Toshiba, committed to ‘Clean India’
UEM India is dedicated to provide breakthrough water and wastewater management solutions FOR THE NEXT INDIA
Mr. Koichi Matsui
Chairperson & MD, UEM India
“Excerpts from an exclusive interview with Mr. Koichi Matsui, CMD, UEM India.”
Q1. Please tell us about UEM and the solutions that the company offers.
UEM India, a part of Toshiba Group is an international multi-disciplinary environmental services company, headquartered in India that specializes in providing turn-key services in water and wastewater management.
In September 2015, UEM became a Toshiba Group company and we have a unique opportunity to deliver breakthrough technology and quality control to our Indian clients. With the synergy between Toshiba and UEM, we are committed to the
mission of Clean India – FOR THE NEXT INDIA.
With an employee base of approximately 1000, UEM India has a strong global presence with offices in NOIDA in India, Trinidad and Tobago in West Indies, Oman in the Middle East and in Florida USA that has enabled
the company to successfully deliver over 350 projects in more than 30 countries. UEM has also expanded its reach in countries in the North and South American continents, South East Asia, Middle East, and African countries.
UEM India provides complete, one-stop solution from engineering and design to construction, installation, operation and maintenance of water and wastewater treatment facilities. UEM offers multiple modern
technologies like ZLD (Zero liquid Discharge) using HEROTM (High Efficiency Reverse Osmosis), Anaerobic Biological Treatment, Activated Sludge Process (ASP), Sequential Batch Reactor (SBR), Membrane Bio Reactor (MBR), etc.
Q2. It has been over a year since UEM joined Toshiba Group and you came at the helm of UEM. How has the company grown during this time?
Since UEM India became a part of the Toshiba Group, we have been focusing on three pronged growth entailing Technology Expansion, Geographical Expansion, and Business Segment Expansion.
Combining Toshiba’s extensive experience of over 40 years in supplying electrical/water treatment systems and EPC of water infrastructure with UEM’s strong process knowledge and experience in delivering
complex, turn-key services at competitive costs has resulted in knowledge sharing and adoption of best practices between the companies. The association has also led to technology transfer and process engineering along with introduction
of innovative technologies like the UASB (Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket) technology, High Efficiency Clarifier and Ozone Generator System.
After becoming a Toshiba Group company, UEM is actively expanding its customer base and consolidating its presence in the wastewater projects for automobile sector and many other Japanese companies having
manufacturing operations in India.
Recently UEM has won many prestigious orders from distinguished clients in India as well as abroad, some of which are listed as under:
- GOI’s ‘Clean Ganga’ campaign undertaking
- A 14 MLD Sewage Treatment Plant on SBR Technology funded by World Bank under NMCG scheme at Allahabad for UPJN
- Two Sewage Treatment Plants of 7 &5 MLD capacity based on SBR Technology & Sewerage works funded by World Bank at Sahibganj for JUIDCO
- A Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD) Plant for Isuzu Motors. Here UEM utilizes a proprietary system called High Efficiency Reverse Osmosis (HEROTM) System
- 2 large recycle/reuse projects from Majis, Oman
Q 3. What is UEM’s key strength in the water treatment business? Please tell us about Toshiba’s legacy in this domain.
Toshiba's brand name, technology & expertise, allows UEM India to focus on Quality, Cost Competitiveness, Delivery, and Safety & Services (QCDS). Acting as a one-stop solution for designing and building a
treatment plant, UEM India can offer a better quality control over the project along with timely delivery of efficient, reliable and customisable turn-key solutions.
The synergy allows UEM India to use Toshiba’s proprietary technologies like Ozone generator, for its clients in India and overseas. Ozone serves as a powerful oxidizing agent and is highly effective for water
treatment, including sewage and industrial wastewater treatment.
Toshiba launched its first ozone generator in 1976 and has remained at the forefront of water treatment technology, contributing to improving drinking water quality in metropolitan areas. The company now boasts of
having the largest market share in the drinking water treatment sector in Japan. Toshiba’s latest innovation – the TGOGSTM series of ozone generators, has been designed for optimum efficiency in a less bulky package.
These more compact machines can be customised to the specific needs of customers and are available for drinking water treatment, as well as the treatment of recycled Industrial and Municipal wastewater.
Apart from this, our global design centre with in-house engineering capabilities in process engineering, civil and structural engineering, mechanical engineering, instrumentation and controls, and electrical
engineering that allows us to deliver not just the institutional knowledge that UEM has gained in designing over 350 projects, but also suggest the best CAPEX & OPEX ratio solution based on client’s requirements.
Q 4. What is your outlook towards problems and challenges in the Indian society regarding water scarcity and water pollution? How can UEM and Toshiba group help India in the field of water and
wastewater management in line with the Government of India’s ‘Clean India’ initiative?
India is a developing country and home to the world’s second largest population. However, a vast portion of this population is impacted by challenges like limited access to safe drinking water and proper
sanitation. A majority of the domestic wastewater goes untreated, polluting the available water resources like rivers, lakes and ground water sources.
The rejuvenation of the Ganges under the aegis of National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) is one such platform where the joint efforts made by the central and state governments, urban local bodies and the private
sector will definitely result in a synergy that is crucial for the success of the ‘Clean India’ Initiative. UEM is a part of this initiative as we are already working on two projects along the banks of the Ganges – with Uttar Pradesh Jal
Nigam in Allahabad and with Jharkhand Urban Infrastructure Development Company in Sahibganj, and we are looking forward to similar opportunities.
Another step taken by the government to ensure proper disposal of wastewater by industries is the emphasis on ZLD treatment. UEM recently built a ZLD plant using HEROTM technology for Isuzu motors with
a capacity of treating 216m3 wastewater in a day. The HEROTM technology is proven to improve the rate of recyclable water treated in RO System from 80% to 95%. Owing to this technology, the amount of rejected water
is reduced and the fuel cost for evaporating process is also saved.
With UEM’s experience and expertise equipped with the strong lineage of Toshiba Technology, we are committed to work towards the goal of a ‘Clean India’. UEM has the capability and experience of
successfully delivering such technologies to the growth of environmentally conscious industries FOR THE NEXT INDIA.
Q 5. Toshiba recognizes India as strategic hub for its social infrastructure business including water treatment. What are the key focus areas for UEM to expand its business?
Toshiba envisages a better and sustainable global society that can be shaped with safe, secure and reliable solutions provided by the “Infrastructure Systems & Solutions Company”. Association between
UEM and Toshiba has helped strengthen UEM’s global position as a reliable water solutions provider with a sound technical background.
In India, water and wastewater management holds a very significant position owing to its scarcity and the poor management of the available resources. Toshiba and UEM are committed to the development and operation
of water and environmental infrastructure in India by focusing on three major verticals – Municipal, Industrial, and Operation & Maintenance services.
UEM, under the aegis of Toshiba has already started working with new clients from earlier unexplored industries including automobile industry. Partnering and associating with initiatives like ‘Clean India’ and the
‘Rejuvenation of the Ganges’ is also a significant step in this direction.
Together, Toshiba and UEM will contribute to the establishment of sustainable water circulation systems and the realization of advanced environmentally sound communities FOR THE NEXT INDIA.
FOR THE NEXT INDIA
