Ashok Aggarwal, Chairman and Managing Director, HPM Chemicals & Fertilizers Ltd.
Higher the growth of population, higher the demand for food! But area of land for cultivation is the same. In fact, it has decreased over time owing to urbanization. Furthermore, dwindling soil fertility, lack of nutrients in soil, and pests affect not only the livelihood of farmers but also lead to low crop production. Chemical formulations and fertilizers are the only solution! These substances give nutrition to the crops and enhance their growth besides facilitating their tolerance against pests, insects and diseases. HPM Chemicals & Fertilizers Ltd. has been benefiting farmers and aiding in improved crop yields for over 42 years now.
Headquartered in Delhi, the ISO 9001: 2008, ISO14001: 2004 and BS OHSAS 18001:2007 certified conglomerate has branches in 26 locations and a presence in 20 provinces and 22 countries across 3 continents. 45,000 retailers and 20 local warehouses across the country facilitate fast and easy distribution and delivery of products. What started with formulating environmental friendly old molecules like BHC, DDT, etc. providing farmers the safest technology blossomed into a leading agriinput provider in India in a short span of time. Today HPM is a household name in rural India. “We are the numero uno in terms of quality, the 5th in profitability, and 20th in turnover in our segment in India. Our products, numbering 190 different types, which is the widest array in our industry segment, are epitomes of superlative quality and innovation. We are at par with global players,” says the dynamic Mr. Ashok Aggarwal, Chairman and Managing Director. It was the early 1970’s. And another entrepreneur was born in the chemical and fertilizer industry orb. A dream nurtured and given shape under the indentation of HPM Chemicals & Fertilizers that would turn into an empire in later years! He was Shri Kishan Dass Aggarwal. With five brothers
joining the family business, there was no looking back. The collective hard work of the Aggarwal brothers boosted the very essence of the firm. Except Mr. Ashok Aggarwal (who joined in 1974), the other brothers ventured into their respective fields of interest. Mr. Ashok Aggarwal has been instrumental in propelling the growth story of HPM, turning the group into one of the leading players at the international level. He now regrets the separation of Dr. Nikhil Aggarwal from the organization but is in full happy spirits to take HPM to next level of prosperity.
Products and Solutions:
• Household and Industrial Chemicals: SUPER IMIDA (Imidachorprid 30.5%) SC Termiticide, TRISUL 20 EC (Chlorpyriphos 20 EC) for pest control, HISTAR (Bifenthrin 10% SC) insecticide and termiticide, TERMINATOR 50 EC (Chlorpyriphos 50 %) Termitic ide, DECENT (D.D.V.P.76%) Fumigant, Knockdown Super (Lamdacyhalothrin 5% EC) for pest control, Toofan (Chlorpyriphos 16% + Alphamethrin 1%) Insecticide, Hindol Dust (Chlorpyriphos 1.5% DP) for garden pest control, Garud (Glyphosate 41% SL) for weed control, etc. HPM has generated a turnover of a mind boggling Rs. 520 crore in 2016 fiscal. “Three years down the line, I shall shove our group to be amongst the top five from the current 20th position in terms of turnover in our industry segment. Our turnover shall exceed Rs. 1000 crore,” utters an enigmatic Ms. Tapasya Goel, Executive Director. A Commerce graduate, Ms Goel is backed by 10 years of experience in the jewellery industry with hands-on knowledge on interior designing prior to joining HPM. For any product manufacturing organization, research and development is a fundamental aspect for introducing innovative and result-oriented solutions. And developing an innovative molecule to an effective and safe product takes years of effort. HPM has a dedicated in-house R&D unit, handled by a team of R&D experts, chemists, and scientists who are well versed in different subjects of study ranging from Toxicology , microbiology to nanotechnology, agronomy, and more. It is equipped with advanced tools and technological facilities including HPLC, GLC, FTIR, AAS, Spectrometer, Karl Fisher, Viscometer, Polarimeter, etc. The team is involved in continuous research activities directed towards introducing new formulations, improving quality of products, innovate solutions based on current and emerging farming trends. They are closely connected with farmers, understanding their requirements. “We invest 2% of our net profit on R&D every year. What we spend on R&D are but an investment that benefits the cause of agriculture and facilitate our success,” says an ebullient Ms. Goel.
Competitive Advantages
• 190 different types of products
• Over 100 units sold every
minute
• 3 advanced production units spread over 20715 sqm
• Benefited over 7 lakh villages
• Pan-India presence; branches in 26 locations
• 45,000 plus retailers across India
• Over 5000 distribution networks
• 20 local warehouses
• Presence in 20 provinces in India and 22 countries • 100% retention of clients
• Workforce strength of 1000 people
• 95% plus timely delivery
• Influencing 90% of Indian agriculture
• Regular education of farmers through seminars/ workshops.
