Business Enquirer Issue 113 | AquaChemie | May'23

SKYROCKETING SUCCESS IN THE CHEMICAL INDUSTRY!

AQUACHEMIE

AQUACHEMIE: SKYROCKETING SUCCESS IN THE CHEMICAL INDUSTRY!

Subrato and his co-founder Anand Kumar Varadharajulu established AquaChemie, a leader in the chemical manufacturing, sales and services sphere, having gained years of experience at the likes of GE, ExxonMobil, Sabic, and Shell.

Established in 2009, AquaChemie has seen significant growth, particularly between 2020 and 2022 where it saw 45% growth year on year.

Today, the business employs over 200 people, operates three manufacturing units in UAE, KSA, and Qatar, and supports customers across eight countries in the GCC countries, Iraq and India.

Taking their experience from multinational companies such as GE, Subrato and Anand have developed their own style of leadership.

“We believe in leading from the front, supporting our team and encouraging and empowering them,” shared Anand.

“As the company grows our colleagues have the opportunity to grow too. We have retained a majority of our staff since 2009, and many that have left have returned,” added Subrato, “we benchmark our benefits and packages against the leading players in the industry”.

“Take care of the team, they will take care of the customers, and that will take care of business” said Subrato Saha, Co-Founder of AquaChemie when speaking to Business Enquirer.

Proudly Customer Focussed

AquaChemie supports a range of sectors including both upstream and downstream oil and gas, construction, paints and coatings, and fertiliser and agriculture.

The business can supply a variety of chemicals including organic and inorganic hydrocarbons, aromatic solvents, alcohols, chlorinated solvent, additives, and oilfield chemicals, to name just a few.

In addition, the speciality chemicals company offers support services such as sulfiding services for hydro-processing catalysts, entire supply chain contracts, analytical services, and waste disposal.

AquaChemie’s USP is that it combines both experienced management with technical understanding, giving it the ability to “speak the customer’s language”. “We pride ourselves on both our reliability

and availability,” said Anand, with AquaChemie supporting its customers 24/7, 365.

“Our customers work around the clock, and downtime can be incredibly expensive, so we must support them around the clock too,” he continued, “we are considered partners to our customers rather than suppliers”

AquaChemie believes that its customers are buying performance not a chemical, and so it provides added value by offering further insight such as benchmarking.

From 2020 onwards, industries worldwide have faced significant supply chain issues, which AquaChemie have been able to overcome for its customers.

“Despite the challenges we were able to supply our customers on time throughout the pandemic and onwards. We saw fantastic opportunities to support new customers during this time which

optimised our growth,” said Subrato. AquaChemie also works in partnership with its customers on sustainable initiatives, supplying green chemicals for turnaround decontamination of equipment, and has a team dedicated to this area. As well as supplying green chemicals, it supports customers in reducing the CO2 produced by the chemicals used.

A Groundbreaking New Terminal

The business has also been able to implement sustainable measures into the state-of-the-art environmental design of its new chemical terminal at Jebel Ali Port. The terminal serves as a hub to boost the petrochemical trade in the region and outside.

Amongst its features are dedicated API pumps for ship back loading, tanker truck loading, drum filling and inter tank transfers, five semi-automatic drum filling machines and a processing and

YOU

BRING IT, WE SHIP IT

Logistics: 3PL | Freight Forwarding | Cold Chain | Transportation | Warehousing | Project Cargo Logistics | Fulfillment Centers | Art Logistics | Event Logistics

Others: Real Estate | Financial Investments | E-Commerce | Digital Transformation

Ocean: Coastal | Bulk | Ship Owning | Ship Management | Liner | Agency

We are constantly redefining the logistics industry through our innovative and integrated global logistics solutions which are flexible and designed to maximize efficiency. Contact us: INDIA OFFICE

D 301-305, level 3, Tower II, Seawoods Grand Central, Plot No. R1, Sector 40, Nerul Node, Navi Mumbai 400706 Tel: +912268110300 | Fax: +912268110333

www.transworld.com

DUBAI OFFICE

P.O. Box 261036, Plot No. S 20119, jebel Ali Free Zone (South), Dubai, United Arab Emirates Tel: +97148035400

Ramesh S Ramakrishnan – Chairman, Transworld Group

About Transworld Group

It is with great pleasure that we present to you the Transworld Group. Founded in 1977 by late Mr. R. Sivaswamy, his guiding principles of Quality, Service and Commitment to Excellence have served the Group well and helped us build a solid platform. We now look forward to the future with confidence to be an enabler of global trade & strive to achieve our higher purpose of delivering prosperity to humanity.

Transworld Group is a Global Shipping & Logistics Group, operating through our strong network of global offices spread across Middle East, India & Indian sub - Continent, US, and Southeast Asia, with over 1000+ experienced professionals. Headquartered in the Jebel Ali Free Zone (Dubai, UAE), with its global offices combined with strong network partners world over, today, Transworld offers a one-stop solution with almost 5 decades of expertise to all our customers for their Shipping & Logistics needs. Transworld Group is a leading Shipping & Logistics Group with an expertise that covers the complete range of end-to-end solutions from Ship Owning, Ship Management, Agency, Multi-Modal Logistics Solutions, Projects, Aviation, Warehousing, Fulfilment, E-Commerce, First Mile to Last Mile Service, Integrated Digital Solutions. With a fleet of 28 Bulk, Container, Tanker Vessels and Warehousing Operations in Gulf, Americas, & the Indian Subcontinent, Transworld Group takes pride in providing customized solutions to their customers. So, be it through our asset-owning or asset-light businesses, we are focused on serving our customers better. Our focus is on becoming a complete solutions provider for our customers. Today if a customer asks for any service from Transworld, we can provide first mile to last mile solutions.

