A leading solutions’ provider to the hospitality industry, in the realm of commercial kitchens, laundry, and electronic locks, Wang Hospitality Equipment Pvt Ltd (erstwhile Wang Professionals) was established in 2003.
Rohit Wangoo, Executive Director, Wang Hospitality Equipment Pvt Ltd (WHEPL), speaks to Hotelier India about the unique services their company provides, how they meet the demands of the ever-changing hospitality industry, and the vision for his brand…
Tell us something about Wang Hospitality. What was the trigger and concept behind starting the organisation?
This could be best answered by the person; who after devoting the best part of three decades (of which ~28 years were with M/s Blue Star Ltd.) to corporate world with enviable consistency, got his act together, mustered courage at an age where many start planning for retirement, to leap into being an entrepreneur with his start-up, where he was “the one man army”.
Vijay Kumar Wangnoo (our founder), fondly addressed as “Boss”, it seems, had his “Thumbs Up moment” on April 07 2003, that led him to think and act on the lines of “Aaj Kuch Toofani Karte Hain” resulting in the formation of “Wang Professionals” (a proprietary firm).
The hallmark of his professional character is a profound fact that whilst he was still taking baby-steps in this new phase; he was backed in letter and spirit by his erstwhile employer.
Fast forward to the current era; Wang Group has transitioned into a 110+ strong and young bunch of “go-getters” in form on Wang Professionals Pvt Ltd & Wang Hospitality Equipment Pvt Ltd; two companies with diversified focus areas of operations.
# Wang Hospitality Equipment Pvt Ltd (WHEPL):
Under the able leadership of Vijay Wangnoo, WHEPL is driven by Rohit Wangnoo (with ~21+ years of experience; of which ~19+ years have been spent with WHEPL across various functions) who beyond being one of the directors in the company; also heads the “turnkey kitchen and laundry contracting” part of the business. He brings on board an in-depth understanding of the industry, equipment and project management, necessary to ensure a successful completion and hand over of any commercial kitchen and laundry project.
Wang Hospitality Equipment Private Limited (WHEPL) operates within three distinct business verticals, each tailored to meet the specific demands of the hospitality industry:
Turnkey Commercial Kitchen Solutions: As Turnkey Commercial Kitchen Contractor, WHEPL offers contemporary bespoke solutions. We collaborate with facility planners; PMC’s; & ID and ID Contractors; operators and owners in achieving desired results around state-of-the-art kitchens aligned with our client’s unique operational requirements in Hospitality Industry/ or Corporate Sector. Our endeavor is to offer robust and efficient solutions that augment productivity and profitability. We do so by offering energy efficient and cost effective solutions.
Commercial Laundry Services: Our laundry services cater to a diverse range of sectors, including Hospitality, Hospitals, Cleanroom facilities, Retail Laundromats, Testing Labs, and Commercial Laundries. We deliver holistic solutions, from design services (if required); to supply & maintenance; followed by proactive after sales support.
Electronic Lock Solutions: Partnering with Assa Abloy’s VingCard Electronic locks, we offer RFID enabled; electronic locks and access control solutions. Conventionally; mechanical locks played a limited (though significant) role. In the current fast paced era, technology has challenged/disrupted the conventional locks in a manner where Assa Abloy has evolved into a technology company offering comprehensive solutions to the operators/owners; which enable them to serve their guests; from the time they arrive at the destination airport; to a seamless check in/out experience. By virtue of our association with Assa Abloy we are constantly evolving as a system integrator [rather than a commodity supplier; offering host of services that augments satisfaction and peace of mind for guests, operators, and owners]. We are at a cusp of embarking on a fascinating journey; where we (potentially) would/could play a pivotal role to integrate ISP’s, BMS solution providers, Technology Service Providers and others to enhance guest experience and enable operators/owners to reduce energy costs during operations.
What is your association with the hospitality industry like? Who forms your main clientele?
Being a solution provider to the hospitality industry; we play a significant role in FOH [front of house] as well as BOH [back of house]. Some of our target audience would be:
- Hotels & Resorts (Owners & Operators)
- Restaurants & Cafés
- Hospitals
- Corporates
- Laundromats & Laundrates
- Architects & contractors
- Interior Designers & contractors
- Project Management Companies
- Facility Planners
How do you cater to the demands of the ever-changing industry?
As we continue to expand our offerings to clients in the realm of commercial kitchens, laundry, and electronic locks, we are dedicated to:
Strategic Partnerships: We’re proactively pursuing collaborations with reputable OEMs and service partners to bolster consistency in product quality, and cost-effective solutions. This should hopefully result in elevated customer satisfaction.
Service Augmentations: We have consciously and prudently allocated capital in adapting to technology with a focus to significantly improve client experience. We hope that this decision of ours would propel us in a different orbit altogether; on account of having “delighted customers”.
