Starting primarily as an agro manufacturer in Punjab, North India, in 1990, Abhishek Industries Limited witnessed stupendous growth. Trident Group at Abhishek Industries began operations with 17,280 spindles in 1993 and has today achieved a commendable presence, both, in domestic and international markets.
A Rs.15 billion global enterprise, spanning across 37 countries, Trident has a business portfolio encompassing products like terry towels, terry products, yarn, writing & printing papers to chemicals.
At the helm of this dynamic company is Mr. Rajinder Gupta, aged 47, who has also been serving as Managing Director since 1992.
A first generation entrepreneur and possessing over 2 decades of industry experience, Mr Gupta has rich & varied exposure at promoting industrial ventures holding Directorship of various companies. He is also the Vice Chairman of CII Punjab State Council for 2006-7, Director of Punjab Technical University and Punjab State Board of Technical Education & Industrial Training.
Besides being member of several trade & management bodies, he is also actively associated with several philanthropic ventures.
Mr. Rajinder Gupta has been awarded the “PHD Chamber of Commerce Distinguished Entrepreneurship Award- 2005,” presented by The President of India on 21st December 2005. He was also conferred upon the “Udyog Ratna” award for 2005 by PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
It has been 25 years. As the founder of Trident Group, what would you like to say about the journey?
"We started with 17,280 spindles of yarn. Now, Trident is celebrating twenty five years of being different, and has become one of the largest integrated home textile manufacturers of the world. We are also the largest wheat straw-based paper manufacturer in the world and also one of the largest yarn spinners in India. We have achieved these milestones through well-planned, continuous expansion drives. In 1998, we entered the terry towel segment, and in 1999, we established a 10 MW captive power plant to meet power requirements at our plants in Punjab. To cater to growing export demands, we expanded our capacities in spinning and terry towels as and when opportunities arose. In 2014, we commissioned our largest and most modern terry towel project of 300 looms in Budhni, Madhya Pradesh. This is a new landmark in the home textiles industry in terms of technology, quality and scale, and will enable us to produce 200 million pieces of towels annually. Combined with our existing capacity of 160 million towels per day, this expansion makes us the largest towel manufacturer and exporter in the world. We are pursuing another strategic expansion to set up an integrated bed linen project of 500 air jet looms, which will enable us to deliver approximately 45 million metres of bed linen annually. The bed linen unit will be backed by 1.85 lakh yarn spindles to make the bed linen plant a vertically-integrated, self-reliant facility which manufactures top quality bed linen. With all these expansions in place by end-2015, the annual production capacities of Trident will rise to approximately 360 million pieces of towels, approximately 45 million metres of bed linen, approximately 15,00,000 mT of cotton and blended yarn and approximately 1,75,000 mT of paper. "
What are some of the innovations from Trident India?
"Innovation and value addition are the two key success ingredients of Trident. One of the main innovations of Trident is air-rich yarn, blending cotton and PVA. The PVA dissolves in water leaving air pockets in the yarn which makes it lighter and softer, enriching the bathing experience. We have towels manufactured from a variety of fibres that have anti-bacterial properties and are soft and plush. Another innovative product has very high absorbency and at the same time it is light-weight, which is perfect for gym use. We have BP proof towels, where towels are coloured in special dyes that prevent discolouring from benzoyl peroxide. Health Pro towels are processed with anti-microbial surface treatment which prevents odour causing bacteria or microbes. Colour Pro towels are processed with superior dyes that ensure colour fastness and retain brightness of colours even after several washes. We also have fade-resistant towels and aroma towels. These innovations and value additions in the products have helped us earn customer loyalty, and to create a space for ourself in the stiff competition. "
How would you explain the income and profitability in terms of exports?
Trident is an export oriented company, with export accounting for over 50 per cent of its total income during Financial Year 2015. Trident's export has been growing at a CAGR of approximately 38 per cent since inception. The company exports more than 90 per cent of its terry towels, followed by approximately 40 per cent yarn and approximately 10 per cent paper. The United States of America remained the top export destination for the company with its overall share in exports at around 45 per cent, followed by Europe.
Trident has created a strong position for itself in the home textiles space in spite of stiff competition. How could you achieve this success?
"At a time when all the players had similar product ranges catering to a similar set of customers, we had marked our presence by providing product differentiation through innovation and value addition. We have air-rich yarn towels, benzyol peroxide (BP) proof towels, anti-bacterial towels, towels made from fibres like organic cotton, bamboo, jute etc which enriches the users' experience. We have an in-house qualified design team, with end-to-end product design capability to help with aesthetics of the products. Another success factor is our unique and dedicated customer service team. Through our focus on customer service, we have been able to provide hassle-free order delivery to our customers, be it in terms of quality or timely delivery. We have also focused on branding initiatives to reach out directly to end-customers. In the domestic market, we have recently launched The Affair to Remember campaign, which will help establish Trident as a household brand for the complete home textiles range. Our products are available in 120 multi-brand outlets across India, and we are also using online sales channels. Our products are available with all major e-retailers like Flipkart, Snapdeal, Amazon and Jabong. To sum it up, our key success factors are product differentiation through innovation and value addition, customer service, consistency in quality, timely order delivery and branding initiatives. "
What are the new facilities in terms of space, equipment and capacity?
