Interview

‘We Apply for One Patent Every Month’

Chennai based Silicon Labs has carved a niche in critical care manufacturing market. This small scale company is standing out from its counterparts by practicing innovation and investing in R&D. L Narayanan, Managing Director, Silicon Labs in conversation with K Deepalakshmi.

L Narayanan, Managing Director Silicon Labs

Please brief us about the journey of SiliconLabs.

Silicon Labs was founded in 1998 as a R&D Company with just three members. The main objective that time was to design and manufacture critical care monitoring products. The first project was pulse oximeter and it was successfully developed. It took three months to develop and the next three months were required to validate. It took another three months to showcase it to potential dealers and OEM (original equipment manufacturer). It took a lot of time in looking for various dealers and distributors who would be interested in our products.

The next product we started developing was a cardiac monitor in 1999 and it again took one year to introduce it in the market. Thus, we have been successfully developing one product once every six months. As years go by, we also had more and more products to offer. After stabilising and penetrating the tough medical market, we started to look at the totally new product inventions to lead India in medical care. We are working on innovations since last two years and we have filed two patents. We are also working on many other new technologies to improve and invent new patient care. Simultaneously, we improved on our sales, establishing the market image. Our units are found to be effective and cost-saving. We lead the market prices by offering customer the best possible prices. As our aim was to establish as a leader in this industry, we offered best to the customer and this translated into a brand image.

Simultaneously, we improved our image by offering lifetime warranty without any conditions and quick response services on complaints. This brought in a lot of confidence to the customer and in turn brand image. Today, we are in a state of emerging big by introducing world's first product to save life - the latest in pacemaker technology. We are working quite a few emerging technologies to lead India in medical equipment innovation. Today, we are proud to say that we developed solutions in-house which none of our competitors had done. We have IPRs(Intellectual Property Rights) in our name which our competitor's don't have.

Medical equipment has been your forte. What products do you offer to the medical world?

Although, we can do wonders in every area in medical field but due to financial and other constraints, we started with critical care monitoring segment and today we are satisfied that we are through with that. We have every solution to offer to the customer in critical care segment. We can give any combination of the below parameters to our customers.

• ECG
• Pulse Oximetry
• NIBP (non-invasive blood
• pressure)
• IBP (invasive blood pressure)
• Respiration
• Temperature
• EtCO2 (end-tidal carbon dioxide)
• Pacing (Both transvenous and transthoracic)
• Defibrillation (Both monophasic and bi-phasic)

You have been constantly working on R&D. What are the innovations credited to SiliconLabs?

Yes, our core competency is R&D. In the past two years, we had applied for 12 patents. Roughly, we apply for one patent every month. We are sure that one day we will be able to lead India. We currently have patents applied in interferential non-invasive temporary pacing- a remarkable step in pacing, dual-mode pulse oximeter.

Why did you choose R&D, when most of your Indian counterparts prefer manufacturing existing technologies?

I am the technical lead and founder of the SiliconLabs. From the beginning of my studies I was always interested to do something different and new. I have a strong inclination towards searching and doing new things. Also, I am a person who can convert theory to practical. I have moulded my team of staff to my desires.

Certainly, it is difficult many times to do something new and it is easier to copy from somebody. But that is the self satisfaction that I derive from- to do something to make proud of myself, my company and India.

I find there is lots of scope everywhere and in every field to improve, invent, new design, product. Many people are aware of it but they do not have internal drive to make and show it to the world.

Please elaborate your latest innovation in pacemaker technology.

We and many other foreign companies manufacture Non-invasive Temporary Pacing (NTP) either separately or as an addition to de-fibrillators. Although, it proved as a useful tool for asystole or bradyasystolic situations, due to its side-effects of stimulation of transcutaneous tissues it was not popularly used. This new device by using high frequency does not stimulate transcutaneous tissues whereas it will selectively stimulate the heart. Also the user can select the area of the myocardium by placement of electrodes.

This innovation will greatly enhance and help in emergency situations to sustain life. Even EMR personnel or any physician can administer with little training. It will be immensely useful in every ICU.

What are the new products in the pipeline?

We are working on new defibrillator, GPRS based monitoring systems, ventilators and cost effective hybrid patient monitors first time in India.

What is your opinion on India as a manufacturing centre of medical equipment? Is Indian Government helpful in developing this industry?

India is growing in every sector. But Government should encourage core areas to become self-sufficient. Today, many items are imported and hence skill developed within India is slowly vanishing. There is no protection to Indian manufacturers. Also, there is no Indian regulation to medical devices and we have to be dependent on costly and time consuming foreign certification. Many governmental purchase agencies insist on European or American Certifications. Government should come out with clear policies and also open-up adequate test certification centres with test equipment to test these devices. Without testing centres, Indian regulations and IPR (full-form) protection, it will be very difficult to grow in a rapid manner.

Apart from the medical equipment, do you have any plans of diversifying the company?

Yes, we have some future plans made to get into other segments of medical market.

Other than that, we have three associated companies, to manufacture and market non- medical patented and other products. Silicon ideas is our R&D firm. We hold 12 patents in various non-medical fields. Silicon Technology manufactures and markets our non medical products. CompuLabs owns four patents in laptops and desktops. We will soon start our manufacturing facility in Chennai.

SiliconLabs is now a decade old firm. How do you rate the growth of your company?

Growth rate consists of three areas namely, brand image, number of products and IPR. We have certainly made a good show of all the three. I would say our growth rate is gradual and consistent.

k.deepalakshmi@expressindia.com