When was DRC Techno founded and how has the company developed over time?Our story started back in 2006, when fewer international players were responding on-time to our parent company’s suggestions to improve existing diamond tools and machinery. We decided to create a low cost, local and fast responding not-for-profit research and development centre, which began in 2012. Initially, we started with diamond manufacturing machines for bruting and sawing; gradually, we became the world’s foremost synthetic (CVD/HPHT) diamonds research company, which now provides a solution at every price point. What have been the biggest achievements in the company’s history?In 2014, the Surat diamond industry came to a standstill because of the fear and distrust that was in the air due to undisclosed mixing of lab-grown diamonds with naturally mined diamonds. DRC Techno assembled a talented team of engineers, scientists and market analysts to tackle this problem. After rigorous research and constantly trying to figure out how to overcome the challenge – and facing numerous failures – we finally had the world’s foremost offering for identifying lab-grown diamonds from natural diamonds, the D-Secure. We really felt that we had saved the industry and that was our biggest achievement. After the success of our first product offering, there was no looking back; our drive towards protecting the industry grew twofold. In a very short span we became an international company from just being a local Surat company. Our work has been appreciated and has won many awards over the years, including two India SME Awards, an IEDRA Award and the 2018 JNA Honouree Award for Industry Innovation of the Year. How big is the company today?The DRC Group – DRC Techno, DRC Infotech and Innovseed – consists of close to 100 employees. DRC Techno has provided its offerings and solutions in 27 countries, proudly having more than 1,000 happy and satisfied customers – more than 60 per cent of which were referred to us by existing customers. What are the core values of DRC Techno? What sets the company apart from others?DRC Techno believes in and is strongly guided by six core values: creativity, integrity, learning, fun, excellence and respect for all. Our mission is to become the most admired, self-sufficient social enterprise – that has kept us grounded as well as helped us aim for the sky. Alongside the latest innovations, tailored to meet different budgets and requirements of the marketplace, we constantly refine our existing offerings such as our Chain of Custody software, and develop new strategies to curb the variable challenge of identifying new generations of synthetic diamonds. One initiative is our library of new synthetic diamonds. We have given more than 20 software updates to date to protect our customers’ trust and business; these features set us apart from our competitors. Over and above that, we are unique in our development of a support programme superior to all others – we offer 24-hour global service. Why did DRC Techno decide to create synthetic diamond detectors?As shared earlier, in 2014, the diamond industry discovered the severe problem of undisclosed mixing of man-made diamonds with naturally mined diamonds. An atmosphere of fear, panic and distrust was created among the diamond merchants and traders in Surat – where more than 92 per cent of the diamonds from all over the world arrive for processing and polishing. Amid such chaos, DRC Techno rose to the challenge of exposing unethical business practices and protecting the diamond industry. The ideology and the sense of purpose was clear, along with the passion to pursue a solution and become the world’s foremost synthetic (CVD/HPHT) diamonds research company by launching the pioneering invention – the D-Secure. Why should retailers invest in a synthetic diamond detector?In the jewellery industry, the most important aspect I believe is consumer trust. The reason why consumers purchase their jewellery is deeply connected to emotions. The consumer deserves to be well informed and to have tested products of natural origin, nothing less than that. For retailers, having trusted testing equipment protects their own brand. What are the most important attributes for a retailer when purchasing a detector?Retailers have to look for the accuracy of an instrument, how easy it is to operate, and how simple it is to interpret the results. Efficiency and cost effectiveness are also very important. Next is the after sales service from the manufacturer and how much effort that company is investing into research. Finally, the retailer needs to consider the motives of that company and if their values align. |