In the world of industrial manufacturing, size is often associated with success. But Pressels Pvt. Ltd., a small-scale engineering company based in Cuttack Industrial Estate, Odisha, offers a different story. Since beginning the manufacture of industrial steam boilers in 1967, the company has built its identity around engineering innovation, practical solutions and the ability to serve industries with specialised requirements. Its journey is less about aggressive expansion and more about quietly solving difficult technological problems.
The company was founded under the leadership of S. C. Mullick, a Mechanical Engineering graduate and gold medallist from Jadavpur University. He continues to guide the organisation, supported by S. K. Mullick, also a Mechanical Engineer. In its early years, Pressels recognised a growing problem among small and medium industries. Conventional solid-fuel boilers, such as Lancashire and Cornish boilers, were often inefficient, dependent on good-quality coal and poorly suited to industries facing fluctuating steam requirements.
Pressels responded by developing a boiler that could work with agro-residues, low-grade coal and industrial waste while requiring relatively little operational skill. After in-house research and field trials, the design was patented in 1981. What made the innovation particularly significant was its compact, full-water-tube design, which was uncommon in smaller-capacity boilers at the time. The design eventually found acceptance among small and medium industries, with more than 500 installations in India and abroad, including countries in South America.
The company continued improving the technology based on feedback from users and later incorporated Fluidized Bed Combustion systems. This allowed its boilers to handle poorer-quality fuels and unconventional feedstocks while remaining adaptable to customer-specific requirements.
Another important chapter in Pressels’ history was its work on chemical recovery boilers for the pulp and paper industry. In 1972, with financial assistance from J. K. Paper Mills, the company developed and installed a prototype at the mill in Jaykaypur, Rayagada. The technology enabled the recovery of nearly 95% of spent chemicals from industrial liquor while also producing steam and power. Pressels subsequently patented the design in 1981 and became an early Indian contributor to the indigenisation of this technology, which had previously depended heavily on imports.
The company also explored ways of making chemical recovery more accessible to smaller paper mills. It developed equipment for an alternative recovery process and secured another patent in 1994. However, financial limitations prevented the construction of a prototype plant—highlighting one of the recurring challenges faced by a small engineering enterprise: having the technology but not always having the resources to demonstrate it commercially.
Pressels has also worked on small-scale cogeneration systems, using high-pressure steam to generate electricity while retaining the steam for industrial processes. One such system supplied approximately 200 KW of power from a two-tonne-per-hour steam requirement at a rice mill, demonstrating the company’s focus on integrating power generation without disrupting the primary industrial operation.
Today, Pressels continues to manufacture boilers for industrial processes and power plants, with particular emphasis on sponge-iron units. Its work includes supplying five boilers for OCL India’s 15 MW captive power plant, which has reportedly operated satisfactorily for more than 12 years.
The company remains deliberately small, with a team of mechanical engineers, a computerised design section, a modern workshop and a skilled workforce. Its growth may not match that of India’s largest engineering manufacturers, but its long record of specialised solutions and repeat customers reflects another measure of industrial credibility.
Perhaps the philosophy that best captures Pressels’ journey is its own line: “We May Be Dwarfs But We Serve The Giants.” It reflects a company that has chosen technical depth over size, customised engineering over mass production, and long-term reliability over visibility. For more than five decades, Pressels’ story has been one of a small Odisha-based engineering enterprise proving that innovation does not always need to come from the biggest name in the industry.
