GRANT'S DESI ACHIEVER
AHEAD-OF-THE-CURVE IDEAS
Kailash (Kacee) Vasudeva is the founder of Maxtech Consumer Products.
By SHAGORIKA EASWAR
Kailash (Kacee) Vasudeva has designed a vast range of products that are sold in stores across Canada, the United States, Mexico, the United Kingdom and Germany.
Everything from automotive products, tools and power tool accessories to mosquito and bed bug prevention.
He makes it sound simple. “I am an inventor,” says the founder of Maxtech Consumer Products. “I come up with ideas for a product, looking at the current needs of the country and the world. My team comes up with prototypes and we apply for patents.”
When the call went out to manufacturers to help fill the gaps in the supply for PPE at the height of the pandemic, Vasudeva was one of the first to sign up. He applied for several patents and Maxtech was soon selling clear masks, tiltable face shields, a card badge with a slot for hand sanitizer, etc.
With a rare level of confidence, he had pivoted his production before signing any contracts to sell his product range.
“As I say, I’m not the smartest person in the room,” he says with a laugh. “Our universities are full of smart young people. I come up with an idea and then work with people at University of Waterloo, McMaster, and Conestoga College, etc., to develop and test them. I have no doubt that they will work!”
“We don’t do products, we solve problems.”
Planning ahead, he had applied for several patents.
Among them, the Maxtech Viral Guard, an air cleaning unit that not only removes dust particles but also pathogens that can cause COVID or the flu.
A facial viral guard, which is a clear mask with special filters on the side that deactivate any pathogens coming through it.
And a dry steam unit that cleans and decontaminates surfaces without harsh chemicals and gases.
At the time of this interview, he had just received confirmation from the International Patent Office that he would soon get his patents for these and was looking to start manufacturing.
“Schools, universities, offices, they could all stay open,” he says, enthusiastically. “The air cleaning unit, mask and steam unit are a total solution. They could put Canada on the world map.
“Think of how many restaurants have closed during the pandemic, how many businesses shuttered. With these, there’d be no more lockdowns!”
His focus is on addressing temporary needs right away while looking for long-term solutions – putting out fires while coming up with ways to prevent them in the first place.
All the while keeping the health of the planet in mind. He invented and produced a screwdriver that replaces 24, saving millions of tons of plastic and metal waste from landfills. Those ubiquitous tool kits we see in clear cases? He invented the cases when a buyer from Canadian Tire challenged him to come up with something to replace the opaque ones they were sourcing from China or Korea.
The man who believes he holds the most number of patents in Canada, “living or in heaven” – he has applied for over 500 and been granted 150 – launched his first business in 1977 out of his garage. Maxi-Flow was a simple small machine shop, making production parts for automotive companies.
Within two years, he launched Mastercut Industries, now known as Maxtech, with three employees, himself, his wife Sudarshan (Susan) and one more. He invested his own money, around $3000, purchased used machines, fixed them, and got going.
The company grew to five plants employing, at its height, 525. Of which 350 were South Asians, many of them Punjabi.
“We were the largest employer of immigrants,” says Vasudeva, displaying more pride than when he shares their annual turnover at the time: Over $100 million.
His was the best managed private company six years running.
When catalytic converters were first introduced, he helped Ford Motor Company solve a major production issue with welding of pipes, and GM, Chrysler and Toyota soon came calling.
“At the time, I had 90 per cent of that business in North America,” he says.
As his work gained repute in the automotive industry, the governor of Michigan invited the Vasudevas to visit. He put them up at a posh place, wined and dined them, and took them on a boat cruise in an effort to convince Vasudeva to move his operations to Detroit.
“They were going to open a plant for me, but I said no, thank you, sorry. I had ties here.”
The same ties that prevented him from selling his company for $40 million.
The buyer wanted to move the plant to the US. Vasudeva took advice from the priest at his temple – a temple he helped establish – and from his friend’s father whom he looked up to. Both said that he was supporting over 500 families and everyone may not be able to or want to move.
