to the pioneering figure of Indian electronics, recalling the humility and vision of a leader who strode the industry like a colossus.
TPG Nambiar created one of the most successful electronic company in India. Photo supplied.
By Suresh Namboothiri, on November 05, 2024
By Suresh Namboothiri, on November 05, 2024
At its peak, BPL operated eighteen factories across Bangalore. Whenever TPG Nambiar, the Chairman, was in the city, he would visit some of these factories on Sundays and holidays. He enjoyed walking through the silent corridors of assembly lines, envisioning what needed to be done next.
One Sunday in the early 1990s, Nambiar’s Mercedes stopped at the main gate of the BPL R&D centre at Arekere. However, a new security guard refused him entry. Nambiar tried to explain that he was the Chairman, but the guard held firm, and Nambiar eventually had to turn back.
The next day, two envelopes arrived at the security cabin. One was addressed to the guard, containing 2,500 rupees – more than a month’s salary – with a letter of appreciation for his diligence. The second, addressed to his supervisor, was a reprimand, reminding him that security should be aware of key management personnel.
Such humility was embedded in Nambiar’s character. It likely influenced his decision to leave a well-paying engineering job in England and head to power-cut-prone Palakkad in 1963 to establish an electrical-electronics company in the midst of India’s licence-raj era. His intellectual humility even inspired two British colleagues to leave behind modern comforts and join him on this ambitious journey.
Way Ahead of Rest
In 1964, his startup – long before the term was even coined – began supplying precision instruments to the Indian armed forces, marking a significant step in import substitution for a country then struggling to find foreign exchange.
From the 1980s, BPL designed and produced world-class television sets. Though the company partnered with Sanyo Japan, every BPL TV was designed and manufactured by Indian engineers, in India – a testament to Nambiar’s confidence in Indian engineering talent.
Nambiar’s vision led him to invest heavily in advanced technology – and in talented people. International journals praised BPL’s “world-class manufacturing.”
Looking back, it’s remarkable to think that BPL had CAD (Computer-Aided Design) systems as early as 1987. By 1989, BPL had CAM (Computer-Aided Manufacturing) systems, and in 1992, it introduced one of South Asia’s first CAE systems for plastic product design using Gas-Assisted Injection Moulding – then among the rarest in the world.
Unlike many business owners, Nambiar didn’t rush blindly into automation. BPL pursued appropriate automation, balancing technology with employability. The company employed over 20,000 people, the majority of whom were women.
Today’s advocates of Industry 4.0 should remember that Nambiar introduced Flexible Manufacturing Systems, with CNC-controlled machining centres and assembly lines, as early as the 1980s.
Popular Brand
Nambiar established the BPL brand across consumer electronics, home appliances, medical electronics, computers, telecommunications, and mobile telephony. For instance, BPL electrocardiographs (ECG) and defibrillators were a common sight in hospitals across India, with the company commanding over 96 percent of the market for these devices.
Beyond telephones bearing the BPL brand, he supplied over 400,000 handsets to BSNL. In power line communications, BPL held a monopoly, supplying every state electricity board in India.
BPL developed technology to manufacture nearly all its components, minimising reliance on imports. Nambiar even supplied high-tech components like flyback transformers and deflection yokes to his competitors, helping reduce the country’s import bill.
The list of achievements for this patriotic Indian is endless. By 2000, BPL was valued at an impressive 1.2 billion US dollars. Long before “Make in India” became a slogan, Nambiar was already making it a reality. Whatever we now consider a futuristic vision in 2024 had already been realised by Nambiar in 1964.
Unalloyed Patriotism
His deep love for the country became evident again when I was approached by Tata in 1997 to join their Indica car project, aimed at creating India’s first homemade passenger car and making the nation only the eighth in the world to develop its own vehicle.
Tata, primarily a truck manufacturer, lacked expertise in plastics – a crucial material for passenger cars. Consequently, they were urging me to join the team as a General Manager.
With a pounding heart, I met Nambiar and shared my dilemma. My words faltered, and I couldn’t bring myself to look him in the eye, knowing I was a trusted member of the BPL family.
After a long silence, Nambiar said, “The Tatas are taking a significant risk and achieving a great feat in building India’s first car. As an Indian, I am very proud of that. If I can assist in that process through you, I will be happy. I think you should join them.”
His words revealed the depth of his love for the country.
Just a couple of years prior, I had asked Nambiar, “Sir, why don’t you write a book titled Made in India, similar to Akio Morita’s classic Made in Japan?” He smiled and replied, “The time has not come.” But that time never arrived.
Under Attack
Instead, Korean competitors emerged, and as usual, the Indian government provided no prior notice of their arrival, leaving Indian companies unprepared. Rumours warned that the first move by these conglomerates would be to destabilise their Indian rivals.
Sure enough, a left-wing trade union initiated a lightning strike across all eighteen BPL factories in Bangalore. Faced with aggressive marketing tactics from the Koreans on one side and the crippling strike from the union on the other, India’s high-tech dream began to crumble.
Yet the legacy of the quality BPL products and the culture Nambiar fostered endures in India. He continues to inspire many, known respectfully as Nambiar-san, as the Japanese referred to him.
Rest in peace, Nambiar sir. You presented India with a vision that the country failed to embrace at the time.
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Dr Suresh Namboothiri was Deputy General Manager with BPL, and worked with TPG Nambiar for about twelve years.
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This cheese almost melted a rocket
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Lo, and the internet was born
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