Aravind Melligeri, cofounder of engineering services firm QuEST Global, launches Aequs

Aravind Melligeri, cofounder of engineering services firm QuEST Global, has launched Aequs, which specialises in manufacturing. Aequs, a spin-off of QuEST, specialises in precision machining, sheet metal fabrication as well as assembly and forging for industries such as aerospace, automotive, and oil and gas industries. “I am passionate about manufacturing,” said Melligeri, 45, chief executive of Aequs.

“The engineering, value system and customer focus in services is different from manufacturing.” A mechanical engineer from National Institute of Technology Karnataka, Melligeri founded QuEST in 1997 along with Ajit Prabhu, 43, also a mechanical engineer, after borrowing money from family and friends.

QuEST received its first order of around $20,000 from GE Power Systems. It later bagged key customers such as UTC Aerospace Systems, aircraft engines maker Rolls-Royce and industrial conglomerate Danaher. QuEST which launched manufacturing business in 2006 raised $75 million ( Rs 451 crore) from private equity firm Warburg Pincus in 2010.

Ajay A Prabhu, chief operating officer at QuEST, said as services and manufacturing grew, it became increasingly clear that manufacturing and engineering services have different cultures and focus.