Mr. Zakariahs Mathew, the Chairman & Managing Director of SENZO Group of companies, who holds a unique record of applying 27 patents in India, is a well known figure in the world of inventions. He was born to an agriculturist in a remote village in Kerala. After 6th grade, his concentration was diverted towards the engineering field. He left studies and started driving a tractor. At the age of 22, his curiosity forced him to dismantle and re-assemble the tractor to know the functioning in detail.
With his broad engineering knowledge, which he developed using his ingenuity in the art of mastering machines and inventing new technologies, he preferred to design new innovative machines for the benefit of the people of this country. He would design machines according to the need of the people/customers.
Some of his innovations are the Self Collapsing Bridge and the Saptadwaras (seven arch’s) which he developed at Tirupati temple was a huge achievement. Mr. Mathew has also designed a conveyor which could be used to transport people across the temple. At Kudalmanickam temple in Kerala, the elephant associated with the temple went violent and created havoc.
This incident triggered Mr. Mathew to design Control Gear for Violent Elephants. The need for inventing the Car Cradle came into his mind when he saw his daughter holding his newborn granddaughter in an uncomfortable manner. In order to pay the farmers on the basis of sucrose contents in sugarcane, Mr. Mathew developed the SUGARCANE SAMPLER in cooperation with the India’s premier research organization,VSI (Vasantdada Sugar Institute), Pune, Maharashtra. Inside the sugar factory, he noticed that the crushing unit for the sugarcane was not getting uniform material. He designed and produced a feed pusher and named it Cane Bagasse Feed Pusher. His innovative engineering drawing got converted into Base Hinged Hydraulic Pole & Mast. This wonder pole has been designed specifically to cut down on maintenance cost.The maintenance or replacement of bulbs etc could be done standing on the ground.The product has been granted patent and also commercialized.
There is huge demand for this product in both Indian markets and overseas. Dr. Abdul Kalam, former President of India appreciated his work and said this type of poles for lighting should not be restricted to highways alone. It should be installed even in the villages. Due to shortage of coconut tree climbers and also the risk associated to it, the Kerala govt. approached Mr. Mathew to develop a new machine to pluck coconuts. He has developed a CoconutTree Climbing Robot, which was also tested. Standing on the ground, the operator guides the device to the desired coconut bunch and cut the same with the attached knife, using a switch.The Rubber Board also has given funds to Mr. Mathew for the development of Motorized Rubber Tapping Machine, which is a very handy device to cut the bark of the rubber tree to tap latex.
While enjoying success and climbing up the corporate ladder, many awards and recognitions were also bestowed on him. Rajiv Gandhi Shiromani Award, National Excellence Award and Rashtriya Ekta Award were some of the prestigious awards that came his way. He is the Chief Technology Officer at Amal Jyoti College of Engineering, Kanjirappalli, Kerala. He was also felicitated at the National Innovation Foundation, Ahmedabad, which was led by none other than the former President on India, Dr. Abdul Kalam. Mr. Mathew was requested to give guidance to all those engineers who are unable to complete their innovative projects.
