Mr. Niraj Bisaria
Managing Director & President – Premium Group
Engineering excellence, customer-centricity, and a forward-looking approach to innovation have been the defining pillars of Premium Group’s remarkable journey over the past six decades. From building a strong reputation in industrial power transmission solutions to expanding into renewable energy and lifecycle asset management services, the company has continually evolved to meet the changing needs of global industries.
At a time when manufacturers are embracing digital transformation, intelligent asset management, and sustainable technologies, Premium Group is investing in advanced manufacturing capabilities and leveraging AI-driven solutions to create long-term value for its customers. The company’s diversified portfolio, spanning Premium Transmission, Premium Motion, and Premium Care, reflects its vision of delivering integrated solutions that enhance efficiency, reliability, and sustainability.
In this exclusive interaction with Sushmita Das, Associate Editor of Gear Technology India, Mr Niraj Bisaria, Managing Director & President of Premium Group, discusses the principles that have shaped the company’s growth, the future of gearbox manufacturing in an increasingly digital world, emerging opportunities in renewable energy and infrastructure, and the strategic roadmap that will guide Premium’s next phase of global expansion.
Answer:
For over six decades, Premium’s growth has been guided by three core principles: customer-centricity, engineering excellence, and continuous innovation. These principles have enabled us to build long-term customer relationships, adapt to evolving market needs, and establish a position of trust across industries and geographies.
Our journey has been driven by a commitment to creating value beyond products. While Premium Transmission continues to provide reliable mechanical power transmission solutions through its portfolio of gearboxes, geared motors, and fluid couplings, we have expanded our capabilities through Premium Motion in the renewable energy sector and Premium Care in lifecycle and asset reliability services.
A key factor in our evolution has been our ability to anticipate industry shifts and invest in technology, manufacturing capabilities, and talent. This has allowed us to continuously strengthen our offerings while remaining relevant in a rapidly changing industrial landscape.
As we look ahead, the fundamentals that have shaped our journey remain unchanged: putting customers first, leveraging engineering expertise, and delivering sustainable long-term value
major milestone. What capability gaps or future opportunities was this investment designed to address?
Answer:
These investments are part of our long-term strategy to strengthen capabilities, enhance customer responsiveness, and position the Group for future growth.
As customer expectations evolve, there is increasing demand for higher precision, faster delivery, larger equipment capabilities, and stronger lifecycle support. Our recent investments have been focused on addressing these requirements while creating a platform for future opportunities globally.
Through Premium Motion, we have established a dedicated manufacturing facility to support the growing sunrise sector. As solar installations continue to expand, we see significant opportunities for integrated solar tracking solutions that help improve energy generation and operational efficiency.
At the same time, we are expanding our Premium Care footprint with advanced multi-brand care centres (MCC) in India and overseas, strengthening our ability to support customers with multi-brand refurbishment of mechanical power transmission products, maintenance, condition monitoring, and asset reliability solutions closer to their operations.
Within Premium Transmission, we have commissioned advanced manufacturing technologies that enhance precision, productivity, and our ability to deliver high-performance solutions for increasingly demanding industrial applications.
More importantly, these investments are not just about adding capacity. They are about building future-ready capabilities across manufacturing, renewable energy, and lifecycle services, ensuring that Premium is well-positioned to create long-term value for customers and capitalise on emerging growth opportunities.
3. As gearbox and power transmission systems become increasingly application-specific, how is Premium balancing standardisation with customer-driven customisation?
Answer:
One of Premium’s key differentiators is our ability to combine a strong portfolio of standard products with deep engineering and customisation capabilities.
While we offer a comprehensive range of geared motors, worm gearboxes, helical gearboxes, planetary gearboxes, and fluid couplings, our approach goes beyond supplying products. We work closely with customers to understand their application requirements and operating environment, enabling us to customise our solutions to seamlessly fit their ecosystem and performance objectives.
In addition, we have developed a range of application-specific solutions, including extruder gearboxes, cooling tower gearboxes, and aerator gearboxes, designed to address the unique challenges of specific industries and applications.
This combination of standard offerings, application engineering expertise, and customer-centric customisation enables us to deliver solutions that enhance performance, improve reliability, and create long-term value for our customers
4. What are the biggest engineering challenges today in designing transmission solutions for high-performance industrial applications?
