New Delhi: In the era of the “MAKE IN INDIA” campaign under the guidance of the Government of India, dependency on imported items have been reduced. India is focusing more on local production than imports, generating more employments and scope of further expansion in the same field: Aman Gupta, Director
Tell us about your business and its growth strategies for the future course of action.
We at USHA Cables are in the business of manufacturing different types of cables and catering the same to almost every field of work for 30 years. Since we have analyzed the high scope of cable business in different developing nations like India, manufacturing good quality cables has been our utmost priority. As telecom is a booming sector and possesses the potential for further growth and we have taken numerous initiatives to diversify our business, as we have also started developing fire survival and halogen-free cables with the help of BIS standard which was not available until this year. The demand for cables in terms of high-quality standards and that too on economic rates continues to amaze us even today.
In the cable and wire industry, what kind of changes did you witness in the last five years.
In the last 5 years, the Wire and cable industry has gone through major changes in terms of manufacturing high-quality products as the customer is much more informed and wants the best quality than ever. In the era of the “MAKE IN INDIA” campaign under the guidance of the Government of India, dependency on imported items has reduced due to more and more latest technologies being introduced in our country. India is focusing more on local production than imports, generating more employment and scope of further expansion in the same field. In spite of all the revolutions that have taken place in this sector, India is not a major wire and cable industry hub but we are definitely on path to becoming one
Did your product is eco-friendly and follows all the environmental norms, could you explain it.
Yes, as Social responsibility and Environment cleanliness are of utmost importance to us, we comply with all the necessary compliance as required by the environmental department. Products used in our unit during manufacturing are used in a way that they do not pollute our environment, for example, PVC resin and masterbatches are kinds of raw materials that are absolutely eco-friendly and are used as per the norms laid by the concerned authority. It is highly taken care if any kind of pollution is not spread in our environment, whether it is water, air, or noise pollution, all ends are being covered and taken care of properly. Water recycling plants are installed at the unit to avoid water pollution. There is no burning of oils, compounds, chemicals, etc in the manufacturing unit to avoid air pollution and we are totally using PNG gas as mandated.
How do you respond to the government policies and tax structure (GST).
We are witnessing more tight curbs every day, manufacturing industries are being placed in a high tax charging bracket, which has led to minimizing profits, rising costs, and mounting labour costs. From charging high house tax in industrial areas to high per unit electricity charges as compared to other areas has made it very difficult for any manufacturer to survive when he has to pay other expenses and fulfill a no. of other liabilities also. Competing in this environment is not easy and we have seen many small industries closing due to COVID because they were already working on a thin line and COVID pushed them to shut operations. End-user is wary of giving 18% GST as he is already burdened to pay other taxes also. Our industry has asked to reduce GST but no step has been taken in this regard by our respected Government of India. Our industry should be given a business-friendly atmosphere only then all MSMEs will thrive otherwise we will soon see only all big players dominating monopoly in the market-leading to rise in prices of the same product that we make it available on economic rates and that too of high quality.
Explain, how your products are different from others and what are market challenges.
Since day 1 we have focused on supplying high quality at the specified time and made sure that our customer is 100% satisfied, this motto has paid off and we have built a name for ourselves in this domain due to this factor. Talking about market challenges, many other small units are manufacturing cheap cables without any BIS certification or BIS certified labs which helps them to reduce costs but in turn, reduces cable standards spoiling the name of the industry and leading itself to nowhere. Here at USHA CABLES, we have taken all BIS licenses and we work constantly on producing high-quality cables even when the market is on constant fluctuation and as we are in use of metals that have a nature volatile prices, we have been constantly working on providing cables at affordable costs. We are in the constant practice of manufacturing a new type of cables and searching for new markets to foray and to create awareness in people about the importance of choosing good quality wires and cables as per their requirement.
What are the most immediate issues that you need to be addressed as far as your business is concerned.
The most immediate issues that need to be addressed are in terms of rising cost for any manufacturer and the piracy that is manipulating the customers in a way pertaining to a great threat to those manufacturers who focus on supplying quality materials and serving the nation in the best way they can. The rise in per-unit electricity charges for industrial areas and total costs for acquiring lands in commercial areas is becoming a threat for those who want to enter the industry or want to diversify. There has to be taken some serious steps for stopping manufacturing and supply of pirated materials of low and cheap quality with a tag name of those who supply quality products; this in a way leads to defamation in the name of the manufacturers who supply original and high-quality materials and also making it difficult for good quality manufacturers to compete. Such practices should be stopped immediately and even entry of such culprits should be banned and also should be penalized heavily on committing such illegal acts. More and more awareness should be generated in customers for choosing the right material over fake and cheap materials. land costs, proper checking by BIS should be done to stop low quality, non-certified cables to enter the market which misleads customers on choosing the right product hence.
What kinds of difficulties you had faced during the Covid -19 Pandemic.
We have faced a lot of issues during the COVID pandemic, as per the directions of the government of India workers have been paid the salary of the whole month in full even when we were not earning anything out of our business. We also thought it to be our social responsibility to provide them with necessary commodities to ease the pain in a pandemic but at the same time we were not being approached for the help of any kind from the respected Government of India, there was no relief in any fixed charges whether in terms of charging minimum electricity bill or house tax rebates or any kind of tax incentives. We were left on our own despite being most heavily taxed among other professions. No one wants to be a manufacturer these days but everyone needs a good and economical product which won’t happen if local producers like us are not being helped by the ruling authorities.