The essence of Transworld growth trajectory has been innovation & getting into new frontiers. The plan now is to refocus our energies on increasing the pace of growth. We are also looking at enhancing our global footprint in the Americas, Europe, Africa & Far-East. As a philosophy Transworld Group is driven by the higher purpose of delivering prosperity to humanity. While we are in the business to make profits for our shareholders, employees & associates, the sublime goal is to use this wealth as a medium to share & create prosperity for the entire eco-system & be a catalyst for positive change. Our corporate responsibility activities are spread across all sections of the society & environment. The employees & their respective families are all involved in our social activities, thereby spreading the culture of compassion & giving.

A goal we have set ourselves at the Transworld Group where we have taken a pledge that we will work towards being a carbon-neutral organization by 2043. To reach that aim, over the next few years, we will start with focusing on reducing our greenhouse gas emissions across all businesses and locations. Additionally, we are committed to strengthening data security and building

a more diverse and inclusive workspace. But we plan to meet these goals in a more measurable manner. Besides United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs), we are also following the United Nations Global Compact initiative and we have applied for certification from CDP, a not-for-profit charity that runs the global disclosure system for companies, investors, and cities, etc.

ESG is the framework around which the entire ecosystem of Transworld Group operates. Our value systems and yellow line for business operations flow from the ESG framework. It is always a work in progress and value creation has always been an integral part of the Transworld Group DNA. We believe that businesses can thrive only if the society and environment prosper alongside.

Digital Transformation

One of the biggest challenges during the pandemic for companies was to abruptly take their operations digital. Thankfully for Transworld Group, we started the process of digitalization few years ago & we were successfully able to adapt during the pandemic. Going forward, one of the biggest challenges for the companies would be to quickly adapt & strengthen their digital capabilities to be able to align with the industry & also protect themselves from cyber-attacks. The next generation off staff & customers will be the ‘Gen Z’ who have grown up on most advanced digital platforms & apps. We have initiated Project with Oracle “Innovation in Motion” to provide a seamless integrated platform to our staff & customers. Transworld as a conscious effort has been continuously embedding the digital culture & thought process in our employees. We also undertake regular interactions with customers & have on-boarded them on a digital transformation initiative with a global institution “Digital Supply Chain Institute (DSCI)”

Recent Achievements

Recognised as 4th Best Place To Work in UAE by Great Place to work Institute (2022)

Recognised as 60th Best Place To Work in Asia by Great Place to work Institute (2022)

Contact Details

Anirudh Chopra - Anirudh.chopra@transworld.com

blending plant. As well as these practical elements, AquaChemie also offers inventory management and supply chain management at the terminal.

“Using our efficient, central, ERP system we can manage everything from physical inventory, outbound and material tracking, and physical returns in real-time. We can also handlee verything from loading to transporting,” explained Anand, “we can then support customers with export clearance and documentation and ensure that reliable and fast inland logistics delivers the goods and documentation on time”.

Since its inauguration in February 2023, the terminal has seen great success and systems growing stronger.

“The $50 million terminal is set to be one of the most versatile bulk liquid terminals in the GCC with a storage volume of over 34,000 cu m, boosting petrochemical trade across the Middle East and globally,” said DP World, the owner and operator of Jebel Ali Port.

AquaChemie is anticipating positive return on the terminal (which has a gross revenue target of $300 million over the next three years) which will be announced at the end of the 2023 financial year.

Perfect Timing

Despite being in business for 12 years and seeing significant growth through challenging times, it feels as though fate has allowed good timing for the business for 2023 and beyond.

With the UAE and Saudi Arabian regions in a period of growth, co-founders Subrato and Anand foresee significant business increase in the area.

“With positive political movements happening in regions such as Iran and Saudi Arabia, I think there is an optimistic outlook ahead. We’ll continue to focus our growth in GCC, along with Iraq and India,” shared Subrato.

The business also has plans for growth within its product line, focussing on its customers in upstream oil and gas, as well as foreseeing further growth in paints, coatings and industrial ink.

“With our growth plans we anticipate the need to increase our staffing levels by around 25% to meet demand,” said Anand.

AquaChemie and its governance believe that now is a fantastic time for businesses to expand into the Gulf.

“The region is growing and both supply and demand is good. Now is a fantastic time to explore business opportunities in the GCC,” said Anand.

www.aquachemie.com

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Tel: +971-4-2375333

Fax: +971-4-3381507

Mail: bl_marketing@balmerlawrie.ae

www.balmerlawrie.ae

Balmer Lawrie (UAE), Leader in Rigid Industrial Packaging in the Arabian Gulf, also the largest manufacturer of Steel drums in the GCC . We are also Leader in the manufacturing of metal cans, plastic jerry cans, plastic HDPE Drums and PPCP pails of different capacities.

Balmer Lawrie (UAE) – Limited liability company – is partnered by His Highness Sheikh Hasher Bin Juma Al Maktoum and Balmer Lawrie & Company Ltd.(A Government of India Enterprise)

Balmer Lawrie (UAE) LLC

box- 11818, Dubai,UAE