Hyderabad: Life in the Musthyala household in the seventies, at Mancherial in Adilabad, was easy, well settled in the cinema theatre business and a rice mill to boost income. The same was repeated in the eighties; sons all doing well at school and college, all ready to take up business. Early nineties saw them receive their share from the sale of the rice mill and the money invested in a film, with established stars. To their bad luck the foray into film making ended in a disaster and caused them a lot of anxiety, the film tanked.
This setback poured water on the plans of Musthyala Vijay Kumar, a management professional, who wanted to start a business in polymers. “I was a great setback for our family. It was a sheer misadventure. However, I pooled together Rs 10 lakh. With this, I had started Vijay Polymers in 1992, at IDA, Cherlapalli,” Mr Kumar told this newspaper. To help him in the venture, he also roped in his younger brother Kamalakar, who managed the office, while Mr Kumar handled production and marketing. He used drive his Maruti car across the length and breadth of erstwhile Andhra Pradesh to sell his products.
“We used to sell plastics and in particular HDPE (High Density Polyethylene) pipes. This was mainly used in the transport of water. But since it was a new commodity, we had to educate the traders about the product and its uses. Life was tough in the initial year. But our hard work paid off and we managed clock a gross sale of 70 Lakhs that fiscal,” he explained.
Since the company was registered as a private limited company in 1996, it maintained the numero uno position in the segment. “We managed to achieve this feat because we had never compromised on the quality. With varied applications, HDPE pipes became popular in transportation of potable water, sewage, industrial effluents and in the agriculture and irrigation sectors. In comparison to conventional pipes, these ones endeared the public because of the ease of installation, operation and maintenance.”
Vijay Polyplast has a sister concern now, incorporated in 2013 and christened Poly Colouraid India, situated at APIIC’s Automotive Park, Kallakal, Medak. At this facility, they manufacture a new product called Masterbatch. It’s a concentrated mixture of pigments and/or additives encapsulated during a heat process into a carrier resin which is then cooled and cut into a granular shape. “This allows the processor to colour raw polymer economically during the manufacturing process.”
Trailblazers in this area of business, they are the market leaders presently and command a fair market share. With a capital of Rs 10 lakh, Mr Kumar started out. Now, his tax filing is for Rs 40 crore. Staff strength has increased manifold, a larger facility beckons as the demand for the products he makes is really in short supply.
They wish to double their production in quick time and are on the lookout for a favourable place. The elder brother waxes eloquent when he mentions the younger one and says without his holding fort, the business might not have been this easy.
(In association with jobsdialog.com of TMI e2E Academy)
