POLYNOVA INDUSTRIES LTD

POLYNOVA INDUSTRIES LTD, part of Indian pharmaceutical company Lupin Group is a leading manufacturer of PU and PVC coated fabrics and synthetic coated rubber fabrics. At the helm of the company is Mr. Pradeep Sanganeria, Vice President, POLYNOVA INDUSTRIES LTD. who is a multifacteted man. In an interview with the polymerupdate team, he talks on when the company started operations, how it grew its operations and what are its future plans.

In Conversation
 
Polymerupdate Team : When did the company start operations?
Pradeep Sanganeria : The company commenced operations in 1988. When formed, it was known as Lupin Polymers. We started with conversion of PVC. We imported the plant from Germany and started operations in Goa.
 
Polymerupdate Team : How were the initial years like?
Pradeep Sanganeria : The initial 5 to 6 years to begin with were very tough. There was heavy excise duty at the time. It was difficult to get established with automotive OEMs. We got our first breakthrough in 1992 with Bajaj Auto followed by TELCO, Hero Honda and Maruti.
 
Polymerupdate Team : How did you establish yourself in the international market?
Pradeep Sanganeria : In 1996, we got our first major international breakthrough in Germany for PVC leather. We also entered the French market in 1998 which contributes 25 percent of our total business. We then entered into UK, Portugal and Italy. We were catering to the furniture market there after the automotive market. We manufacture high fire standard material for furniture. In 2000 we entered the US market.
 
Polymerupdate Team : You have a sizeable presence in the automotive industry. Can you elaborate on the same?
Pradeep Sanganeria : We are a leading supplier to almost the entire automotive industry in India. Nearly 60 percent of our production is exported to developed countries like UK, France, Germany and USA. We achieved a breakthrough in this market when in 2000 we got an approval from Volkswagen AG of Germany for supply of upholstery material to their European facilities. We were the only company outside the European Union to be granted approval by the company. We have also received approval from the Engineering and Design Center of Ford Motors, FORD SVC Dunton for supply of PVC Coated upholstery materials.
 
Polymerupdate Team : What is the consumption of raw material in your company?
Pradeep Sanganeria : We consume about 250 tons of PVC emulsion grade and 200 tons of DOP. Flexibility is maintained in procurement of raw materials but generally 70 to 80 percent of the material is imported and 20 percent procured domestically.
 
Polymerupdate Team : What are the future plans of your company?
Pradeep Sanganeria : We plan to get into the production of calendar PVC products in 2008 for which we have identified some plants in the UK. We are also planning to get into the production of thermoplastic olefins. We are in an advance stage of negotiations for approvals from M G Rover U.K. for supply to their seating manufacturers in U.K. We will be opening another plant in our factory premises in Goa in 2008.
 
Polymerupdate Team : What future do you foresee for the products of your company?
Pradeep Sanganeria : The products manufactured by our company has a great future. In Europe and the USA, demand for finished products is increasing. Growth in the next 10 years is tremendous.