“In the end, my conscience wouldn’t let me,” he says, making a quiet statement. “I enjoy the thrill of making money, but I am not in love with money. I was making enough for our needs. I could have used the money, but the blessings of all those people were priceless.”
Today, as he focuses on niche products, he employs 75 and their annual turnover is $15 million. Premier Ford has visited their facility and so has minister Vic Fedelli.
Vasudeva accompanied former prime minister Jean Chrétien on a trade mission to Asia and visited India as a member of Team Canada with prime minister Justin Trudeau.
He has been a Board member for the Automotive Parts Manufacturers’ Association since 2001 and has received several awards including the Canadian Aboriginal & Minority Suppliers Council’s Business Achievement Award on behalf of Maxtech.
He was also named Outstanding Business Leader in 1998 by Wilfrid Laurier University and has been held up as a shining example of entrepreneurial success in an Ontario Ministry press release.
But he met, and overcame several challenges enroute.
Vasudeva came to Canada in 1971, leaving behind a successful business he started in India at the age of 23 because, he says, the style of doing business there didn’t match his.
“Everyone said I wasn’t thinking clearly, that I would be rich man if I persevered. I said I wanted to be rich, but I also wanted to sleep well at night.”
He applied for and got his immigration approved within months and landed in Canada on the Labour Day weekend.
“On Tuesday, I went to Manpower (the government employment exchange), they looked at my documents and said there is a job in Waterloo, will you go? I had no idea where Waterloo was, but I said, sure, I’ll go anywhere!”
They bought him a bus ticket, paid for a hotel room, he had his interview on Thursday and began work the following Monday.
He had worked as an engineer in the Mahle Piston division at Escorts, and though his new job wasn’t in engineering, it was in a related field, making small parts.
And Vasudeva was grateful “I was unemployed for less than a week.”
“I emphasize the importance of solving problems.” Kacee Vasudeva with his wife Sudarshan.
The early years weren’t easy, though. Vasudeva recalls “a very difficult period” during which he faced a lot of discrimination.
At the time, the community was known as merchants and he says he wanted to do something different. Something where he was not competing with others who could copy his idea and sell it for less.
But being an entrepreneur belonging to a visible minority, when there were none before him, meant he had to prove his worth every step of the way.
“It was very difficult. People didn’t believe we could provide quality parts on time. There were lots of personal sacrifices – specially by my wife who used to bring our daughter to the shop while we worked. But once we proved we could deliver, things got better.
“I learned that if you work hard and provide better service, a better product at a good price, success follows.”
The family faced a challenge on another front, too. With only a few South Asians in Waterloo at the time, there were no groceries where desi staples were available. They drove all the way to Gerrard Street in Toronto to stock up on ata and dal.
But the smaller numbers led to a tightly-knit community. “We formed close bonds,” he says.
The couple have three daughters. Reena, a homemaker, lives in California. Benita is a senior manager with American Express in London, England. And Vimi works in the finance industry in Washington DC.
“They wanted me to start a cosmetics company,” he says, laughing out loud. “I told them that was not my forte. Now they are all following their own passions.”
Sudarshan still comes in and takes care of the banking and accounting. “She keeps us in line!” as Vasudeva tells it.
He shares the secret of his success with those who approach him for guidance.
“I’m a different type of businessman. My parents lived with me for 25 years, they were my role models. I follow the values they instilled in me. When I started out, I was very tough, everything had to be done a particular way. Now I am more easy-going. I’ve learned to relax. When I turned 50, my team got me a set of golf clubs. They said I work too hard, I should go have some fun, enjoy the driving range and mini golf I also own!”
Vasudeva has mentored and helped many people start their businesses and says he wants to continue doing that.
“I will share my experiences, the things I learned, show others the way. I will emphasise the importance of solving problems and of helping others. That is the most rewarding aspect of what I do. Knowing that people could come straight from the airport to Waterloo – they knew Kacee gives immigrants their first job.”
• Grant’s is proud to present this series about people who are making a difference in the community. Represented by PMA Canada (www.pmacanada.com).