“We have the largest technical facilities in India. We provide technical services to clients based in other countries. Our consistent growth, year after year, substantiates the trust our clients have on us,” says Mr. Aggarwal.
Top 10 B2B Customer
Upl Ltd. Bharat Group. Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. Crystal Crop Protection Pvt Ltd. Dhanuka Agritech Ltd. Parijat Industries Pvt. Ltd. Insecticides (India) Ltd. Meghmani Industries Limited Willowood Chemicals P.Ltd Heranba Industries Ltd. HPM has been in the good books of their clients ever since their inception. Over the years, the conglomerate has been delivering excellence in all spheres of their activities, right from product manufacturing, customer service to governance, and innovation. This is corroborated by their constant growth, trust of clients, 100% client retention, honors and recognitions awarded by government and private agencies. Few of the awards that HPM has been honored with worth mentioning are Udyog Bharti Award in 2004 conferred by Indian Achiever Forum, Bharatiya Udyog Ratna Award in 2005 by Indian Economic Development & Research Association, to name a few. A Chinese journalist has ranked HPM 20th in AgroPages. “India is an emerging economy. The chemicals and fertilizers industry has been witnessing rapid growth with more and more farmers benefited over the years,” utters a candid Mr. Aggarwal.
Memberships
• Crop Care Federation of India (CCFI)
• Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM)
• Pesticide Manufacturers & Formulation Association Of India (PMFI)
• CHEMEXCIL India • Federation of Indian Export Organizations (FIEO)
• Confederation Of Indian Industry (CII)
• Indian Association of Plant Growth Products.
HPM Chemicals & Fertilizers is equipped with three multidisciplinary manufacturing units at Jammu & Kashmir (Samba) and Rajasthan (Khuskhera) including a colossal warehouse at Ludhiana. All units, certified with ISO 9001:2008, ISO14001:2004 & BS OHSAS 18001:2007 accreditations, share a combined space of 20715 sqm. The units are equipped with requisite advanced machines and facilities in compliance to environmental norms and safety parameters. The HPM technical plant has a production capacity of 3000 MTA of active ingredients. A clean and contamination-free milieu around is warranted by its Environment Management System as per ISO14001:2004 norms. HPM is also geared up to reduce the emission of CO2 into the environment. A stateof-the-art IT infrastructure, featured with futuristic scalability and comprising of latest servers, computers, advanced networking equipment, software and state of the art SAP-ERP is well in place. It complements the efficiency and accuracy of the entire work process, from procurement of raw materials to final production and delivery. “Our company is using the world’s best ERP i.e. SAP since 2005. We are going to upgrade our entire operations to SAP’s latest software S/4 HANA within next 3-4 months. This will be a milestone towards the growth of the organization and we will be able to help our customers in better ways,” says Ms. Goel. A team strength of 1000 people is the vertebral column of the group. While 200 professionals are dedicated to sales and marketing, 600 on board cater to 7 lakh villages. HPM inducts both fresher and senior level professionals. The technical team comprises solely of senior level experienced technicians and engineers. The staff at HPM works in a congenial environment, availing a plethora of benefits. Maximum retention of staff since inception has deemed HPM as one of the most respected companies in their industry turf.
As part of corporate social responsibility, HPM is involved in several projects related to:
• Plantation of trees,
contributing towards creation of a green world
• Organizing of free health check-up and medical camps at rural areas
• Education campaigns for all age groups to improve literacy in India
• Conducting of seminars and workshops on awareness about agro chemicals and their use
• Rural sanitation campaigns for domiciles around industrial provinces.
HPM caters directly to farmers through their network of dealers, distributors, and retailers pan India. Over 7 lakh villages in 598 districts have benefited from their products and solutions. With 4000 plus distributors, 16000 dealers and 45000 retailers including 4 central warehouses and over 20 warehouses across India, HPM leaves no stone unturned to reach farmers to facilitate high and quality crop yields. Households and industrial houses have benefited using insecticides, termiticides, and pesticides from HPM. The group exports their products to clients based in 22 countries across the globe. Major export markets include Taiwan, Nepal, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Tanzania, Zambia, to name a few. Mr. Aggarwal is upbeat about the introduction of GST. He believes implementation of GST will facilitate smooth running of the business cycle and benefit everyone involved including end customers. Mr. Aggarwal owes the success of his group to a blend of hard work, team effort, sacrifice, and destiny. According to him, those who work for HPM have a bright future ahead. “We are planning to introduce bio products under the name of ‘Biocide’. We introduce two to three molecules every year. Our fungicides, weedicides, and insecticides are crop friendly and environment friendly. Our objective at HPM is to help farmers improve their crop yields,” winds up the magnetic Mr. Aggarwal.