Following a two-pillar growth strategy, which includes customer focus and quality, Surya Roshni Limited is planning to increase its capacity in large dia pipes, strengthen its position in the structural segment, and retain its leadership position among pipe manufacturers in the country. In an exclusive interview with Tube & Pipe India, Mr. Ashish Agarwal, Executive Director at Surya Roshni Limited, revealed the company’ plans to explore markets affiliated to the tube industry, such as the galvanizing sector, poles, crash barriers, etc.
Tube & Pipe India: Kindly walk us through the illustrious business journey of Surya Roshni Limited.
Ashish Agarwal: Surya Roshni was established in 1973 with a steel tube manufacturing plant in Bahadurgarh. Since inception, Surya Roshni has been highly focused on quality. The name of Surya Pipes is synonymous with quality in the industry. We have grown by leaps and bounds to become amongst the largest steel pipe manufacturers in the country, having a production capacity of about 125,000 tons per month. We are an Indian conglomerate, exporting our products to over 50 countries around the world. Our brands – Surya and Prakash Surya stand for quality, innovation and the latest technology.
TPI: What are some of the factors that helped you achieve growth?
AA: We are extremely focused on quality and customer needs. We are very flexible in our business model, customize our offerings as per the need of the customer, and always ensure on time delivery. Tube industry is highly fragmented, with various manufacturers supplying pipes and tubes of different quality levels. We clearly place ourselves in the category of quality manufacturers.
TPI: Please give us a brief about your product portfolio. In what sectors or segments are your products mostly used?
AA: We have a complete range of pipes starting from half inch to 140 inches, covering an almost complete range of tubes, including black pipes, galvanized pipes, ERW, and spiral welded pipes. We have a strong presence in both round pipe and hollow sections. Agriculture has been one of the traditional sectors, where our products find application. Our products are much in demand in firefighting applications and HVAC. Then there are structural products. All new PEB (pre-engineered buildings) are coming up with structural products, which has become a good market for us. We have installed a DFT mill for up to 300x300mm in order to serve our customers efficiently. Earlier, the plumbing sector used to be a big market, but the sector has now shifted largely to PVC pipes.
TPI: Kindly share details about major challenges that you have been encountering in the past few years.
AA: One of the major challenges we face is the sub-standard quality pipes available in the market today. Pipe is one product where a customer is not able to distinguish between a standard product and a substandard product just by looking at it.
The tubes are used for many critical and load-bearing applications. If a customer chooses a sub-standard tube, it can pose a serious safety hazard for the future. We would request our consumers to be aware of this fact and choose quality tubes & pipes for a safe future.
The big push given by the infrastructure sector has benefitted the industry immensely, preparing it for a boom in the near future.
TPI: Would you like to suggest any new policies or regulations to the government for the ease of doing business?
AA: The government has been quite supportive of the industry. We have quality control order in place, which make it difficult for players outside the country to dump their material in India easily. However, one thing lacking in the country is a regulation to prevent the supply of sub-standard tubes being made in the country.
TPI: Where do you see Surya Roshni in five years down the line?
AA: Surya Roshni is currently among the top five players in the industry. We currently have four plants operating out of the country. We may add a couple of more soon. We are planning to increase our capacity of large dia pipes. We are also evaluating entering into manufacturing products similar to the tube segment, such as the galvanizing sector, poles, crash barriers, etc.
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TPI: What is your take on the growth prospects of the Indian tube and pipe industry?
AA: The Indian tube and pipe industry has shown huge potential in the past few years, registering growth in double digits. A lot of traditional prefabricated buildings are shifting from I-beams and channels to tubular structures. A tubular structure is lighter in weight, but gives the same strength. The big push given by the infrastructure sector has benefitted the industry immensely, preparing it for a boom in the near future.
TPI: What is your takeaway from Tube and Pipe Fair 2024?
AA: We are witnessing a good participation of tube manufacturers in the second edition of Tube & Pipe Fair, organized in this beautiful city of Hyderabad. We would love to see higher participation from technology suppliers as well.
