AHMEDABAD: In times of the pandemic, disinfection and sanitization are the buzzwords. As public services and transport resumed in full swing, the need for disinfection of products, surfaces, air and water media has intensified. Addressing the need for disinfecting equipment and products used in the railways, Ahmedabad-based start-up, ShiUV India Private Limited, which developed UVC (Ultra Violet C-Spectrum) based disinfection products, bagged an order from the Southern Railways for one of its products – a disinfection oven.

“Soon after the trains resumed, the Southern Railways were facing major problems in disinfecting different products, because each product be it linen or spares that goes out from the store exchanges many hands. Chemical-based disinfectants not just proved less effective but were even a costlier affair. We have developed a huge oven for them which they use for disinfecting linen, bedsheets and other products used in the train,” said Harsh Shah, founder, ShiUV Lighting Private Limited.

Incorporated in March 2020, the startup now offers some six different disinfection products for water, air and surface sanitization, which disinfects up to 99.9% killing all microbes and germs, including the Covid-19 virus.

Shah was into the business of commercial lighting before he founded the startup. “While researching about disinfection technologies, I realized that chemical-based disinfectants have a number of problems and come at a recurring cost. On the other hand, UVC-based disinfection is a dry mechanism. Our products are certified by NABL-accredited laboratories wherein 99.9% disinfection is achieved within minutes including that for Covid-19 virus.”

The company is also in talks with the Central Railways at present for another order. “We have also developed a product that will help disinfect the air-conditioning vent in the train, and it has already been tested by the Central Railways. We are in the final stages of negotiation and working out details of the order,” said Shah.

The startup is incubated at Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India (EDII) at present. It caters to clients including the likes of International hospitality brands such as Hyatt Hotels and Marriott International. That apart, it also provides a wide range of disinfection products for the Indian Railways, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Aegis Infoware, Omega Elevators and FirstCry.com.

The company manufactures hand-held devices as well as industrial disinfection devices using the UVC-based technologies that help disinfect water media, surfaces and even AC vents.

“At present, we are a self-funded startup and the entire funding is done through our commercial lighting company, which is a six-year-old firm,” said Shah, a 29-year-old alumnus of EDII. 

PS: Harsh Shah, PG alumnus, (2013-15) & Founder of SHIUV, a startup incubated at CrAdLE was profiled in The Times of India on 27th December, 2020.