Santosh Kumar Sinha: Leadership Means Trusting Others to Lead

Corporate World spoke to Santosh Kumar Sinha, the multi-faceted CEO of Rootech Services, to learn about his career, the culture of the organisation, and the philosophy that governs his leadership

Since its launch in 2014, Rootech Services has successfully etched its niche in the industrial equipment industry, especially with its specialisation in making precision-engineered root blowers and roots pumps. Steering the path to success for the company is Santosh Kumar Sinha, an enterprising leader whose enthusiasm for innovation, engineering brilliance, and customer-focused leadership has driven Rootech's growth. Corporate World spoke with the multi-faceted professional to learn about his career, the culture of Rootech, and the philosophy that governs his leadership.

Q. Give us an overview of your professional journey and how your experiences have shaped your unique leadership approach.

My academic journey started with a Diploma in Mechanical Engineering from Government Polytechnic Faizabad-Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, in 1991. Right from the start, I was attracted to the concept of creating something from scratch—learning about machinery, streamlining systems, and fixing engineering issues. Through the years, I had the opportunity to work with some of India's leading industrial players, such as Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (Lucknow), Hindustan National Glass Industries (Bahadurgarh), Kanoria Steels (Tarapur), Everest Blowers, and Busch Vacuum.

These varied industrial exposures gave me a comprehensive knowledge of manufacturing as well as customer expectations. They also taught me the value of teamwork. In product development, customer satisfaction is not an end-point—it's a process. I learned early that long-term progress is achieved by consistent and concerted effort throughout the organisation. This realisation formed the foundation of my leadership philosophy: proactive, team-oriented, and guided by ongoing improvement. These principles ultimately provided the courage for me to take the entrepreneurial path that resonated with Rootech Services.

Q2. How has your leadership driven Rootech’s culture of innovation and excellence?

Innovation in Rootech comes down to one overriding principle: making the customer's work yours. This point of view keeps all team members accountable for not merely producing a product, but for providing a reliable solution. If your customer begins to treat you as a partner and stops regarding you as only a vendor when they call or email you, then you can be certain your leadership has done its job.

We embrace every project with great zeal, making sure to grasp the customer's application, pain points, and aspirations prior to providing a solution. By doing this, we've infused the company with a culture of ownership and excellence. It isn't being a reaction—it is about anticipation of needs and extending that additional step. Leadership to me means trusting others to lead, knowledge to be shared, and taking responsibilities. This fuels Rootech's innovation machine.

Q3. Rootech Services has grown significantly since its inception in 2014. What inspired the foundation of the company, and what was the initial vision?

The idea was inspired by identifying a sizeable gap in the market for roots pumps and precision-engineered root blowers that are widely used across industries. Some of these applications include processes of biological oxygen demand (BOD) and chemical oxygen demand (COD) in STP/ETP plants, pneumatic material handling, biogas plants, aquaculture, and other pressure and vacuum-operated industrial processes.

I too observed that although the product itself was specialized, demand and interest were on the rise. But few solutions companies were tackling it with the width and intensity that it required—understanding both the manufacturing and the application. Our vision at the time of founding. was straightforward but unidirectional: to become a respected name in the industry by developing and providing rugged, precision-engineered solutions underpinned by excellent customer support. We thought that if we remained dedicated to learning about the finer points of this technology and the different industrial uses, we might be able to have an impact. And that faith paid dividends.

Q4. How does Rootech ensure consistency in quality and innovation across such a diversified range of products?

The secret lies in standardisation and accuracy. Root blowers have different parameters in various sectors, and that diversity calls for precise standards in production. For ensuring conformity, we employ advanced CNC and VMC machines to manufacture components. Each component is checked with high-end metrological equipment to ensure dimensional accuracy.

Besides that, any blower that emerges from our shop is tested tirelessly under high-pressure and speed performance. Such extensive validation guarantees once-deployed equipment reliability performance. But technology is not so much about machine as it's about the hand that holds the machine. We spend on training, cross-training knowledge sharing, and real-time quality control infrastructure so that technological innovation becomes part of a system, not some isolated event.

Q5. What sets Rootech’s products and operations apart in the industry?

Though we are widely recognized for our roots blower and roots pump solutions, our advantage comes from the value-added solutions we offer. We also produce pneumatic material handling systems, distillation and drying process high vacuum systems, and mechanical vapor recompression (MVR) application systems.

This capacity to provide a system in its entirety—instead of a single self-contained product—is what sets Rootech apart. We don't simply produce pieces; we supply turnkey systems designed specifically to the client's particular industrial process. This comprehensive strategy maximizes performance, saves energy, and facilitates ease of integration with operations already in place. In a competitive environment in which customisation, dependability, and post-purchase support are paramount, our integrated approach becomes the deciding factor.

Q6. Finally, what drives you to keep learning, improving, and leading? How do you stay motivated and inspire others within your organisation?

The manufacturing world is changing fast—especially with the increasing focus on automation, energy efficiency, and green manufacturing. Such products as Root blowers are being viewed more and more not only as mechanical equipment but as part of intelligent, automated systems.

What energises me is the vast scope for innovation here. For instance, in vacuum systems and industrial pneumatic material transport, the potential to optimise operational efficiency at lower energy costs is immense. Roots Pumps are increasingly being utilised as vacuum boosters with conventional pumps such as rotary vane, water ring, and steam ejectors to increase the overall system efficiency. This also helps in reducing energy costs—a factor that's economically and ecologically imperative.

In Rootech, I attempt to practice what I preach—remaining inquisitive, adopting new technologies, and being receptive to comments. I trust that our people should be enabled through knowledge and encouraged to take charge. If your people realise that learning and striving for betterment are cherished at the helm, it, of course, becomes a part of the culture.