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COLUMN
COLOURFUL TIME FOR INDIAN CHEMICALS INDUSTRY The company has expanded its horizons by setting up a new division - Soujanya Life Sciences for key ingredients in pharmaceuticals and agrochemicals
JASHAN BHUMKAR
DIRECTOR SOUJANYA COLOR PVT. LIMITED
A
s a young, third-generation entrepreneur I am often asked how I feel to have come back to India after five years of education abroad, to my family’s business, and to the chemical industry. Most people assume I was coerced into joining the business, and are surprised and perplexed when I cheerfully say that being part of the chemicals industry has probably been the only thing I’ve always been sure of, from as early as I can remember, most likely the age of three! Just to set the context: Our company, Soujanya Color is a global leader in sustainable colour solutions, in particular liquid preparations of pigments & dyes. The com-
pany was founded by my grandfather Late C. J. Bhumkar about 40 years ago. My mother, Priyamvada Bhumkar has led the company to greater heights; our flagship unit in Mumbai, Asia’s largest colour manufacturing plant was set up under her leadership. Today, we are present in 50 countries across 6 continents, and provide colour to various end-use industries including paints & coatings, printing inks, home & personal care, cosmetics, polyurethanes, polymer composites, agro-products (seed coatings, fertilisers, etc.). Indeed, from the time you wake up till the time you go to bed, including the colours of the printed ink of this compendium, we make everything around us colourful. Through my childhood visiting our factories being carried around them in my grandfather’s arms, and through my education in chemical engineering at UC Berkeley and Cambridge University, I’ve always been fascinated by the chemicals space, I truly believe that the chemicals industry, particularly in India, is going through one of its most exciting phases right now. I would like to dwell on some of the ongoing developments and trends that I believe present tremendous opportunities for the future. One major trend is the renewed focus on cost consciousness, forcing even some speciality areas to be treated as commodities. Needless to say, the cost pressures can be most obviously attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic with the numerous issues it caused on the supply side. A large number of raw materials were simply not available for weeks or months together. International freight costs at least doubled and in some cases even tripled, making heavy reliance on imported
raw materials almost not an option. With the demand side not slowing down, companies were compelled to respond to these challenges in a variety of innovative ways. We, at Soujanya, tried to go to the very depth of our core technology of formulating and processing pigment dispersions. We focused on the few things that we could control, and derived cost efficiency from these places. Some of them were more conspicuous – we were able to harmonise some key additives across what we initially thought were vastly different formulations. Some initiatives on the other hand, were more subtle: for example, we started studying in great detail how often-ignored factors such as mixer blade shape, tip speed of a stirrer etc. affect tinting strength of the pigment. We were able to derive remarkable efficiencies just by delving deeper into our expertise and doing what we do best. While the drive towards cost efficiencies has been extremely strong, the demand for higher and better product performance is ever-increasing too. Seamlessly servicing multiple end-use industries means that companies have to develop a profound understanding of those applications, and the performance of their products in them. In the colour space, we simultaneously face demands to make some products that are durable for over 15 years and some that are washed off in less than 3 seconds! A yellow pigment used in decorative paints has the natural tendency to fade in sunlight, and has to be treated, stabilised, and formulated accordingly in order for it to withstand UV light and for paint companies to be able to give 10-15 years non-fading guarantees. On the other hand, a yellow dye used in detergents has the natural tendency to stain the fabric, and therefore must be treated, stabilised, and formulated accordingly so that it does not stain, and is washed off instantly,
