'We Aspire To Cross Rs 8,000 Crore In Revenues In 5 Years'

Established during World War II with the vision of creating a long running institution, Blue Star is today India’s leading air-conditioning and refrigeration company boasting revenues of Rs 4,000 crore. The company which is celebrating its platinum jubilee year is looking to double its revenues to Rs 8,000 crore in the next five years. BW Businessworld’d Bhakt Vatsal Sharma caught up with the company’s top management including chairman Suneel Advani, MD Vir S. Advani and joint MD B. Thiagarajan to talk about the business, succession plan, and the road ahead, among other things.

- Bhakt Vatsal Sharma

How did your organisation come up with the name Blue Star and could you describe your journey of 50 years?

Suneel Advani: The company was established by my father during World War II. Companies like Larsen & Toubro, Mahindra & Mahindra already existed at that time, which were named after their founders. But my father wanted to build a company and an institution which would exist long beyond his lifetime. He didn’t know who were going to be the successors down the line so he chose a name that was uplifting, inspiring and aspiring to something greater and he thought of ‘Star’. The name still felt incomplete and after referencing names of colours he finally came up with ‘Blue’, which turned out to be apt for his interest towards the cooling business...

My journey so far has been exhilarating. A few days earlier, while speaking to my employees, I couldn’t recall one day in 50 years when I wasn’t excited to go to work. I never faced the Monday blues like many people. I and my elder brother followed the principles our father had laid down for himself and the dream of building an institution that would last forever. That vision drove the enthusiasm of taking Blue Star to the next phase of growth with the same principles that govern this company 75 years later.

With Blue Star gaining a huge market presence with its wide range of products, how do you wish to consolidate your achievements?