Customer-Centric Innovations: By virtue of our interaction with industry leaders, think-tanks and their feedback; we understand that the conventional ways of working are being disrupted and in order to keep pace, we are constantly pushing ourselves by creating in-house “process, resources, & skill-sets” that should keep us in good stead.
Continuous Advancements: We operate in a domain which is unique and honestly there’s never been a single dull-day of over 20+ of being in the industry. Each project throws a different set of challenges that leads to new learning(s). It has been a fascinating journey so far; wherein we (not only) have had to think before we leaped; but many a times; we were compelled to think whilst being in the leap. We consciously plough in our learning(s) from the past projects to the new ones and that helps us immensely in being in absolute control of the project deliverables (most of which ironically are variable in nature).
People First Approach: We deeply value and respect the contribution of our colleagues. In order to provide for a meaningful financial stability to each of our colleagues; we have embarked on a journey around being “Compassionate Capitalists”. Whilst we continue to be part of the SME ecosystem with modest means; we have commenced internal process of evaluating “ways & means” of giving it back to those; who have (& who continue) to contribute in making WHEPL a formidable force. Collectively; we hope to give back to the society; too. We take immense inspiration by our Prime Minister’s call for “sabka-saath; sabka-vikas; sabka-vishwas” and that is possible only with “sabka-prayas”.
What is the USP of your service? And what makes you stand out from your counterparts?
This one is indeed thought provoking!
Our founder once stated that one of the reasons why WANG (as a brand/company) gained acceptance back in the day was due to our focus and commitment on providing timely and efficient after sales support; something that was amiss in that era.
With time; even the competition understands that service is one of the key differentiators and hence the incumbent could either lose edge or others could end up being at par or even better (at times).
So! What next?
- We try and identify the best in class (and at times we need to look beyond our borders; as well); learn by observing &/or engaging in meaningful conversations/discussions with accomplished professionals. Contrary to the myth that people aren’t keen to assist; we have had fabulous & enriching experience in picking up the brains of some industry stalwarts.
- We consciously and constantly choose to identify complex tasks/ challenges and commit ourselves to overcome these by adapting to “doing things; Right! The First Time”. Within our ecosystem we align to the policy of “The Right Way or the Highway” instead of “My Way or The Highway”; even if it be a treacherous path.
- C-D-E Rule: Communication (proactive/timely); Documentation; & Escalation is yet another aspect that we never give up on; even if it be borderline annoying for other(s).
- 3P’s Policy: Passion; Precision; & Professionalism; has also helped us sleep well; whilst we could.
- As lesser mortals we understand that we are bound to make mistakes; & this being said; we (should we come across our mistakes):
- Call out ourselves (and in case if someone calls out our mistakes; after dispassionate assessment should it the true; we accept)
- Apologize & take immediate corrective action(s)
- Absorb the cost (happily)
- We are our biggest “self-critics” and our commitment towards “attention to detail” allows us to identify areas of improvement and allows us to get better as we move forward.
- Whilst we clap for ourselves; we do not “celebrate” our WINS; instead we “celebrate” only after successfully handing over the projects to stakeholders.
Come to think of it; the afore-stated isn’t rocket science. All of this is taught in business schools &/or in formative years at the corporate world.
The challenging part is to wake up every day; commit to this discipline and do this for the rest of your life. This is where we score a tad better (perhaps) over our worthy friends. Our obsession helps us stay in CKP (Curiosity Ka Papita) mode.
As a matter of fact; we happen to be one of late entrants to the world of contracting and hence were (and continue to be) borderline obsessed in figuring out ways “to sustain; be profitable; and to grow”.
Tell us about your vision you have for your brand and your roadmap to reach there.
A wise wo(/man) once said that the “road to success” is always under construction.
Further India is set to be in a unique sweet spot for the foreseeable future in terms of high single digit growth in real GPD and low double digit to mid-teens kind of growth in nominal GDP. Whilst India has just about touched ~USD 2500 per capita GDP earlier this year (2023); this is expected to be in the vicinity of ~USD 18000 (considering i.65 Billion population). It is unfathomable for lesser mortals to estimate the quantum of discretionary spends that this would lead to. Also; & on a conservative basis the Hospitality Industry is set to grow at a 15%+ CAGR until (atleast) YEAR 2047 with ~1.6 USD Trillion to India’s GDP then; we believe that we need to have the following; simple yet focused approach:
- Prepare for a test match instead of T20s; howsoever glamorous the latter may be. Play each ball to its merit.
- Focus of keeping customers & other stakeholders (internal & external) delighted
- Prudently allocate capital to ring-fence our strengths.
- Look out of adjacent business opportunities that can be used to increase asset turns by leveraging our existing strengths/efficiencies.
Whilst it is nice to have explicit targets; should we instead focus on the process “by doing things right; and consistently”; we will most certainly achieve a happy, healthy and content ecosystem of internal & external stakeholders.
Promise to share more; as and when we achieve something that is worth mentioning.
