K. Vijay, MD, Ajax Fiori

Born on March 31st 1951, an alumnus of IIT Madras, Mr. K Vijay was passionate about pursuing a career in Core Engineering so he joined Larsen & Toubro as a Design Engineer. He was a part of the team that established L&T's Hydraulic Excavator plant in Bangalore –then the first of its kind in the country. Having always the entrepreneurial bug, it was but natural for Mr. Vijay, to branch out on his own in the field of design and Engineering and to eventually co-found what has now become the second largest company in the concreting equipment space and with over 450 employees.

With Mr. Vijay at the helm, Ajax Fiori has gone from strength to strength to become one of the India's leading solution providers for concreting needs. From manufacturing its first Self Loading Concrete Mixer in 1993, the company has recently reached the significant milestone of delivering its 5000th machine at a special function held at its headquarters in Bangalore. This is apart from the company's presence in other products- Concrete batching plants, Concrete pumps, Dumpers, and Transit Mixers.

"It wasn't an easy task. The initial years were a struggle to survive. Self-Loading Mixer is still a nascent concept and with the Infrastructure industry mired in a slump in the mid 90's, we had to dig deep into our personal savings to keep the company afloat," says Mr. Vijay.

As an honest and true service provider, Mr. Vijay strongly espouses the central role played in ensuring customer satisfaction as a key to his success. He has initiated and established a work ethic which not only focuses on manufacturing world-class products but also provides timely and effective product support. His ability to spot opportunities and foresee the development needs of an emerging India has steered Ajax Fiori to an enviable position.Trained in France and Italy, Mr. Vijay has combined European discipline and work ethic with the Indian ethos to create an enduring standard of productivity and excellence, which his staff swears by.

Apart from business, Mr. Vijay is involved in philanthropic activities. As Managing Trustee of Pragati Educational Foundation, a charitable trust, he has been involved in providing financial and mentoring support to needy children.

When he is not busy meeting clients and collaborators, Mr. Vijay is an avid reader, attributing his learning to books like Maverick by Ricardo Semler. He values spending quality time with his wife, daughter, an aspiring Author and his son who is also a mechanical engineer by profession. Being amongst friends and listening to good music are his favoured pastimes.

A leader by example, and truly passionate about what he does, Mr. Vijay has a vision to leave his own indelible imprint in making India one of the leading global economies.