Vikram Handa Built Epsilon Carbon From a 100-Ton Vedanta Order to India EV Materials Push
Updated
Updated · The Economic Times · Aug 26
Vikram Handa Built Epsilon Carbon From a 100-Ton Vedanta Order to India EV Materials Push
1 articles · Updated · The Economic Times · Aug 26
Summary
Handa said Epsilon Carbon’s first breakthrough was a 100-ton-a-month Vedanta order, won before the company had its own plant and fulfilled through contract manufacturing.
That early traction followed years of setbacks after Handa founded Epsilon in 2010, including a stalled Maharashtra plant, bank pressure in 2015-16 and a costly relocation that cut staff from 300 to 30.
Production began scaling only in 2017-18 from Karnataka, where Handa said the company expanded from coal-tar products into anodes, graphite and later cathode materials tied to EV batteries.
A 2019 Harvard program reshaped his management approach, prompting a CEO change and a stronger focus on people, IT systems and leadership depth to support faster growth.
Handa said Epsilon now spans specialty carbon, carbon black, anode, cathode and recycling, while his main ongoing concern has shifted from survival to cash-flow discipline during expansion.