Ajit3011 at 15:38, 13 April 2026

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{{Short description|Indian industrial engineer}}
{{BLP sources|date=August 2012}}
{{EngvarB|date=September 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2024}}
{{Infobox person
| name = K R Naik
| image = KRNaik.jpg
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1947|11|19|df=yes}}
| birth_place = [[Karwar]], Karnataka, India
| occupation = Executive chairman, Smartlink Network Systems Ltd.
| education = Jhunjhunwala College, Mumbai <br /> Jamnalal Bajaj Institute, Mumbai
| spouse = Sudha Naik
| children = Arati Naik, Lakshana Sharma
}}

'''Kamlaksha Rama Naik''', better known as '''K R Naik''' ([[Hindi]]: क़ रा नायक़) is an Indian industrial engineer. He founded D-Link Ltd. (India) in 1993.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ciol.com/content/news/exeTrack/Portraits/2006/106110701.asp |title=CIOL : Portraits : Portrait: KR Naik: D-Link |work=CyberMedia India Online Ltd |location=Bangalore, India |date=7 November 2006 |accessdate=1 September 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070129114050/http://www.ciol.com/content/news/exeTrack/Portraits/2006/106110701.asp |archive-date=29 January 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref> In 1994 he entered into a joint venture with a multinational - D-Link Corporation under the name “D-Link India” with a manufacturing facility in Goa and corporate office in Mumbai.
==Early life and education==
Naik was born in [[Karwar]], Karnataka on 19 November 1947. He completed his schooling in Karwar and later shifted to Mumbai. Naik is a mechanical engineer with a P.G. Diploma in Industrial Engineering and Licenciate in Plastic Engineering. He earned a Business Management degree from the Jamnalal Bajaj Institute in [[Mumbai]].<ref name="A self-made entrepreneur">{{cite web | url=http://www.expresscomputeronline.com/20090330/pathfinders11.shtml | title=A self-made entrepreneur | publisher=www.expresscomputeronline.com | accessdate=19 September 2012 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100922125137/http://www.expresscomputeronline.com/20090330/pathfinders11.shtml | archive-date=22 September 2010 | url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Career==
His first job at Mumbai was with Bradma, but soon after that he joined [[IBM]] India in 1970 starting as a Mainframe Peripheral Assembly Engineer. In 1977 he contributed significantly to the development of an indigenous line printer at the 'Big Blue' center. He worked to develop indigenous computer peripheral parts of plastic and metal until IBM closed its Indian operation in 1978.<ref name="A self-made entrepreneur"/> After IBM closed down, he joined ORG System Ltd. wherein he was one of the 6 team members who developed the first indigenous line printers with a speed of 1000+ line per minute.<ref name="A self-made entrepreneur"/>

In 1984, Naik founded Virtual Computer Pvt. Ltd., and was among the first to import a wave-soldering machine to manufacture printed circuit boards of PCs.

From 1990–91, Naik entered into networking products as a distributor of D-Link brand products. Within 3 years, he decided to start manufacturing of networking products in India as a joint venture with D-Link. Taking financial and tax advantages offered by the [[government of Goa]], he shifted manufacturing operations from the Ansa Industrial Estate in Mumbai to Verna Electronic City, Goa. In 1994–95 he also started a passive networking-products company together with UK-based passive components company Sapphire UK Ltd. In 1994, he entered into a joint venture with [[D-Link]] Corporation Taiwan<ref>{{cite web | url=http://voicendata.ciol.com/content/news/111040101.asp | title=Schneider Electric acquires Digilink for Rs 500 cr | publisher=www.voicendata.ciol.com | date=1 April 2011 | accessdate=19 September 2012 | author=Menezes, Beryl | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120521175320/http://voicendata.ciol.com/content/news/111040101.asp | archive-date=21 May 2012 | url-status=dead }}</ref> and helped constructing new buildings and importing SMT lines from Japan.

In 1995, Naik set out to create a completely new channel for D-Link products. Rather than going after large distributors he decided to put a regional distribution model in place—arguably the first in India among the IT channel.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.crn.in/KR-Naik-Channel-Chief-001Nov010.aspx | title=Channel Chief "I don’t look at my company’s future through the narrow prism of D-Link" | publisher=www.crn.in | accessdate=19 September 2012 | archive-date=18 October 2011 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111018150821/http://www.crn.in/KR-Naik-Channel-Chief-001Nov010.aspx | url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.informationweek.in/Data_Center/11-03-31/Smartlink_Network_Systems_sells_Digilink_to_Schneider.aspx |title=Smartlink Network Systems sells Digilink to Schneider |newspaper=InformationWeek News Network |publisher=UBM India Pvt. Ltd |location=Mumbai, India |date=31 March 2011 |accessdate=5 September 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130826203728/http://www.informationweek.in/data_center/11-03-31/smartlink_network_systems_sells_digilink_to_schneider.aspx |archive-date=26 August 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Honours and awards==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year !! Name !! Awarding organization !! Ref
|-
| 2012 || Outstanding Channel Contribution || CRN, UBM India
|<ref name="CRN">{{cite web |url=http://www.crn.in//ITChannel-007Aug012-CRN-Honors-28-Leading-Partners-At-the-12th-Edition-Of-CRN-Xcellence-Awards-2012.aspx |title=CRN Honors 28 Leading Partners at the 12th Edition of CRN Xcellence Awards 2012 |first=Amit |last=Singh |work=www.crn.in |date=7 August 2012 |accessdate=31 August 2012 }}{{Dead link|date=July 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>
|-
| 2011 || TOP SME ENTREPRENEUR 2010–11 || SME Channels
|<ref name="SME Channels">{{cite web |url= http://smechannels.com/awardees.htm |title= SME Channels Achievers's Award 2011 |work= Smechannels.com |accessdate= 31 August 2012 |archive-date= 21 January 2013 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130121183717/http://www.smechannels.com/awardees.htm |url-status= dead }}</ref>
|-
| 2003-4 || President of MAIT || MAIT
|<ref name="MAIT">{{cite web |url= http://www.mait.com/index.php?option=com_members&view=pastmembers&uid=9 |title=MAIT Past Presidents |work=www.mait.com |accessdate=31 August 2012}}</ref>
|}

==Personal life==

Naik's wife Sudha Naik is a homemaker; they have 2 daughters: Arati Naik and Dr. Lakshana Sharma (who is married to Dr. Amit Sharma).

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://www.smartlink.co.in Smartlink Network Systems Ltd]
* [http://www.mait.com/ MAIT]

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Naik, K. R.}}
[[Category:1947 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:People from Karwar]]
[[Category:Indian computer scientists]]
[[Category:Indian company founders]]
[[Category:Businesspeople from Karnataka]]

K. R. Naik - Revision history

Ajit3011 at 15:38, 13 April 2026