Finolex Industries Ltd. (FIL) headquartered in Pune, is India’s leading manufacturer of PVC-U Pipes & Fittings and the second largest manufacturer of PVC Resin. It’s state-of-the-art manufacturing plants are located in Pune and Ratnagiri in Maharashtra and Masar in Gujarat. Apart from these units, distribution is also done from warehouses at Chinchwad, Cuttack, Noida and Indore.
FIL is the first Indian PVC-U Pipes manufacturer to get the prestigious IS/ISO 9001:2008 certification. With a vision of becoming a 1 billion USD company in the near future, FIL is continuously increasing its product offering and production capacity.
Mr. Nitin Kulkarni, President-Sales and Marketing, Finolex Industries Ltd. Shares his overview on pipes industry in an interaction with C&A.
“We have set ourselves a target of reaching a turnover of USD one billion by 2020”
To begin with tell us about Finolex? Also brief is about the divisions of Finolex Pipes?
We are amanufacturer of PVC-U Pipes & Fittings and the second largest manufacturer of PVC Resin. Our state-of-the-art manufacturing plants are located in Pune and Ratnagiri in Maharashtra and Masar in Gujarat. Apart from these units, distribution is also done from warehouses at Chinchwad, Cuttack, Noida and Indore.Finolex Industries Ltd. (FIL) is the first Indian PVC-U Pipes manufacturer to get the prestigious IS/ISO 9001:2008 certification.
PVC-U Pipes Division:
The PVC-U Pipes and Fittings’ plants in Pune, Ratnagiri and Masar have ultra-modern manufacturing facilities, with a total production capacity of over 250,000 m.t.p.a.
Finolex PVC Pipes and Fittings are available in a vast range of sizes, pressure classes and diameters for diverse applications, both in agriculture and non-agriculture sectors including housing, industrial and construction.
With its 15,000 direct and indirect retail outlets, FIL has consistently been providing superior quality PVC-U and CPVC Pipes and Fittings that are easily accessible across the country.
PVC Resin Division:
The plant that manufactures PVC, which is the main ingredient for pipes, is set up in Ratnagiri and spread over an area of over 650 acres. The plant has been set in technical collaboration with Uhde GmbH, Germany with Hoechst technology. The PVC Resin capacity at the plant is 272,000 m.t.p.a. including both suspension and emulsion PVC.
PVC finds applications in various areas, such as manufacturing of pipes, insulation of cables, window profiles, flooring, blister packaging, etc. The universality of its service properties is such that new areas of application are continuously being developed.
As part of its PVC Complex, FIL has set up an open sea cryogenic jetty, the first of its kind in the private sector in India.
Brief us about what makes Finolex unique?
Finolex Industries enjoys the leadership in PVC pipes industry and sells its products through a network of more than 15,000 direct and indirect retail outlets spread across India. Finolex Industries Ltd is one of the pioneers in introducing the concept of PVC pipes in India when the market was dominated by metal pipes. Over the years Finolex has established itself as the benchmark in the quality across products. Over the last three decades, we have supplied pipes across the length and breadth of India. We have testimonials from various customers that the pipelines are working smoothly for decades. Such satisfied customers automatically become our brand ambassadors by recommending our pipes within their community. Recently, Mr. Satish Magar, “Vice-President – CREDAI National, President MCCIA, Managing Director Magarpatta City” quoted saying, “The Finolex Brand name is a synonym for trust and quality. The company’s focus on the Non-Agri business is good news for builders all over the country. Their PVC pipes will help build a new India in line with the government’s vision of setting up smart cities.
What is your opinion on unorganised sector?
If the market is 100% then 60 % of that market is covered by unorganised sector, but it is a matter of quality. If an architect, engineer or contractor is concerned about the quality then one may opt for the products which can with stand all sorts of conditions.
What are your proposed investments to support growth in the coming years?
The Indian pipes business has been growing rapidly since several years mainly due to increasing demand growth (GDP) of the country. We have set ourselves a target of reaching a turnover of USD one billion by 2020. Finolex will continue to lead the market of PVC pipes and fittings. Besides this, we intend to get into several new products and project developments under the broad category of Water Management Solutions.
From the last four-five years our focus is on supplying pipes for buildings and construction projects. The company has also started focusing on Northern and Eastern region in a big way.
We are providing all sorts of products, it is not restricted to pipes used for drinking water, we have products for sewerage and sanitation too.We now also have column pipes for the underground extraction of water. We also have pipes that could serve for cold and hot water i.e. pipes for different temperature.
What is the plan for further geographical expansion both within and outside the country?
Finolex Industries Ltd is planning a big push in its northern and eastern markets. As a first step the company has opened depots at Indore, Noida and Cuttack and is planning to open many more across India in order to serve the region better. The company plans to cater to the states in North and Eastern India as part of a hub and spoke model to service the markets of Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Chandigarh, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, the seven sisters in the North East, West Bengal, and Odisha. The company is also now focusing on the non-agri business to fuel its growth across India and capture a 25% market share in the next three years. Finolex will target both the construction and infrastructure sectors in order to capitalize on the growth expected in these sectors.
Finolex sees a lot many opportunities to expand and grow here in the Indian markets. The impetus given to business by the present government through announcements like the Smart City Development program and ‘Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana’ (PMKSY) are huge. It is a direction for us to expand and grown within the country.
