Despite showing significant improvement post covid, the economy of Nepal is currently undergoing a difficult phase mainly due to the increased pressure on foreign currency reserves in recent times.. The geographical position of Nepal being a landlocked country makes it very difficult for manufacturers to source raw materials due to high lead times. However, the manufacturing sector continues to stay resilient and persevere even during such haphazard conditions mainly due to a handful of highly skilled and experienced professionals who are driving their businesses towards sustained growth.
One such eminent manufacturing industry leader who is successfully steering his firm clear of rough water by leveraging his fine business acumen and exceptional management skills is Birendra Rathi (Managing Director, Pashupati Polypropylene Industries). Having joined the company in 2014, Birendra has been instrumental in helping PPI achieve a sustained business growth and have an elite clientele comprising of big names such as Britannia, Unilever, CG Group, Surya Nepal, Parle, and many others.
Diverse Portfolio of Products
Pashupati Polypropylene Industries (PPI) was founded in 1983 by the late Kamal Kishore Rathi, one of the most renowned and respected person in Nepal's plastic manufacturing fraternity. As one of Nepal’s leading manufacturers and suppliers of plastic packaging solutions, PPI primarily serves the food and beverage, personal care, and liquor and spirits industries. Some of the products that the company offers include Printed Flexible Laminates & Pouches, Multilayered Barrier Films, Monolayer Film & bags, Woven & Non-woven Laminated bags, Printed Bopp Adhesive Tapes. Produced under precise quality control at all stages, each of these products offer high levels of barrier properties along with being aesthetically pleasing, making them the most preferred choice for diverse packaging requirements.
“We have two manufacturing facilities in Biratnagar. The state-of-the-art infrastructure in these plants enables us to maintain top-notch quality of products and provide innovative packaging solutions to our customers in a sustainable manner. Additionally, we strive to improve our products and service through rigorous R&D, which helps us to expand our market reach, enhance productivity, and most importantly, exceed our customers’ expectations in terms of quality, pricing, and more.
To meet this goal, our team of highly skilled and devoted professionals monitors and controls quality at every stage of the manufacturing process”, adds Birendra.
Unique Approach to Business Leadership
Unlike other business leaders who rush to onboard as many clients as possible to remain sustainable during troublesome times, Birendra follows a unique approach, wherein he identifies 10-15 clients from every sector who'll stay associated with the company in the long run and makes sure that his team focuses on catering to every kind of requirement that those clients have. He strongly believe that mutual support and handholding each other in crisis situations is one of the most effective ways for all industry stakeholders to sail through such unforeseen difficulties. To further strengthen their market share, Birendra is always on the lookout for new business opportunities and foray into new verticals that were not being catered to earlier.
“The manufacturing industry in Nepal is entirely different as compared to other countries. In bigger economies such as India where raw material is available locally, it is very easy to maintain the inventory, as manufacturers place the order for raw materials only after they receive the order from their clients. The lead time too is just 5-7 days. But in Nepal, the demand is very erratic and it is extremely difficult for us to accurately predict the demand and place the order for raw materials in bulk, as the lead time here is around 45-60 days. To tackle this issue, we are working closely with our suppliers and streamlined the dispatch process from our suppliers' end to cut-down the lead time as much as possible. Additionally, we have narrowed-down our supply chain and work with only a few key suppliers so get the quality service”, says Birendra.
Birendra takes prime interest in attraction & retention of employees and firmly believes that creating ample opportunities for every employee to grow within the organization is a sure-shot way of retaining top talent
Integrating Quality & People Management
In terms of quality control, Birendra emphasizes on three major aspects – Man, Machine and Material, and considers them to be the cornerstone to maintaining quality in any manufacturing setup. While machinery is a one-time investment, ensuring the quality of manpower and raw materials is a continuous ongoing process for any manufacturing industry leader. Birendra takes prime interest in attraction & retention of employees and firmly believes that creating ample opportunities for every employee to grow within the organization is a sure-shot way of retaining top talent. Thus, he also grooms his team members in such a way that that they are capable of handling more serious responsibilities and get into leadership positions in the future.
“I always think in terms of what growth opportunity I can give my team members every two or three years. During the appraisal of every employee, I always see what kind of career growth he/she has had so far and mentally chart-out the kind of growth trajectory that they can have in the coming year. This approach has helped me immensely in successfully retaining top talent, a feat that is seldom seen in the manufacturing sector”, says Birendra.
Explaining the future roadmap, Birendra says, “Going forward, our major focus will be on enhancing our process efficiency to maintain competitive pricing of all our products. Further, we will continue prioritizing our key clients and strengthen our position in the market so that we are able to reap maximum benefits once the industry improves in the days to come. We have plans to launch a few new products as well”.
Birendra Rathi, Managing Director
Birendra Rathi, Managing Director of Pashupati Polypropylene Industries, has been pivotal in driving sustained growth for the firm since joining in 2014. Under his leadership, PPI has thrived despite Nepal's challenging economic landscape, serving top clients through innovative, high-quality packaging solutions.
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