Page 32 - CIJ July 2024 Digital Edition

INDUSTRY TALK

Surfactants & Allied Chemicals Pvt. Ltd
Fast Expanding Homegrown

Solutions Expert

Developing customised cleaning solutions through
research-based product development, led to the growth
of one of the oldest cleaning chemical manufacturers in
India. Spread over the country, the company’s products
cater to multiple sectors including pharma, automobile,
factory, home, laundry and housekeeping. Prabhakar Rao,
Managing Director, Surfactants & Allied Chemicals Pvt.
Ltd, a 30-year-old Chennai-based company, talks about
the humble beginnings, growth and success of his home-
grown endeavour.

Why did you choose to sample they had shared. Surfactant When did you plan to
make cleaning chemicals? is currently the only supplier of the expand and export your
product in India.
Just after graduating in BCom., a Customers are very happy with products?
friend and classmate of ours from our products, including a Jain temple I met an acquaintance from the
Loyola college, Chennai, contacted which was assured of animal-free Taj Hotels, Maldives, on a holiday
us. He was offered a steady job in products to clean their idols and in India in 1996 and suggested to
the Railways so he wanted us to take floors. Other unique products include
over his cleaning business and that a hand-wash to remove the presence him to source cleaning chemicals
was how it all started. of lead for those handling batteries, from here instead of Singapore.
liquification of biowaste that block We ran a trial order for them, they
Commerce to chemicals, drains to rid societies of rodents, were satisfied and we ended up
becoming their regular suppliers.
what were the snakes, lizards and mosquitoes and a While exports did not really take
spray to remove oil and grease from
challenges? chimneys. off for us, we expanded to multiple
locations within the country. We had
People wanted customized How did you build your agents who would buy from us and
chemicals. Ashok Leyland wanted sell to the local market. We make
to clear the grease and oil from team? around 150 products and supply
their shop floors and we used the Initially it was just Dasharath and to hospitality, healthcare, laundry,
only liquid detergent we had at the I who would go to meet customers in pharma, automobile, home and other
time, which only made the surface Chennai. We had customers like Taj, segments.
murkier. We consulted our chemistry Chola, Ashok Leyland, MRL, MFL,
professor who gave us a solution Dunlop and Britannia who bought Our certifications are our USP.
and since then, we have supplied our products. We thought we should SAC is currently an ISO 9001,
our branded product, Degreasol, for then build a team for marketing, ISO 14000, Green Factory with
removing grease and oil from shop which we did. We wanted to Gold Mark, WHO-GMP Certified
floors. Similarly, every product was establish a branch in Mumbai and my Company with CRISIL rating A.
made at the behest of a customer. elder brother Suryanarayana resigned SAC is also a Life member of the
Taj Coromandel was importing dry his job with Burroughs Welcome and Association of Health Providers
carpet cleaner from the US and joined me but he passed away soon of India. Our demos have a high
wanted local vendors to develop after. My cousin Prakash Rao then success conversion rate because of
a similar product based on the joined us and developed the market. our certifications.

JULY 2024•Clean India Journal
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