Zoho opens first factory to assemble Karuvi power tools in rural India: CEO

Sridhar Vembu, CEO and Co-founder of Cloud software major Zoho, on Saturday said the company has opened its first dedicated factory to assemble the Karuvi line of power tools.

The company, situated in Tenkasi district in Tamil Nadu, last month announced to invest an undisclosed amount in manufacturing startup Karuvi, which would create jobs in smaller towns and villages.

"The factory is in a small village called Mathapuram in Tenkasi district, close to the Zoho office in Mathalamparai village," informed Vembu on X social media platform.

"We have trained a group of about 15 talented young people drawn from surrounding villages to work in the factory," he said, adding that this is a small beginning for a big dream in rural manufacturing.

Zoho has also invested in an aerospace startup called Yali Aerospace.

The investments are part of its ongoing efforts to build deep-tech know-how and manufacturing capabilities in India.

According to Vembu, Karuvi and Yali are startups that are not only innovating in their respective fields but are also creating jobs and bringing technical skill-sets to smaller towns and villages.

Karuvi is a mechatronics startup that has launched 10 tools ranging from drills and power saws to angle grinders. The Karuvi products are manufactured with around 95 per cent locally sourced components.

According to MSD Prasad, CEO of Karuvi, they will add more tools to the portfolio and plan to have at least 30 products by the end of 2025.