One of the most diversified and fastest-growing industries in the country, the Indian Chemical manufacturing industry accounts for a massive seven percent of the total GDP while covering more than 80000 commercial products. The rapid growth of the industry in the country is driven by various factors, such as strong value proposition, fast-growing domestic as well as overseas consumption, rise in demand from various end-user industries, numerous industry-supportive government initiatives, as the sixth largest chemical producers across the globe and the third largest in Asia, the Indian chemical industry is estimated to reach $304 billion at a CAGR of 9.3 percent by 2025.
While the Indian chemical industry boasts of numerous startups and international brands, one firm that stands out in terms of quality, consistency, and sustainability is Roma Shah-led Eastmen Chemicals. Established by technocrat Late Suresh G. Shah in 1971, Eastmen Chemicals is a leading high-purity metallic salt manufacturing company with specialization in the manufacturing and exporting of a wide range of superior-quality metallic salts of metals such as Nickel, Cobalt, Copper, Manganese, Zinc.
Today, the firm is managed by the second generation of the family with professionalism and ethical approach. An ISO 9001:2015, 14001:2015, and 45001:2018-certified company, the firm leverages its highly experienced R&D team as well as state-of-the-art facilities to develop and customize high-quality deliverables to clients with customer centric approach. Industries they serve are Automobile. Petroleum, Oil and Gas, Catalyst , Electroplating, Battery and Tiles. The company is an unmatched market leader in India in its domain and supply acetates, carbonates, nitrates in over 20 countries
and have partner warehouses in few geographies across the globe where they build stock. Nickel Acetate, Nickel Nitrate, Nickel Carbonate, Cobalt Nitrate, Cobalt Carbonate are some of our flagship products.
Rise through the Ranks
After her BE Chemicals from Mumbai University, Roma went on to complete her Diploma in Business Administration and Management from NMIMS and then her Masters in Corporate Communications from San Jacinto College, San Diego, USA. She started working at Eastmen during the third year of her BE degree.
“I started my journey at Eastmen in 1996 on the production floor, looking after the production while understanding the overall process. I have been fortunate to work in various departments, such as R&D, Purchase, and Operations, learning and understanding the ins and outs of this industry. Today, as the CEO of Eastmen, I am leading it from the front, facing new experiences and challenges in day-to-day operations”, explains Roma.
Bridging the Gap between Demand & Supply
Dealing with the commodity market on a global scale has its share of challenges. The market has always been going through ups and downs due to the recent global uncertainties caused by wars and business slowdowns. At any given point in time, to bridge the gap between demand and supply, the risk mitigation team at Eastmen does a lot of hedging on currency and commodity pricing, which, irrespective of the global scenario, helps the firm deliver products at the committed price. On top of the London Metal Exchange prices, the firm adds its conversion charges, which makes the overall business more precise and transparent. Also company can offer long contracts to customers hedging for them.
Strong Focus on Innovation & Sustainability
Eastmen puts a lot of focus on its R&D department, constantly training and upgrading its skillsets. The leadership has always been open to new ideas and suggestions. The firm’s policies always revolve around “Reuse, Recycle, and Reduce”. Starting from water consumption to metallic wastage and byproducts usage, the firm always tries to promote sustainability in terms of daily operations, energy consumption, and waste management with a strong focus on handling pollution. Every machine runs on alternate energy like GAS, LDO, Electricity and Eastmen also invests in renewable energy.
This is the right time to jump on the bandwagon and make India purely a chemical manufacturing hub for various global industries
When it comes to staying abreast of the latest trends and technologies, Eastmen has always been way ahead of its peers in the market. “We had RO Plant in place long before it was made mandatory. While people, nowadays, are talking about technologies, such as tertiary water treatment plants and carbon credits, we have implemented them much earlier. So we have always been way ahead of time, which differentiates us from our competitors”, adds Roma.
With a strong legacy spanning over 50 years, Eastmen Chemicals is today considered one of the most successful women-led Chemical manufacturing companies in India. Roma contributes a majority of her success to her leadership approach, which is empowering people. Under her leadership company has won Sustainability Championship Awards by MNC, Organisations and our Government. Including people in the day-to-day discussions and empowering them to innovate runs deep in the organizational culture of the firm. “The Indian chemical industry is here to stay and will surely grow leaps and bounds in the next few decades. This is the right time to jump on the bandwagon and make India purely a chemical manufacturing hub for various global industries”, Roma signs off.
Roma Shah, CEO
An accomplished business leader with almost three decades of experience in various domains, such as Production, R&D, Purchase, and Operations, Roma Shah joined Eastmen Chemicals as part of the Production team before rising through the ranks and becoming the CEO of the organization. A strong believer in teamwork and empowerment, she also heads the technical and R&D team at the firm.
.jpg "Technology in Cancer Care: A story of evolving paradigms")
.jpg "Bringing Shop Floor to Manufacturer's palm: Smart Factory Solutions for tomorrow")
