‘The real son of the soil’
Mr. N. Subramaniam doesn’t require any introduction to the Indian textile industry. The Textile Magazine special edition on the Coimbatore textile industry wouldn’t be complete without a reference being made to Mr. Subramaniam, fondly known as “Iakoka Subramaniam”, for the industry’s growth. I have personally cherished every meeting with Mr. Subramaniam. You feel extra confident and positive when you speak to him. I call him ‘the real son of the soil’.
We have always spoken to Mr. Subramaniam in his capacity as the Managing Director of Habasit Iakoka. This time, we delved a bit deeper into his personal and professional life.
Born in 1948 in a small village near Coimbatore, Mr. Subramaniam completed high school and went on to pursue Mechanical Engineering at PSG Tech in the city. He recollects that 70-80 per cent of the people in and around his village worked in textile mills, including his father. Textiles has been a part of Mr. Subramaniam’s life right from his childhood days.
After completing graduation, Mr. Subramaniam spent a few years working for a chemical unit and then moved back to Coimbatore to join Shanthi Gears in 1981-82. Subsequently, he worked with the Elgi Group for a few years. In 1987 he, along with some of his friends, started IAKOKA Syntrans, for manufacturing synthetic spindle tapes at a time when the market was predominantly using cotton tapes.
During this period, Mr. Subramaniam travelled extensively across the length and breadth of the country and established close personal relationship with various textile units, right from the shop floor people to the top management. He and his associates also started IAKOKA Beltrans for belting solutions. It was in 1995 that Mr. Subramaniam approached Habasit-Switzerland for partnering it in the Indian market. Subsequently, in 1996, a new JV company was set up, Habasit Iakoka Private Ltd., with a 51:49 shareholding.
This undoubtedly is one of the most successful joint ventures in the textile industry in India. From a turnover of Rs. 4 crores in 1996, the company recently crossed the Rs. 100-crore turnover. With three manufacturing facilities, 300 employees and over 23 dealers across India, Habasit Iakoka is the unmatched market leader in the product segments in which it operates. The company enjoys a domestic marketshare of 60 per cent for spindle tapes with 10-15 per cent of the turnover coming from exports.
After an illustrious career spanning over four decades, Mr. Subramaniam will step down from Habasit Iakoka in January 2015. He will continue to be associated with the company for another year, after which he wants to pursue his passion, which is writing.
He is a happy man throughout, and there is a sense of achievement, a sense of satisfaction from where he started to what he has accomplished till today. He will continue to be closely associated with the textile industry. “India will be the No.1 country in textiles in the next 10 to 15 years. Given an equal platform and opportunity, Indians can outdo anyone in the world”, says Mr. Subramaniam.
A firm believer and follower of our rich culture and traditions, Mr. Subramaniam is straightforward and outspoken. He has written five books so far and has to his credit a collection of poems, short stories, travelogues and motivational books, all written in Tamil. He has also won a few awards for his writings. His journey as a writer will continue more vigorously after his retirement.
We at The Textile Magazine have been privileged and honored to be associated with Mr. Subramaniam, and wish him the very best in life.