CLEARING THE AIR. The vehicle test cell at Horiba India’s plant in Chakan, Pune
This June, Horiba achieved a market cap of ¥1 trillion ($661.12 billion), putting the spotlight on the low-profile 73-year-old Japanese company, a leader in the precision and scientific instruments space. Think of the routine blood tests you do, and chances are that the analysers or instrumentation for those tests are Horiba’s. So also the stringent exhaust emission tests that vehicles undergo have Horiba’s hand in them. In sectors ranging from the auto industry to medical diagnostics and more, Horiba is the unseen giant testing for quality, safety, and stability, among other vital parameters.The conglomerate has diversified strategically to take its precise measurement instrumentation to all the areas with the biggest buzz — be it hydrogen, semiconductors or quantum research. And India is central to Horiba’s ambitions in all these areas. Earlier this year, in February, Horiba — which is celebrating its 20th year in India — acquired Ahmedabad-based Pristine Deeptech, a company that specialises in using lab-grown diamonds for quantum research and next-generation semiconductors.Rajeev Gautam, President, Horiba India, describes how the mass flow controllers the Japanese company makes are critical in semiconductor fabrication as they precisely measure and regulate the flow of gases and liquids. “We are world No. 1 as far as mass flow controllers go,” he says. The device is manufactured at Horiba’s plant in Chakan, Pune, where it also conducts tests for the auto industry. And now it tests hydrogen too.
