Sandeep Sukhija was all of nine years old when his father Sadanand Sukhija set up S Cranes Engineering. After completing his diploma in mechanical engineering, he formally entered the family business at the age of 20. At that time, the company had a turnover of about Rs 11 lakh per annum, a floor space of 3,000 sq ft and a team of six people. Sandeep soon took over the reins of the company, with a single-point agenda: to create a good facility that could turn out an excellent product.

That, incidentally, has also been his motto. "If your product is excellent, the rest will follow," he says. Today, S Cranes has a manufacturing facility that spans one lakh sq ft, with 200 people. His devotion to excellence is reflected in his frank, unassuming manner. His goal is to transform S Cranes into an institution that can, in some way, change the world.

Away from work, he volunteers with Akanksha, an NGO that provides education to underprivileged children. He is closely associated with Landmark Education, a self expression and leadership programme that encourages people to examine their lives and break barriers; he is one of the 30 programme leaders in India.

When the company shifted base to Sanjan, he did not want to leave his loyal staff in the lurch. He went the extra mile to construct a residential building in the vicinity of the plant, where 80 families could be housed. He is also involved in activities in and around his manufacturing unit, which is located in a super-backward tribal area.