Answer:
Today’s industrial customers expect transmission solutions that deliver higher efficiency, greater reliability, longer service life, and lower operating costs, often in demanding operating environments. At the same time, there is a growing need for application-specific solutions rather than standard products.
At Premium, we view these evolving requirements as opportunities rather than challenges. With decades of engineering expertise, a strong product portfolio, and deep application knowledge, we are well-equipped to develop solutions that meet the performance, efficiency, and reliability expectations of modern industries.
Our ability to combine standard offerings with customised engineering enables us to deliver solutions that fit seamlessly into the customer’s ecosystem, creating long-term operational and lifecycle value.
We have also started incorporating AI, machine learning, digital engineering, and data-driven processes across various aspects of our operations. These technologies are helping accelerate design cycles, improve process efficiency, enhance decision-making, and create a more system-driven approach to engineering and manufacturing.
Going forward, the combination of engineering expertise and digital intelligence will be a key differentiator in developing smarter, more efficient, and high-performance industrial solutions.
5. Manufacturing excellence is often built on hundreds of small improvements rather than a single breakthrough. What areas of production are currently receiving the most attention within Premium?
Answer:
I completely agree that manufacturing excellence is a journey of continuous improvement rather than a single breakthrough. At Premium, our focus is on strengthening the fundamentals while leveraging technology to enhance quality, productivity, and responsiveness.
Today, we are prioritising precision manufacturing, lead-time reduction, and operational flexibility to meet evolving customer expectations. Investments in advanced machining technologies and process optimisation are helping us improve accuracy, consistency, and overall manufacturing efficiency.
Digitalisation is another key area of focus. We are increasingly leveraging AI-driven processes, automation, and data analytics to improve process visibility, enhance traceability, optimise workflows, and support faster, data-driven decision-making.
Equally important is the development of our people. Manufacturing excellence is ultimately driven by skilled teams supported by a culture of continuous improvement and operational discipline.
For us, excellence is not defined by a single innovation but by the cumulative impact of continuous improvements that strengthen quality, efficiency, and customer value. This mindset has been central to our journey for over six decades and continues to guide our future.
6. The industry is witnessing rapid adoption of automation, digital manufacturing, and data-driven quality control. Which of these developments do you believe will have the greatest impact on gearbox manufacturing?
Answer:
While automation and digital manufacturing are transforming production, I believe the most profound impact will come from the increasing use of AI and data-driven intelligence across the entire asset lifecycle, adding tremendous value to the customers.
The industry is moving beyond conventional manufacturing practices towards connected and intelligent ecosystems, where data is no longer confined to the shop floor. Real-time monitoring, advanced analytics, and predictive capabilities are enabling manufacturers and end users to make better decisions, improve reliability, and optimise asset performance.
This shift is changing the way industrial equipment is managed. Instead of relying solely on scheduled maintenance, companies are increasingly adopting condition-based and predictive approaches powered by AI and digital technologies. The ability to capture critical machine data and convert it into meaningful insights will be a key differentiator in the years ahead.
At Premium, we have embraced this trend through our Asset Management System, which leverages strategically placed sensors and real-time performance tracking to provide continuous visibility into equipment health. By transforming machine data into actionable intelligence, the system helps customers optimise performance, improve reliability, and minimise unplanned downtime.
Going forward, I believe the convergence of advanced manufacturing, AI-driven analytics, and intelligent asset management will have the greatest impact on the gearbox industry. The focus will increasingly shift from simply manufacturing products to enabling smarter, more efficient, and more reliable operations throughout the life of the asset.
7. In your view, what differentiates a world-class Indian transmission manufacturer from a global competitor today?
Answer:
I believe the distinction between an Indian manufacturer and a global competitor is becoming increasingly blurred. Today, world-class manufacturing is defined not by geography, but by engineering excellence, innovation, quality, and the ability to consistently create value for customers.
India’s growth story is playing an important role in this transformation. As one of the fastest-growing major economies and the world’s fourth-largest economy, India is emerging as a key manufacturing destination. The country offers a unique combination of engineering talent, a robust supplier ecosystem, and cost competitiveness, enabling companies to deliver high-quality solutions with strong value propositions.
What differentiates world-class manufacturers today is their ability to combine technology, manufacturing excellence, and application expertise with agility and customer responsiveness. Increasingly, customers are looking for partners who can provide not just products, but complete solutions and lifecycle support.
