In the 1950’s Yashmun Engineers Pvt. Ltd. was a concern of M/s. Y.A. Fazalbhoy & family, who were manufacturing National Ecko Radio. They also had at Unity House an Agency, selling Home, Canteen & Industrial Appliances such as Geysers, Heaters, Percolator, Bain-marie etc. These appliances were being manufactured in the factory of Yashmun Engineers Pvt. Ltd.
By the late 1960’s, this concern was taken over by the TATAs by mutual negotiations. The TATA firms were The Tata Electric Cos. (TEC), NELCO, David Sassoon & The Tata Investment Corporation. But, the concern was being run by TEC with Mr. K.M. Chinnappa as the Chairman and Mr. S.P. Manaktala & Mr. K.M. Gherda as Directors of Yashmun Engineers Pvt. Ltd.
The concern was not doing well inspite of every assistance being given by TEC and day-to-day attention of Mr. M.G. Kamat of TEC.
At the instance of M/s. Fazalbhoy, NELCO, David Sassoon and The Tata Investment Corporation, Yashmun Engineers were proposed to be liquidated. At this stage, Mr. K.P. Battiwala took up the challenge of running the firm, which was a failing concern, in 1973 on a trial basis. Within that year, he turned a small profit of Rs.0.36 lacs.
Mr. K.P. Battiwala stopped the manufacture of the general appliances referred to above.
The year 1974 saw the rebirth of Yashmun Engineers Ltd. as a pioneer of power engineering developments, manufacturing equipment required by the TEC, which were erstwhile being imported. To this were added manufacture such as Electro-magnetic and Solid State Annunciators, Electrical & Mechanical Interlocks, Air Pre-heater Elements etc. To this were added services such as Hot/Live Line Washing, repairs to Motors & Generators, Transmission Lines services, and finally, were added Power Distribution Services.
The Board of Directors then consisted of Mr. K.M. Chinnappa as Chairman, Mr. S.P. Manaktala, . Mr. K.M. Gherda, Mr. K.P. Battiwala, Mr. M.G. Kamat, Dr. K.R. Pandit & Mr. M.G. Joshi, all of TEC, as Directors. Mr. K.P. Battiwala took on the main burden of being the Director-In-Charge.
Mr. K.P. Battiwala worked with the Tata Electric Cos. (now Tata Power Company Ltd.) for 17 years, retiring in 1980 as Chief Engineer, but continued for the next 10 years as Senior Consultant. Mr. Battiwala has been a Director at Yashmun Engineers Ltd. from 1974 till date and was mainly responsible for turning this once failing concern into a profitable company.
In 1985, Mr. R.K. Battiwala joined Yashmun Engineers as a Vice President and took on the increasing responsibility and he almost ran the company till his untimely demise in 2003. His loss has been progressively made up by his son, K.R. Battiwala (grandson of Mr. K.P. Battiwala), who had obtained a degree of Master of Commerce in India & an MBA from Switzerland, and who was working as a Canadian immigrant in Toronto. This position he left and came down to India to be at the side of and assistant to his father.