• goodrich-maritime
• In conversation with Mr. Sanjay Abhyankar, Vice President APAR Industries

In conversation with Mr. Sanjay Abhyankar, Vice President APAR Industries

1. Can you give us a brief on your company?

APAR industries was set up in the year 1958 and over the years it has evolved into a US $ 850 million diversified conglomerate offering value added products and services in the areas of power transmission conductors and petroleum specialty products.
Headquartered in Mumbai, India and Production facilities located at Rabale (Maharashtra), Silvassa (Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli), Athola, Umbergaon and Khatalwada (Gujarat).

2. Do you have any sister concern or have you diversified into a whole new vertical?

No. However we manufacture automotive lubricant under a license agreement with eni S.p.A, Italy, in 2007, to produce and market high-end automotive and industrial lubricants under the erstwhile AGIP brand in India.

3.You’ve been one of the leading players in your industry, what has been the company’s growth strategy and high point?

In transformer oil we have been the market leader in the domestic market and globally we rank no.5. Our strength lies in our constant en-devour to strengthen our products as per the new specifications.

4.How do you ensure you meet the requirements of your customer? Do you have a dedicated R&D team in place?

We have an R&D center which is recognized by the DSIR. It an independent unit. We also have a NABL accredited lab in place which helps in developing new products.

5. What percentage of your customers would you rate as loyal customers?

As APAR, we don’t corelate loyalty with competition.The brand has a very strong presence which gives us the first right of refusal, in that way the customers have been very loyal to us.

6.We are aware that you are well spread out across the globe; however are there any specific regions/ countries that you are looking to foray into?

We export to over 80 countries currently. We don’t do much is USA since it a very big market and self sufficient.

We are looking at strengthening our presence in the MENA region for which we are setting up a greenfield project in UAE since it is a more application driven market with huge potential, particularly for the white oils.

7. What is your idea of an Ideal logistics company?

Our association with Goodrich till date has been only as a supplier of Flexi-tanks. In our opinion an Ideal logistics company is one that provides a one-stop-shop solution.

8.What is the single most important benefit that you get from our service and how do you suggest we get/ maintain our fair share of attention from your company?

The service that Goodrich provides is par-excellent giving value for the money we are paying.

9.Can you give us your insight on the current market trends particularly pertaining to your industry?

The industry is highly volatile since it wholly depends on the crude oil prices and the acute shortage of hard currency in the developing countries which is one the biggest challenge in our industry.

10. What is the one thing none of your vendors do that you wish they would?

Our main vendors are the oil refineries that supply us the raw materials. In our case our vendors always have an upper hand as they control the demand and supply in the market.

11. What is your number one priority for this business unit during this fiscal year?

Our number one priority is for our volumes and profits to keep escalating.

In the case of transformer oils globally there are about 5 major players and within the domestic market also there are 5. The domestic market becomes a challenge since it is completely price driven.