Krafting Success!
NiIkhil Ballal & Juili Kulkarni
Introducing the concept of modular kitchen made of fibre glass and acrylic for the first time in India, Ar Sandeep Joshi and Mr Tushar Joshi have unequivocally made massive contributions to the architectural landscape.
The fresh architecture graduates kicked off their journey in 1992 when they started consultancy. For the next six years, the duo worked relentlessly to carve a name for themselves in the market. During this time they not only focussed on providing architectural solutions to their clients but also concentrated on the shortcomings of the then options. “We realised that the current kitchen setup primarily lacked water proof furniture and optimum storage facility. We therefore decided to formulate an elixir to solve these problems,” averred Mr Joshi.
The bug of entrepreneurship soon bit the dyad and they decided to provide an optimum architectural kitchen solution. In 1999, Mr Sandeep and Mr Tushar started Kitchenkraft in Dombivali which was the first modular kitchen showroom in the city back then.
“For us, the initial challenge was to design water-proof kitchen paraphernalia made of fibre glass. This process was highly labour intensive with low productivity”, explicated Mr Sandeep. Modular kitchen is not just the one with trolley but it is a beautiful integration of different kitchen furniture in a module”, added Mr Tushar.
In any house, kitchen is usually the second smallest place (after washroom) and thus making optimum utilization of the limited space available is the foremost objective of the lady of the house. With their experience and expertise, Mr Joshi and Ar Joshi introduced myriad designs that would fit the bill.
Serving a population as diverse as ours is not as easy as it sounds. “Typically 70% of the kitchen layout is the same whether you are a Maharashtrian, Gujarati, Kannada, or Punjabi. The rest 30% is what we have to work with considering the diverse cuisines of these cultures”, elucidated Mr Joshi.
They call themselves the providers of architectural kitchens because the word ‘architect’ is a combination of art (aesthetics) and engineering (technical).
With over 12,000 clients in a span of 20 years Promkraft’s work in the kitchen space has been commendable. Offering a 10-year warranty is its USP. To its name, it has five registered patents and another four in the pipeline. As a part of R&D, the founders visit exhibitions like India Woods in Bengaluru, which is one of the biggest and attend seminars to keep themselves updated.
Apart from providing optimum modular kitchen solutions, Promkraft is into real estate development. Since 2013, Prom Developers has been in the construction business, having completed two successful projects in Konkan. Prior to this, Prom Developers took up development work between 1996 and 1999 in Badlapur. The real estate wing of Promkraft is aimed at providing local employment and building eco-friendly homes.
“We understand that majority of our clients fall in the category of second home buyers, therefore, we make them feel comfortable in every possible way. It can be cleaning of their homes, maintenance of gardens, or easy access to food, we offer a complete package”, conveyed Mr Tushar. In 2018, the founders decided to bring Kitchenkraft and Prom Developers under the umbrella of Promkraft.
Talking about their future plans, the duo aims to set up a big manufacturing plant in Konkan and boost the tourism in the scenic region. “We dream of getting our customers to the factory in Konkan, showing them how the designs are made and tested, and then taking them around the heavenly Konkan region”, concluded Mr Tushar Joshi.
