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