Niladri Mukherjee
Founder, MD - Glue Design + Innovation
Niladri Mukherjee is the founder and MD of Glue Design + Innovation, New Delhi, which is a Product and a Design Innovation company. His career of 25 years since graduating from NID, has seen him work with over 200 plus companies in the field of Product, Retail and Exhibition Design. Along with that he has been a serial innovator having funded the complete development of several products like automation of petrol pumps reducing spillage and easy dispensing ( thus saving precious foreign exchange ) for Petroleum companies, Digital Handheld device for last mile connectivity in supply chain ( before the advent of smart phones ), Fuel Average meters for motorcycles and many more.
He believes that the needs of an emerging economy are unique and different to the needs of advanced nations and Design thinking and methodologies have to focus on addressing large scale issues.
Glues motto is “Effect Big Change”
Niladri believes that asking the right question is the underpinning of factor of change and sometimes a small product can catalyse an ecosystem to bring about large scale transformation and change.
Glue’s latest patent pending invention “Quiktile“ a interior space transformational system that can help traditional retailers like Kiranas and Chemists convert into a modern format in a matter of hours has been funded by some national and International strategic investors ( the second round is now closing ) and is now launching in key metros in India.
He likes to describe himself as a Design Enterpreneur and believes that more design firms with a ‘maker mentality‘ need to transition from ‘advising‘ to ‘doing’ as this is what the country and the world will need for the next decade. After convocating in Industrial Design from the National Institute of Design (NID) he started his design practice in 1990, along with two colleagues and a great deal of youthful optimism. Adapting to the demands of newly liberalized economy, his team’s focus was directed towards Retail, Exhibition and Product design (and roll-out) for companies serving the fast growing, emerging markets of 90’s India.
Today, with the insights that come with deep focus in the Retail/Product space for over twenty years, Niladri identified several lacunae – and designed products to fit.
Quiktile (patent pending) is one outcome of this experience and an urgent need. It is a modular fixturing system that addresses the needs of Unorganised Retail; specifically, transforming the space where Kiranas/Chemists, Brands and Customer's intersect.
Expanding from Design Services to launching his own Product was a response to the current scenario where service es are fast becoming a commodity. The transition required investing scant time and resources on pilot stores, before successfully implementing approximately 250 stores across Maharashtra, Delhi, Rajasthan and Goa with the aid of seed capital from strategic investors.
Glue has just closed the seond round of funding and is scaling up Quiktile across NCR, Bangalore and Kolkatta
