Under the dynamic leadership of Nirav Agarwal, export of textile dyes has grown tenfold in five years at Aditya Synthetic
On entering the office of Aditya Synthetic at Ahmedabad, one is struck by its stunning ambience. The space resembles an interior designer’s office or even a home that radiates warmth. The 2,500 sq. feet office is open space with no walls, very unlike a standard office. It houses a small piano, a library, and toys lined up on shelves. This office is where 34-year-old Nirav Agarwal, Director, Aditya Synthetic, leads his company from. The company manufactures textile dyes and exports approximately 80-90% of its products to 15 countries. After Nirav’s arrival into the family business, Aditya Synthetic reported a ten-fold growth in textile dye exports in a period of five years from practically negligible overseas’ shipments.
Nirav Agarwal is the second generation of the Agarwal family which started Aditya Synthetic in 1993. The company was founded by his father, Vijay Agarwal. Today, Aditya Synthetic produces about 500 metric tons of textile dyes every month and is mainly focused on manufacturing reactive dyes used for dyeing cotton fabrics. Over the years, the company has increased its product offerings within reactive dyes. Presently, it supplies all shades of black, blue, yellow, red and orange, totalling up to 27-28 colour shades. The company has around 15 reactors installed in its production plant with a capacity of 20,000-60,000 kilolitres and spray dryers whose production ranges between 1,200-1,400 litres per hour.
Apart from these technologies, the production plant also comprises blenders, reverse osmosis systems, filter presses, etc. Aditya Synthetic has a well-established research and development setup which has successfully developed dyestuff products. The main objective of this department is to continuously improve the production process to get a better characteristic, yield or solubility of the textile dyes. The company has two quality control laboratories. While one is located in the production facility, the second is in their office. The office laboratory caters exclusively to new product demands from their customers to ensure they receive the samples well in time.
A solution provider
Nirav refers to Aditya Synthetic as a solutions-based company because it looks forward to taking up new challenges of developing dyes as per their customers’ requirements. He further states that he and his father share a harmonious working relationship and complement each other very well. While Vijay Agarwal, given his strong experience, oversees manufacturing operations, Nirav Agarwal heads sales and marketing, including exports. Nirav’s modern outlook has infused fresh energy into Aditya Synthetic. The company got serious about its brand image a few years ago and started investing in branding tools such as visually appealing brochures and attractive packaging. The results have been amazing.
Global footprint
In addition, Aditya Synthetic started participating in overseas exhibitions and business expos which led to a significant expansion in exports. Prior to 2014, the company’s exports were negligible but, under Nirav’s leadership Aditya Synthetic’s exports have grown ten times. The major export markets of the company in the Americas are the United States, Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, Honduras and Panama. Aditya Synthetic also exports to Switzerland, the Netherlands, Portugal and Turkey. Turkey, where the company has set up an office and warehouse, is the company’s biggest export market. In Africa, the company already exports to Egypt. Aditya Synthetic is now trying to make inroads in countries like Ethiopia and Tunisia. In Asia, dyes are shipped to Pakistan, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Vietnam and Thailand.
Innovative approach
When asked why the office is starkly different from traditional offices, Nirav explains: “The inspiration behind designing the office is that all those who are working here, including the employees, should feel at home and relaxed. This results in higher productivity among us all. Sometimes, in a bid to relax, I also play the piano for a few minutes.” The competition is huge in the dyestuff industry as there are hundreds of companies in India and most supply the same quality of dyes at similar prices. Here, Aditya Synthetic differentiates itself from its competitors by offering the best customer service, prompt responses to buyers, and, more importantly, positioning itself as a solutions provider rather than a dyestuff supplier.
Environmentally conscious
The company boasts of several certifications such as GOTS, Eko-Tex, OHSAS and ISO 14001. These certifications enable Aditya Synthetic to supply its textile dyes to dyed fabrics manufacturers. These fabrics are eventually supplied to major global apparel retailers like Zara, GAP, H&M, TESCO, etc. The company has also applied for a Bluesign® certification which is expected shortly. On dyestuffs being an environmentally polluting industry, he adds: “We try to be as responsible as possible and not violate the regulations laid down by the government. The company has an in-house effluent treatment plant, which is operational full time. We have passed all the tests laid down by our buyers.” As and when the liquid discharge is high COD pollutant and cannot be controlled by the ETP, the extended Agarwal family – also into dyestuffs manufacturing – use a common plant where the liquid effluents are spray-dried and turned over into powder form, which is then handed over to a government body for final disposal.
The way ahead
Aditya Synthetic now has plans to get into the manufacturing of intermediates, a key raw material for producing dyestuffs. The company also has plans to diversify into disperse dyes, which are used for dyeing polyester fabrics. The plant for disperse dyes is expected to be operational within the next six months and is being set up in partnership with the extended Agarwal family. The core expansion plans also include expanding the research and development setup and making it more hi-tech by installing the latest technologies.
Nirav Agarwal sees a bright future for reactive dyes since India is the biggest manufacturer of this product in the world. According to him, buyers from across the globe prefer to buy Indian reactive dyes to other countries, including China.
In conclusion, he states: “The biggest dyestuff brands and companies in the world also get their products manufactured in plants like those of Aditya Synthetic, which is a tribute to the manufacturing prowess, quality control, and environmental pollution control standards maintained by the Indian dyestuff industry.”