Beyond borders
The Voltas formula for taking Indian industry international - through innovative applications for chemicals
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With an increasingly global
market and fierce international competition,
Voltas' Chemicals Trading is devoted to
'internationalising' various segments of
Indian industry.
Chemicals Trading is one
of Voltas' oldest divisions. Over its more
than 45 years, it has been single-minded
in its determination to make the latest
international chemical application know-how
available to Indian manufacturers, to help
them bring their products on par with the
best available around the globe.
A global who's who in chemicals
That's why today Voltas
is the first choice for a large number of
globally known chemical manufacturers. Among
the well-known players represented are Tioxide,
Huntsman and Synetix of UK; Aqualon, Hercules
and Ashley Polymers of USA; Pentapharm of
Switszerland; Abieta and Condea of Germany;
Proviron of Belgium; Odda Smeltverk of Norway;
Ausimont of Italy; Toray Plastics of Japan;
Sanbra of Brazil; Acidderm and Derichem
of Malaysia; and Piramal Healthcare of India.
That's a selection not
just of the global who's who in chemicals,
but also one closely tuned to the needs
of Indian industry, which is a subject of
constant study. No less than 100 companies
are approached every year to secure new
agencies, and thereby expand the range and
profitability of Voltas' coverage in chemicals.
This spectrum of products feeds a huge number of industries - toiletries and cosmetics, automobiles, refineries, consumer products, paints, pharmaceuticals, packaged foods, plastics, animal health and many more.
A spectrum of services
Once an agency is secured,
the Chemicals Trading team is committed
in its efforts to market its products India-wide.
Apart from selling, the technically astute
Product Management Group is active in developing
new applications for existing products,
as well as in identifying and developing
new products and new markets.
Product modification and
development is, of course, done in close
collaboration with principals. Voltas' product
executives routinely visit the principals'
manufacturing facilities to study the various
possible product applications. They thus
gain an edge in first selling an application
concept, and then the requisite product
itself.
As far as the customer
is concerned, Voltas goes far beyond merely
booking orders and supplying chemicals.
A valuable plus lies in educating customers
on upgrading their products by introducing
the latest internationally available chemical
applications in manufacturing.
Direct selling as well
as stock-and-sale are in the Voltas arsenal.
The latter approach is ideal for customers
who need small quantities of particular
chemicals; they add up to bulk orders for
the principals, and prompt deliveries for
the buyers. Everyone's happy. At any given
time, Voltas warehouses hold at least Rs
40-50 million worth of products - from principals
all over the world.
Meeting needs is the formula
An unceasing task is that
of keeping an eye on the varying requirements
of different industries, in order to be
in readiness to supply. For example, if
the cable industry uses a particular chemical
sourced by Voltas, efforts are
made to secure agencies of other chemicals
also required in cable manufacture.
Another good example is
in toiletries. Voltas had been selling cellulose
gums to toothpaste manufacturers such as
Colgate, Geoffrey Manners and Balsara. Well,
they also need glycerine - so Voltas promptly
secured the agency for Acidchem of Malaysia,
a prominent glycerine manufacturer. Today,
both glucose gums and glycerine are supplied
to the toothpaste industry.
In fact, Voltas' ability to supply more than one product serves to enhance customer trust and loyalty. This may be just one of the reasons why relationships with customers - and with principals - have often endured through all these 45 years and more.
Reacting to the future
In this challenging business
environment, Voltas is ready
to take on even more. Long-range plans include
export of Indian-made chemicals and third-party
exports through global sourcing and supply.
And then there's the possibility of working
synergistically with other companies in
the Tata Group.
In terms of net profit
per employee, Voltas is the second
largest in Voltas, headed for a position
among India's top three chemical trading
houses. A small and hard-working team, with
the formula for making big things happen.