We are pursuing major expansion at an investment of ? 1,667 crore to set up an integrated bed sheeting project of 500 air-jet looms. This will enable us to deliver about 1,20,000 metres of bed sheeting fabric (equivalent to 17,500 sheet sets) per day. The bed sheet unit will be backed by a spinning unit of 1.85 lakh spindles to make the sheeting plant a vertically-integrated, self-reliant facility manufacturing top quality bed sheeting products. The project will be commissioned in the second half of Financial Year 2016. Our entry in the bed linen segment will enable us to become the one-stop solution for home textiles.
What are your yarn production capacities in India?
We are one of the largest cotton yarn spinners in India. After the expansion, we shall reach 5.5 lakh spindles from the current 3.66 lakh spindles and 5,500 rotors. At present, we are capable of producing 8,400 mT per month of cotton and blended yarn. We are increasing our capacities in fine count compact yarn production for sheeting. We believe that there is always scope for improvement in everything. We are putting efforts and research in improving the quality of our yarn. We have witnessed great demand in quality-sensitive markets like Mauritius, Tokyo, Hong Kong. We have been able to get loyal customers from these markets as our yarn is up to their quality standards.
How is your textile business doing and which are your major products and markets?
"The company operates in two major business segments: textiles and paper. In textiles, the main focus is on home textiles (made ups) like terry towel and bed linen. Trident's textile business is a major revenue-driving business, and contributes 80 per cent to the top line.To give you the global footprint of Trident, we have customers in over 100 countries and across six continents. The major markets in which the company operates are US, Europe, Australia and New Zealand. The company exports to a mix of specialty home stores, departmental stores and mass merchandisers, with the stocks being available with top 10 retailers in the US, 6 leading retailers in Europe and UK and 5 out of 7 major retailers in Australia and New Zealand. The customers comprise of global retail brands like Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein, JC Penney, IKEA, Target, Wal-Mart, Macy's, Kohl's, Sears, Sam's Club, Burlington, etc. In the domestic market, Trident caters to all segments including kids, infants and sports, and offers a variety of brands like Trident Classic, Trident His & Her, Trident Everyday, Trident Home Essentials, Trident Indulgence, Trident Organica, Trident Bath Buddy, Trident Curious Minds, Trident Cuddlies and Trident Play. "
What about the home textile market segment? What has been the growth here and what are the plans for this division?
"The global home textile market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 5 per cent for the period 2012-2017. The market is expected to reach US$ 96 billion in 2017. The bed and bath linen together constitute about 21 per cent of the total home textile industry by volume. India's textile and apparel market is growing at around 9 per cent CAGR and is projected to touch ? 6,64,000 crore by 2021. The bed and bath linen category together constitute about 67 per cent of the total domestic home textile industry by value. Indian products have gained a significant market share in the past few years. The good news is that domestic consumption of home textile is also catching up, and the market is projected to cross ? 40,800 crore by 2021. These favourable trends are a reflection of the changing lifestyle of the average Indian customer, and also of the diversification of retail platforms and their reach beyond Tier-I and Tier-II cities. In view of these developments, we expect revenue from bed linen and towel segments to increase 100 per cent in the coming years, and Trident is all set to ride this wave. "
How do you make sure that environment sustainability is at the forefront?
At Trident Group, environment sustainability is never overlooked. We have a proper system in place in our production plants, which ensures that environment sustainability is not compromised at any point of production. For instance, our Budhni plant has set a fresh benchmark in sustainable manufacturing process. The highlight of the Budhni manufacturing plant is the Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD) plant installed by Trident, which ensures that not a drop of waste water or effluent gets discharged in the open. Trident has invested in one of the most modern ETP and RO plants, which ensures that the waste water effluent from every process is treated and re-used in the manufacturing process. Another important highlight of the Budhni manufacturing complex will be the use of solar power. Trident is planning to install roof top solar panels in the new sheeting plant.
What are your latest developments in home textiles for the Indian market?
Gone are the days when home textiles used to be considered a mere utility, when bed and bath linen were brought just for functional roles. With rising incomes, evolving lifestyles and growing awareness, the category is being looked at with new interest. Towels, bath robes and bed sheets have become high involvement products that complement lifestyles and cater to different choices. Brands have been quick to cater to the changed mindset of consumers. Trident Group, one of the leading players in this category, has just introduced a new collection of bed and bath linen with contemporary designs, innovative constructions and luxurious fibres. We are focusing aggressively on branding strategy to percolate home textile products in the premium customer segment. A few such branding initiatives include signing actress Kriti Sanon as our brand ambassador and launching a multimedia campaign themed, The Affair to Remember. For the domestic market, we have also launched a new look and contemporary brand logo.
