The market today is filled with cleaning products that meet international standards. However, the Indian demand is unique and specific. “We are now expanding with our indigenously manufactured Indian Standard products that meets Indian requirement beyond international customisation,” says Director Nirmal Daga of Daga Finmark India Ltd, Ahmedabad.
In the past so many years we have gained a strong hold in Gujarat. Now we are exploring other States by engaging with good distributors. Earlier, we did not have a strong set up to meet big demand but now a full set up to manufacture volumes is in place; thus, we can service at a pan India level.
If you go to observe, there are players who enter the market in a big way and then are unable to meet supplies due to lack of proper facilities. Daga Finmark is gradually now expanding to ensure sustainability in meeting demands and also maintaining sustainable supplies to customers. Going forward, the forthcoming Clean India Show in 2020 will be our first major exhibition at the national level.
Daga Finmark is presently supplying to Pharma and Food industries, Healthcare, Schools and Institutions. We have a full range of cleaning products and disinfectants besides housekeeping hygiene solutions, including pest control, floor cleaning and specialised cleaning.
In keeping with the Indian conditions, all our products are customised to Indian requirements and are Indian user-friendly. Unlike many products in the market, that are designed to meet international standards, may or may not be suitable for India; even though it performs very well in Singapore or any other country. We manufacture concentrated products for the Indian market; however, this same product may not be suitable for Europe or any other country due its climatic conditions and user profile. Indian market demand is unique. Indian consumerism demands for variety. Customers look for variations in fragrances, chemicals for treating floorings differently and all-purpose or universal applicable products and so on. This is what Daga Finmark Indian-standard product can meet.
At the same time, all our products are certified and indigenously manufactured. Moreover, Daga products are user-friendly, easily biodegradable, environment friendly and every customer’s hygiene partner.
We have a strong R&D set up and the products manufactured are tested for various parameters and results for six months before being introduced into the market. The small and strong team at present is fast expanding.
Being at the take off stage, our plans are to engage with sole distributorship in each of the cities we enter. This gives an opportunity to the distributor to grow along with Daga Finmark. This will also discourage the scope for undercutting prices.
Overall about 60 of the Daga housekeeping products are in the market and we are also increasing the chemicals range to include products for water treatment, ETP and laundry. In fact, all these products are interlinked, as a customer who requires housekeeping products would also require products for water treatment, laundry, etc.
In certain segments, there are challenges in meeting the stipulated requirements and thus, our penetration is restricted. However, this year we will be focussing on establishing Daga in Mumbai, Hyderabad and Delhi. We are already exploring the Indore market and would be gaining our foothold. Given the focus on cleanliness and the city winning the title of being among the cleanest city in the country, Indore is a promising place business-wise. The institutional and industrial segments are growing in Indore too. While I agree these could be over-crowded markets but with a specific focus and strategy there are a lot of loopholes that can be filled. Apart from product supply, it is more important to provide services correspondingly.
For the next two decades the cleaning chemicals market is definitely going to grow and there is enough market share for everyone, even though there are several players in the market. Opportunities are many, market norms and payment systems or taxation processes are standardised with GST, awareness has increased… it is definitely a profitable market to be in for the next two decades.
At this stage, plans are to take Daga to a pan-India level with a strong distributor network and build a cleaner and greener nation.