Some brands transcend beyond the realm of their respective industries and become synonymous with virtues such as trust. Prolong is one such name. A pioneer in the Indian FPR industry, the company is known for the faith & trust it has been bestowed upon by the common man. Prolong Composites started its manufacturing unit to provide plenty of jobs opportunities for people of India with a vision and dream where all can contribute their efforts to make India more sustainable globally. At the helm of this success is the firm's Managing Director and entrepreneur extraordinaire, Neha Jha.

Neha graduated from Jamshedpur's Women's College with a bachelor's degree in engineering. The modern science of composites which is replacing metal, and concrete FRP (Fibre Reinforeced Polymer) piqued her interest in composite technology. Following her interest coupled by her desire to be an entrepreneur, the ability to focus & speak out for herself, and her willingness to take risks contributed significantly in her success journey.

Neha Jha gives some insights on the company and her thoughts on entrepreneurship in an exclusive interview with the Women Entrepreneur team.

Give us a brief overview of Prolong Composites. What are the major facets about your expertise as business leader?

Prolong Composites is one of the India's leading manufacturers of Fibre Reinforced Polymers (FRP) products like manhole covers, moulded gratings, pultruded profiles, and more. Prolong Composites was incorporated in the year 2018 in Mumbai with an objective of manufacturing and offering world class innovative FRP products to overcome challenges faced by traditional materials like steel, cast iron, cement concrete, etc.

Our R&D department has enabled us to develop technically superior and cost effective products. Our consistent and technically superior products has enabled us to export and establish our products in different countries.

What prompted you to take up entrepreneurship? Recount some of the most critical business lessons that you have learnt in the early days of your entrepreneurial journey?

I received my engineering degree from Jamshedpur's Women's College. In 208, I joined Prolong Composites, which was founded with the goal of providing numerous work possibilities for Indians with a positive vision and a dream to make our country more globally viable.

This is modern science which is replacing metal, and concrete FRP (Fibre Reinforeced Polymer) has high impact resistance as it is flexible unlike iron or concrete. The strength to weight ratio in FRP is much higher than other materials and it is also suitable to extreme temperature. This type of technology piqued my interest in composite technology.

Being an entrepreneur gives you independence to enhance the talent that is within you in the way you want. One gets an opportunity to create their own venture from beginning to end and face the world with the power of your own decision. Firstly, I believe that everyone learns different lessons from different situations. My understanding became clearer on the fact that when we step in a business, we should make sure that we possess sufficient knowledge of the given industry. Secondly, we should always have plan B as backup. It's important to never put all your eggs in one basket, especially when the whole world is facing this pandemic and when things are so unpredictable.

What are the various FRP products that Prolong Composites specializes in manufacturing? According to you what makes the company and its product unique?

FRP (Fiber Reinforced Polymer) itself is a unique product. It provides high impact resistance as it is flexible unlike iron or concrete. The various FRP products that Prolong Composites deals with are FRP Manhole Cover, FRP Chemical Storage Tanks, FRPMolded Grating, FRP Toilets, FRP Scrubber, FRP Blower, FRP Gully Cover, FRP Recess Cover and FRP Chequred Plate.

“Being an entrepreneur gives you independence to enhance the talent that is within you in the way you want”

An experienced team and innovative idea makes us unique from other players in the industry. Though we have an exhaustive range of products and know what would work for a given need, we still understand the client's requirement and then provide them the best product. If needed, we also go the extra mile to customize the prod-ucts needed to reach the satisfaction level of the client.

What are some facets of your personality and leadership style that have helped you become a successful entrepreneur in the field of composites technology? How do you keep yourself well aligned with the evolution taking place in your respective industry?

The passion of being an entrepreneur, focus & being vocal about making my own choices, and ability to take risks helped me become a successful entrepreneur. This is what one requires to survive in any industry. Also, teamwork is very important to continue in long race.

FRP industry is not too old. The concept that we use for manufacturing is new and updated. However, there are few national and international bodies that keep hosting workshops & seminars and we make sure to attend them. Secondly, we have our very experienced R&D teams that regularly keep working to keep our company updated with all the new trends.

Given the demanding nature of your role as an entrepreneur how do you strike balance in work and personal life? What would your advice be for women aspiring to foray into the field of engineering and as entrepreneurs?

Balancing personal and professional life becomes easy when we have some discipline in our life. I am very fortunate since my husband and I work together. But to plan everyday and work accordingly along with giving importance to all different aspects of life is very important for all working women. I do take week off and indulge myself in my hobbies such as reading books or cooking. Some-times if possible I take leave for few days and go for small vacation.

My advice to women in any field will be to believe in yourself. No matter what the situation may be, one should never compromise with their self respect and should al-ways stay firm in all situation despite of what the world may think of them.