Betting big on the development initiatives undertaken in the region of Jammu & Kashmir, Ahmedabad-based tiles maker Pavit Ceramics is looking to expand its distribution network in what was once considered as a troubled region.
The housing development and other infrastructure development projects are seen propelling the growth for the ceramics players who find a renewed opportunity in regions such as J&K, Odisha, Jharkhand among others.
“With government’s focus on infrastructure development, States like Jammu & Kashmir, Odisha, Jharkhand, and North-East States are doing exceptionally well. We don’t have a presence in J&K but now we will have it under our future plan,” said Sachin Jain, Director, Pavit Ceramics Pvt Ltd, which has two manufacturing facilities at Kadi in North Gujarat and at Dahej in South Gujarat.
Jain further emphasised that a shift from kaccha house to pucca house - from slums to housing has been a major contributor to driving the tiles business. “In the last 5-10 years, people have shifted from slums to pukka houses. Looking at this continuing trend, we expect tiles demand to be robust in the coming decade,” said Jain, one of the three promoter directors of the company. The other two being Shomit Bakliwal and Pulkit Bakliwal.
Pavit Ceramics, part of the VPJ Group, specialises in outdoor tiles or vitrified tiles, while its sister concern Victory Ceratech sells ceramic tiles. The Group turnover is recorded at ₹300 crore, including a 30 per cent share of exports to about 30 countries. The Group, according to Jain is cash-rich and has no long-term debt on its book. “In order to grow, we would not need additional investments. Our growth will come from geographic expansion,” he added.
“In our international market, the US is the biggest market for us, while other prominent markets are Africa, Taiwan, Thailand, etc. By 2025, our target is to reach 50 countries,” said Pulkit Bakliwal, Director at VPG Group.
In the domestic market, the company has a presence across 40 per cent of the districts, while it aims to cover about 80-90 per cent of districts of India in the next five years.
Giving the revenue projections, Bakliwal said, the company aims to reach ₹500 crore turnover in the next 2-3 years. The growth, according to Bakliwal will come from continued urbanisation and spending on housing projects, accompanied by growing penetration in the domestic and international markets.
“Tiles are replacing conventional products like granite and marble. Tiles are quicker to lay down and involve lesser labour cost. We are confident to continue our growth trajectory in the coming decade,” said Jain.