Packing A Punch
Forbes India|August 3, 2018

Vimal Kedia’s company has grown to become a trusted supplier of packaging solutions to major FMCG players

Sayan ChakraBorty
Packing A Punch

In the summer of 1977, when Vimal Kedia graduated from Assam’s Tinsukia College—about 500 kilometres northeast of capital Guwahati—matters had taken a turn for the worse at his family business. The flour mills that his family had been running for the past three decades in Tinsukia and Guwahati were sold earlier that year to pay off creditors, leaving the then 21-year-old Kedia to face a baptism by fire in entrepreneurship.

His maiden venture Vimal & Co, an umbrella manufacturing business that he set up in Guwahati later that year, did brisk business in the rain-soaked states of Assam, Manipur and Nagaland. But, it wasn’t until another four years that Kedia found his true north.

Things changed on a fortuitous trip to Delhi in 1981, when an acquaintance introduced Kedia to plastic manufacturing. The clanking of state-of-the-art machines in a factory, a far cry from Kedia’s modest workshop, had him hooked. “I saw machines taking out polythene tubes. Raw materials were introduced from one side and finished products emerged from the other end. To me, it was a miracle,” recalls Kedia, now 62, of his first brush with plastic manufacturing.

It took him another two years to replicate the miracle. In 1983, armed with a ₹10 lakh loan from Punjab National Bank, Kedia kickstarted Manjushree Plastics, a manufacturer of flexible packaging materials like plastic pouches and sheets in Guwahati. His first clients were the tea estates of Tata, Assam Co, Goodricke, HUL and Duncans, among others, to whom he had sold his Rhino brand of umbrellas earlier.

Three and a half decades since then, Manjushree Plastics (now Manjushree Technopack) has become a formidable force in the plastic packaging industry.

Bu hikaye Forbes India dergisinin August 3, 2018 sayısından alınmıştır.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

Bu hikaye Forbes India dergisinin August 3, 2018 sayısından alınmıştır.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

FORBES INDIA DERGISINDEN DAHA FAZLA HIKAYETümünü görüntüle
Home-Cooked Meal Is Now Greatly Valued
Forbes India

Home-Cooked Meal Is Now Greatly Valued

The pandemic has also brought with it an improved focus on hygiene, use of technology in dining, rise of cloud kitchens and resurgence in popularity of Indian ingredients

time-read
8 dak  |
May 21, 2021
Paytm 3.0 - Reaching Near Breakeven In Two Years
Forbes India

Paytm 3.0 - Reaching Near Breakeven In Two Years

As of 2020, Vijay Shekhar Sharma’s super app for financial services had run up losses in thousands of crores. Now, as digital payments gets yet another boost courtesy Covid-19, he’s hopeful of reaching near breakeven in two years

time-read
10+ dak  |
June 4, 2021
THE PANDEMIC HAS CAUSED WOMEN GREATER LABOUR PAIN
Forbes India

THE PANDEMIC HAS CAUSED WOMEN GREATER LABOUR PAIN

Covid-19 has shown that women are more likely to face the brunt of job losses than men, and find fewer opportunities when they want to resume. That apart, several have to deal with increased hours of unpaid work at home and even domestic abuse

time-read
8 dak  |
May 21, 2021
LEADERSHIP WILL BE ABOUT SEEING THE BIGGER PICTURE
Forbes India

LEADERSHIP WILL BE ABOUT SEEING THE BIGGER PICTURE

Leaders must not only guard their teams first during a crisis, but also deal with stakeholders with respect and dignity. And apart from pursuing business goals, they should remain committed to our planet and the environment

time-read
7 dak  |
May 21, 2021
PHILANTHROPY SHOULD BE HUMBLE, BUT NOT MODEST
Forbes India

PHILANTHROPY SHOULD BE HUMBLE, BUT NOT MODEST

Apart from building a flexible and resilient framework for the future, philanthropists, civil society and the government must work in tandem so that every rupee is absorbed on the ground

time-read
9 dak  |
May 21, 2021
INTEGRATED HEALTH CARE, TECH WILL DISRUPT SECTOR
Forbes India

INTEGRATED HEALTH CARE, TECH WILL DISRUPT SECTOR

While clinical research will get a boost, having a skilled workforce and public spending on health care will be challenges in the near term

time-read
8 dak  |
May 21, 2021
DIGITALISATION WILL HELP IN VALUE CREATION
Forbes India

DIGITALISATION WILL HELP IN VALUE CREATION

As the pandemic brings technology and innovation to the core of business and daily life, the next decade will see about 150 million digital-first families in India

time-read
8 dak  |
May 21, 2021
Industry 4.0: Climate Revolution?
Forbes India

Industry 4.0: Climate Revolution?

Augmenting sustainability alongside digital capabilities is an economic, competitive and global opportunity for India’s businesses, but regulations need to reflect intent

time-read
10 dak  |
June 4, 2021
EV Dream Still Miles Away
Forbes India

EV Dream Still Miles Away

Electric vehicles have remained a buzzword in India for years. But not much has moved on ground due to high upfront costs, range anxiety and charging infrastructure

time-read
6 dak  |
June 4, 2021
Living Waters
Forbes India

Living Waters

A virus has caused us to scramble for oxygen but our chokehold on the environment is slowly strangling the very waters that breathe life into us. The virus is a timely reminder: We are merely consumers, not producers of life’s breath on this planet

time-read
4 dak  |
June 4, 2021