Aparna Enterprises Limited (AEL) is a part of the highly successful Aparna Group. Since 1990, Aparna Enterprises Limited is a leader in distribution of building materials and is one of the largest Tile Distribution companies in India. AEL is prides in having the largest market share in South India through a range of business in building-material products such as RMC (ready-mix concrete), uPVC Window and Door Systems, uPVC Profiles, Tiles, sanitary Ware & Kitchens, Aluminium Window & Door Systems and Facades & Exteriors. Associated with several landmark projects for over 3 decades, AEL is globally renowned for setting benchmarks in technology, research, design and quality.
Q.According to you, how will sustainability shape the building materials sector and especially Aparna Enterprises Limited as a company going forward?
The growing awareness among consumers about the need to adopt sustainable practices is having a positive impact on the building materials industry. The customers today prefer to live in a space which is environmentally sensitive and uses recyclable material. Even builders and contractors are very vigilant for the material they use while raising a structure. Instead of wood customers are opting for uPVC and aluminium as material for window and door needs. Our uPVC profiles under the brand name Okotech and uPVC window and door systems Aparna Venster, along with Alteza Aluminium windows and door systems, have been registering significant growth year on year. Similarly, the trend of replacing wooden or stone flooring with wooden and stone finish tiles is also an outcome of this growing consciousness. The demand for manufactured sand, another offering from our end is also fast gaining traction. Apart from being a good alternative to the natural sand, it helps the construction industry to reduce the impact it leaves on natural resources like river sand. The demand for M sand has been growing steadily from past 4-5 years.
Q.Please enlighten our readers about the key products and solutions being offered by your company!
Founded in 1990, we are one of the leading building material product manufacturer & supplier in the country. We operate through a range of businesses namely - Aparna RMC (ready-mix concrete), Aparna Venster (uPVC Window and Door Systems), Okotech (uPVC Profiles), Vitero (floor & wall Tiles), Unispace – (trading & retailing of luxury Sanitary Ware & Kitchens), Alteza (Aluminium Window & Door Systems) and Aparna-Craft (Exterior Facades).
Q.What role will ready mix concrete play in the carbon-neutral cities of the future?
As the sensitivity towards adopting sustainable practices will increase, usage of RMC will increase significantly. Aparna Ready mix concrete encourages replacing natural sand with manufactured sand and thereby allow construction players to adopt environment friendly construction practices.
Q.What products and solutions are offered by the company in this space uniquely than other brands?
We use Manufactured Sand (also known as M Sand or Crushed Sand), instead of river sand, for preparing the concrete mix. M Sand is better suited for concrete mix as it is processed in quarries and is relatively free from silt & clay and offers better compatibility with cement, helping in making a better quality concrete mix. Apart from that, we also use residual materials like Fly Ash and GGBS (Ground Granulated Blastfurnace slag) in our products. These products are waste material generated from different processes (e.g. thermal power generation and steel production) and help in improving the quality of the concrete mix. All of our other products are made under toughest quality standards & majority of them are certified under ISO 9001:2015, ISO 14001:2015 & ISO 45001:2018. Our uPVC profiles are ROHS compliant. Our vitrified tiles are manufactured following BIS standards and are ISI certified. Our Aluminium profiles used for premium window and door systems are 3kPA compliant.
Q.How do you expect construction to evolve from there in terms of ready mix concrete business?
More and more customers are opting for RMC and manufactured sand over traditional way of preparing concrete mix and usage of river sand in concrete mix. This trend is expected to continue and increase in upcoming years. Majority of commercial buildings, hi rise structures and infrastructure projects are raised using RMC only. As we expect a push towards infrastructure and construction in upcoming years, it will give a required boost to RMC industry, along with other building material products.
Q.How is the company committed to the environmental sustainability?
We not only produce environmental friendly products but also use green and recyclable input material in manufacturing processes. Apart from using manufacturing sand in Ready Mix Concrete our uPVC profiles which are used for making uPVC windows and doors, are lead free and recyclable products. Our aluminium window and door systems are made with aluminium alloy which is an architect grade alloy and is also completely recyclable. These window and door systems are not only recyclable but also save money for the inhabitants during usage and upkeep as they reduce energy bills and don’t require much of maintenance/repainting for long time. To avoid creating pollution in tile manufacturing process, we use natural gas to fire the kilns which produce high quality floor and wall tiles. All these products along with the curtain wall system and exterior facades that we manufacture, help in reducing carbon footprint and energy conservation in any commercial/residential structure.
Q.How is the building materials market evolving in India?Which are the major growth drivers?
The building material industry is currently a $225 Billion in market size. The focus on infrastructure development by the government and the rapid growth of urbanization will help the industry to grow.
Q.How is the company planning its business growth and expansion?
The sector is projected to register a growth of 10% in 2022 and a CAGR growth of 8% to 9% over the next five years and we are well-prepared to leverage the market opportunities that may open up. We are in process of vertical and horizontal expansion of our offerings and capacities to cater to this increase in demand. We have invested Rs. 100 crores to double our tile manufacturing capacity from 15,000 sq. mt tiles per day to 30,000 sq. mt per day. With this increased capacity, we have launch 80 x 160 cm tiles. Win an investment of Rs. 80 crores we have increased our uPVC profile production capacity from 450 tons a month to 700 tons a month. With an additional investment, this capacity is set to be increased to 1100 tons a month by end of this year. We are also expanding our market reach. We are also in process of launching several new products to expand our market presence.
