Skylight Redesign

Unichem Trading Company manages real estate properties in and around India. Under my purview was the management and rehabilitation of the Schneider Electric India factory in Poonamalee Tamil Nadu. The issue that we faced was that there was continuous leakage of water during mild and heavy rains during the monsoon period that arrested or slowed down the output of the factory. Most products created here are sensitive to water and were termed as extraordinarily critical. I had to propose a permanent, quick, and economical solution that could fix this critical issue.

role

In this project, I was responsible for the proposal and solution used to solve this critical issue. As the solely accountable stakeholder, the buck stopped with me. I had to take full responsibility in how the solution was approached and stand by it with proof that I presented to the board and the Schneider maintenance team so that both sides would find this solution amicable.

story

The main factory building was erected in 2009. It consisted of 12 skylight panels that ran through the building's breadth as per Schneider India's norms to maintain the lumens level for employees on the main factory floor. This leakage was a critical problem that had to be solved during the monsoon rains in 2017 quickly without factory shutdown. After many iterations and consultations with various parties, I arrived upon a solution using polyurethane (PU) tape to reseal the ends that connected the metallic sheet to the skylights. A PU lacquer was applied to enhance the binding and mold the materials together efficiently. To date, the skylights have withstood leakage and survived the torrential rain over the past few months.

learning

The oppurtunity of working with Schneider Electric educated me with their SDG goals and the critical role they played on the wellness of the shop floor employee. Squeezed between giving Schneider the best solution and strapped financially with my firm, I learned how to manage the situation and provide a win-win situation to all stakeholders.