- Asim Behera is the COO and the Executive Board Member at Daifuku India, a global leader in ASRS, Factory Automation and Logistics Solutions
- Right from Daifuku’s entry to becoming a market leader in India, Asim has been instrumental in Daifuku’s steady growth in India
- An exponent of automation, Asim envisions an industry well equipped with the power of automation and technology
Daifuku, the global leader in automated storage and retrieval systems, popularly known as ASRS or AS/RS is into factory automation and logistics solutions. Daifuku Intralogistics (IL) division set its footstep in the Indian market around 2013 and within just seven years has become a market leader. While Daifuku’s excellent ASRS solutions have contributed to the market leader, the company’s incredible success in India can be credited to one extraordinary leader Daifuku India has got Asim Behera. Right from masterminding Daifuku’s entry into the Factory Automation Division of the Indian market to its becoming the leader, his role has been the cornerstone.
“Automation is not Good to have, but a Must have”, says Asim who advocates implementation of modern technology in the Indian manufacturing process. A strong advocate of automation for many years, supporting the Prime Minister’s clarion call of Atmanirbharta, Machine Maker spoke to Asim, and what spanned out was a tale of an incredible journey.
Learning to Let Go: Insightful Formative Years
With his father employed in the Short Service Commission as an Army Doctor, Asim practically grew up among the Army. Much like the fate of many army kids, his family had to move quite often, all over India, for 10 years of his father’s employment. “That kind of helped me become quite a nomad,” says Behera, chuckling. Recalling those days, Behera remembers how this process made him learn to let go of things.
After a brief stay in the Middle-East during his senior schooling due to his father’s deployment there, the family came back to India in the early 90s. The idea of studying abroad had already been formed in the mind of this curious young boy. After he was done with school, Behera went to the Oklahoma State University in the US for an undergraduate course in Electrical and Computer Engineering with a focus on robotics. “It’s probably the best thing that ever happened to me,” says Behera.
Even though it wasn’t common for a person of Behera’s background to study in an American university, things worked out. Fortunately, there were people that he could count on in his time of need and with their help, he was able to survive college.
Challenging Times of Recession & Starting a Career
In 2005, Behera was a jobless PIO (Person of Indian Origin) with a huge student loan. In the same year, the American economy was hit by an unprecedented recession. Not just the US, the global economy had been hit due to the large deficit of the United States and the growing surpluses in the Asian, European, and oil-exporting economies.
Exacerbated by rising oil prices, natural disasters, and geopolitical instability, the global economic environment was threatening to hinder the immediate longer-term growth of developing economies much like India. Safe to say, the job prospects for a foreign student were dire at best.
The thing about fate is, it hits you when you’re least expecting it. Undecided on any course of action, Behera had taken up his uncle’s suggestion to stay with him till he finds a job. His roommate at the time, a Dubai resident with proficiency in Construction Management Technology, had taken up the responsibility to distribute Behera’s resumé to a few people he knew before returning home.
One day, in Oklahoma, as Behera was preparing to board a flight to New Jersey, a phone call for an interview changed his life for the better. “I don’t know what you’re looking for, but I have your resumé. Are you still looking for a job?” he was informed and, suddenly, he had a purpose. Adorned in a suit with his resumé and portfolio in hand, in a sea of hard-hat donned, jeans-clad workers, Behera was out of his depth. But as he was taken around to take a look at the construction site, the sight of robotics and all the modern machinery moving in tandem with a mere touch of a button. “I don’t know where I’m headed but I will do anything you give me,” said an amazed Behera, already moving one step forward towards a future in Intralogistics and Automation.
He joined as an intern and later became a full-time employee. “And the rest is history,” says Behera, with the air of somebody who understands how far he has come, with the memory of his journey refreshed in his mind’s eye. Gradually, Behera worked with big organizations such as DC Water, USA, and Swisslog.
Handling & Robotics for Make in India
In 2011, Behera moved back to India. New to the atmosphere of the society and the businesses, he devoted a fair amount of time in learning ‘what not to do’. In 2013, he joined Daifuku and was instrumental in devising the master plan for Daifuku’s Intralogistics entry into India. Since then, he has been very active in the growing Material Handling & Robotics market in India.
Behera, having experienced a technologically enhanced environment in the US, brought with himself the knowledge of what the industry had the capacity to look like. Even so, upon telling people about automation, he realized how ill-informed and disbelieving Indians were when it came to foreign tech. Through videos and power-point presentations, Behera was able to convince people to invest in automation. However, he persisted to make people accept the benefit of automation and also establish Daifuku in the Indian market.
Today Asim’s leadership is certainly one factor that has made Daifuku a globally trusted material handling partner. It is under his leadership that Daifuku is now the only company in India to have secured multiple ASRS orders in a very short time. He has designed, implemented and automated numerous multi-million dollar Distribution Centers both in the USA & India for mega-retailers, Food & Beverage, Paints, Tyres to name a few.
Inspiring Youths Towards Technology Transformation
Bringing his years of domain expertise and experience, Asim also speaks at various industry platforms such as CII, ASSOCHAM, CEMAT, IWS, and Symbiosis University. His articles and interviews are regularly published in leading business magazines and an inspiring figure for many within Daifuku India and their associates. Mr. Behera is an inspiration for the youth of India today, and he never leaves an opportunity to guide and answer the curious minds.
Responsible for the tremendous success of Daifuku in India and the advancement of automation as well as the ASRS (Automated Storage and Retrieval System), Asim is the epitome of hard work and the passion to achieve great things. Under the leadership of Asim, Daifuku India achieved many awards including the SCALE Award 2019 by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) for the best company in the ‘Intra-Logistics Automation' category.
Being one of us and rising well above his status to chase his passion and willingness to work with whatever life throws at him. His hope for the industry today is to not ponder over the pros and cons of automation and, instead, to just jump into it, try it and see the result for themselves. With two kids and work-from-home, Asim has yet again made out the best of the situation COVID19 presented to him and his company. With leaders like Mr. Behera, the future of ‘Make in India’ will be better than science fiction. You can connect Asim Behera https://www.linkedin.com/in/asimbehera, and for more details visit www.daifuku.com/in
