Interview Mr Ravi Kapoor -Chairman - Gujarat Chapter, Indian Chemical Council (ICC)
Mr Ravi Kapoor is an alumni of Bombay University with Post Graduate qualifications in Journalism, Marketing & Advertising.
He is the Chairman & Managing Director, Heubach India, which is part of 600 years old ‘Heuabach Group of Companies’ located in Europe, USA & India.
He is an ecologist at heart and the same comes out in his companies activities on waste management and environment protection. He is firm believer in the adage that 'Ecology & Economy go hand in hand'.
He is the Chairman of Gujarat Chapter of the 68 years old Indian Chemical Council (ICC). The ICC is the premier body representing Chemical manufacturers all over India. He is also on the Executive Committee of the ‘Heritage Trust’.
He is the Head Of Indian Operating Committee of “Ecological & Toxicological Association Of Dyes & Organic Pigment Manufacturers”, a Europe based organization serving the interests of Dye & Pigment manufacturers.
He is fond of reading and writing, and had a brief stint as a freelance Journalist for Times of India, Bombay. His sporting interests are cricket, boxing & of late, golf.
fibre2fashion:
How is ICC serving the interests of the Indian Chemical industry ?
Mr Ravi Kapoor
ICC is a 68-year-old chemical body representing the medium and
large-scale chemical industry in India. It is recognized by the
Government of India, Ministry of Chemical & Fertilizers as being the
premier chemical body and participates in the decision making
process in issues like indirect taxes and duty, special trade
agreements like FTA, addresses specific concerns of chemical
industry with regard to Government regulations like environmental
and other safety legislations. ICC addresses the growing technical
requirements of the industry and the globally changing scenario visà-
vis the industry.
fibre2fashion:
As our portal Fibre2fashion.com serves the entire textile chain, can you
provide our members and visitors alike, a brief overview about the global
Dyes and Pigments industry vis-à-vis Indian counterparts?
Mr Ravi Kapoor
Traditionally industry is been a major manufacturer of textile Dyes
tracing its history to the rise of textile industry in the early 1900s when the first Indian Dyestuff Manufacturer M/s Arlabs came up in the 1940s. Subsequently, other companies also set up manufacturing units. Currently, the Indian Dye and Pigment industry is a major player in
the global supply chain for textiles, coatings and plastics. Leading
companies like Dystar have also started to invest into manufacturing
capacities in Ankleshwar, Gujarat.
fibre2fashion:
How is India placed on the major sectors like petrochem and specialty
chemicals? Can you explain the drawbacks and the problems faced by
these sectors?
Mr Ravi Kapoor
The petrochemical industry in India is growing at a rapid rate. Reliance’s new refinery will come on stream in the next year. There is a huge activity in petrochemical based industries all over the country.
Specialty chemicals: It is now recognized that due to the inherent
strength of skilled manpower and resources in research activity
coming out of the success of pharma industry that the emphasis of
growth and value addition needs to focus on specialty chemical
industry. In fact, in a report on chemical industry in India, it has been
estimated that to take the industry from a $30 million to a potential
$100 million in the next 5-8 years the booster rocket needs to come
from the specialty and knowledge industry. It also needs to be
pointed out that the budgets on research and developments from
companies are still too low and also vital tie-ups between University
and industry are missing. The Government has clear-cut policies to
encourage research and development, but much more needs to be
done by Industry and bodies representing industry to co-ordinate
these efforts. What is required is a synergy between Government,
industry and academia.
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