Running a successful business organization is not for everyone and it is even harder to be a successful business leader in the current highly competitive market realm. For achieving this, it is important to have a solid backing from your employees. Chemical Partners India is one pioneering business organization that has been able to scale unprecedented heights in the industry owing to the quality and commitment of their employees, and when asked about the team behind the success of Chemical Partners India, Ujas Khunt who is the founder of the organization says, "We have a team of four people (Vimal Trivedi, Krushnaraj Kotarani, Pratik Bhatiya) including me that is directly under the payroll of Chemical Partners India and all of us are experts in the areas that we are dealing with. The support that I have from my team has helped me to take tough business decisions and guide the company towards success even during tough times".

In an exclusive interview with CEO Insights, Ujas talks more about his professional journey and the operations of Chemical Partners India.

Can you give us a brief detail about your educational and professional background? Also, what motivated you to establish the firm?
I am a chemical engineer by profession and I was placed during the campus placement drive itself in a company that deals with the imports and exports of the chemicals. I worked there for a year before starting my own company and I have always wanted to create something of my own that will offer the best quality services to the clients. This passion is what helped me to create Chemical Partners India. Another reason behind the establishment of the company was that I saw many MSMEs in the manufacturing of chemicals who were not exporting their goods to the foreign markets. So, I saw this area with immense potential and I wanted to create products that are of international standards.

As the founder of the company, what are the various roles that you take in the organization? Also, what were the initial challenges that you faced in the industry?
As the founder of the company, I have to take care of all the purchases, sales, getting new clients, looking at new business opportunities, new markets and expansion plans, among many others. This gives me the expertise and experience of dealing with all the various facets of my business which allows me to be a better professional and business leader that is equipped with the needed skills required to thrive in the corporate realm.

Challenges are part and parcel of operating in the corporate realm, and acquiring adequate funds was an obvious challenge for us. We started our operations with

just 20 lakh rupees and as of now, we have sales of about $2 million in the export market. We were also able to increase our presence to 20 countries and we have got 35 clients in the overseas market now. This mentality to persevere and keep going forward has also helped us to stand apart from the rest of the competition. Apart from that, everyday challenge include surviving major increase in ocean freight by shipping upto 5x which increases the substantial costs to us.

Can you tell us about the various products that you offer?
Our expertise are in Industrial Chemicals, Minerals and speciality chemicals. We deal with various commodity chemicals and we have been able to create a niche in this market owing to the quality, credibility and reliability of our operations. We also have specialty chemicals in our product portfolio and owing to the difficulty in creating customized formulas to build specialty chemicals, it is not an easy vertical to operate in. We also work with mineral industries and one mineral that we primarily deal with are talcum lumps, which is an essential ingredient for various industry verticals.

We have been growing exponentially and have been included in the top 100 chemical startups in the world

In your professional journey so far, which are the milestones that bestowed you utmost satisfaction?
We have been growing exponentially and we have been shortlisted by top 100 chemical startups in the world. Our total sales for 2020-21 was $2 million and our target for 2021-22 is $3.5 million. Countries where we export the most are Israel, Europe (Minerals), West Africa, Far East Asia and Latin America. Even though there were established players in this market when we started, we have been able to make a name for ourselves in the industry. We offer affordable products and that instantly helps us to separate ourselves from the rest of the competition. This also helps us to retain all our clients which allow us to not just build but also maintain an impressive clientele. Also, despite the Covid-19 pandemic, we were still able to clock in good growth numbers in the past year too.

How do you update yourself with the latest trends in the industry?
We regularly update ourselves with the latest trends, information, pricing, competition and the market conditions, among many others, so that we always remain on top of our game. We refresh ourselves across a multitude of mediums; with my team I have daily brainstorming, knowledge-sharing sessions, which often contribute to a safe working atmosphere. With all this, we are aiming to create a sustainable business model to achieve sustained success in the industry and promote MSME's materials in international market.

Ujas Khunt, Founder, Chemical Partners India
Leading the company from the front, Ujas has been able to motivate others around him to work to achieve the organizational goals in an efficient manner. His leadership skills have also helped him to guide Chemical Partners India through tough economic scenarios.