Indian companies are particularly well-positioned in this regard. They are able to offer globally benchmarked products and services while maintaining cost effectiveness and shorter response times. This combination makes India an attractive hub for both domestic and international customers.
At Premium Group, our journey of over six decades has taught us that sustainable success is built on continuous investment in technology, people, and capabilities. Whether through Premium Transmission, Premium Motion, or Premium Care, our focus remains on delivering solutions that enhance reliability, efficiency, and sustainability.
8. As end-user industries pursue higher efficiency and lower operating costs, how are customer expectations reshaping the design and performance requirements of transmission systems?
Answer:
Customer expectations have evolved considerably over the years. Today, the focus extends well beyond product performance. End users are looking for solutions that deliver higher efficiency, lower operating costs, consistent quality, faster delivery, and dependable support throughout the life of the equipment.
This shift is driving the industry towards more efficient, reliable, and application-specific transmission systems. Customers are increasingly evaluating the total cost of ownership rather than just the initial acquisition cost. As a result, reliability, ease of maintenance, energy efficiency, and uptime have become equally important considerations.
Another notable change is the growing emphasis on responsiveness and after-sales support. Customers expect their partners to not only deliver high-quality products but also provide timely service and the expertise needed to maximise asset performance. This is leading to greater adoption of condition monitoring, predictive maintenance, and digital solutions that help improve reliability and minimise unplanned downtime.
At Premium Group, these evolving requirements are influencing the way we design, manufacture, and support our solutions. Alongside our focus on delivering high-quality transmission products with shorter lead times and application expertise, we have strengthened our lifecycle support capabilities through Premium Care. By combining service expertise with digital asset management solutions, we are helping customers enhance equipment reliability and extract greater value from their assets.
Ultimately, I believe the industry is moving from a product-centric approach to a performance-centric one, where customers are seeking long-term partners who can deliver not just products, but sustained value throughout the lifecycle of their equipment.
9. Premium serves a wide range of industries. Which emerging sectors do you believe will create the next wave of demand for advanced power transmission solutions?
Answer:
While our traditional markets continue to offer strong opportunities, we see the next phase of growth being driven by a number of sunrise sectors that are benefiting from global trends such as energy transition, infrastructure development, automation, and digitalisation.
Renewable energy is one of the most promising areas. The rapid expansion of utility-scale solar projects is creating demand for intelligent and reliable tracking systems, and through Premium Motion, we are supporting this sector with integrated solar tracking solutions designed to enhance energy yield and system performance.
We also see significant opportunities in material handling, warehousing and logistics, water and wastewater treatment, mining, and infrastructure. These sectors increasingly require high-performance gearboxes, geared motors, and fluid couplings that deliver efficiency, reliability, and long service life under demanding operating conditions.
Another area gaining momentum is asset reliability and lifecycle management. As industries focus on maximising asset utilisation and minimising downtime, there is a growing demand for refurbishment, condition monitoring, predictive maintenance, and digital asset management solutions. This is where our Premium Care business is helping customers improve equipment performance and extend asset life.
India’s emergence as a major manufacturing and infrastructure hub, coupled with increasing investments in clean energy and industrial modernisation, is expected to further accelerate demand for advanced power transmission solutions.
At Premium Group, we believe these opportunities align well with our strengths. Our portfolio today spans industrial gearboxes, geared motors, fluid couplings, integrated solar tracking solutions, and lifecycle services, enabling us to support customers across sectors that are shaping the future of industry.
10. Looking ahead, where do you envision Premium Transmission five years from now, and what role will innovation play in achieving that vision?
Answer:
Over the next five years, we see Premium Transmission further strengthening its position as a global industrial solutions group. While power transmission will continue to be the foundation of our business, we see significant opportunities in renewable energy and lifecycle services.
We expect Premium Motion to become an established player in the sunrise sectors globally, particularly renewable energy, through its integrated solar tracking solutions. At the same time, we will continue to strengthen our lifecycle solutions business and bring our service capabilities closer to customers, helping them improve asset performance and reliability.
Innovation will continue to be a key enabler of our growth. By combining engineering expertise with advanced manufacturing and digital technologies, we aim to deliver reliable and customised solutions that create greater value for our customers.
Ultimately, our goal is to be known not just for manufacturing high-quality products but for delivering integrated solutions that improve efficiency, reliability, and sustainability for customers across industries and geographies. We believe this will define the next phase of growth for Premium Group.
