Concerted effort on up-skilling of construction workers have contributed to our brand and business growth

01 Aug 2018 CW Staff

Everest offers new-age building products for walls, floors and ceilings in addition to roofs. Its building solutions have high aesthetic value, are safe and durable, and enable rapid construction. Manish Sanghi, Managing Director, Everest Industries, shares more...

Please highlight one major challenge faced in FY2017-18.
During the year, we launched a new product - Everest Super - targeted at rural customers and priced at a 25 per cent premium to our regular cement roofing sheets. It was a challenge for us to create a premium segment in the conventional fibre cement roofing market. Upgrading the rural customers to make them willing to pay a price premium was a challenge. Local level engagement with channel partners to establish the product's three-in-one benefits was taken. Today, repeat purchase of Everest Super is 40 per cent higher than those of traditional fibre cement roofing sheets. Also, an incentive scheme was launched that has seen enrolment of more than 8,000 roofers. We expect the coloured roofing to become the mainstay for roofing sheets in India.

What decision do you consider the biggest contributor to the company's growth in FY17-18?
This year ,the focus has been on training and upgrading the skill levels of applicators and installers of our fibre cement boards and panels range of products as well as roofing products. We decided to organise multi-level training programmes for fibre cement boards and panels installers to increase awareness, improve workmanship and create a better rapport between our sales team and installers. For creating awareness and expansion of brand reach among installers, the Pehchan programme was launched, wherein we engaged with more than 5,500 contractors. The Kaushal programme was started during the year to provide hands-on training to increase efficiency and application quality. We trained 2,529 installers through Kaushal, during the year. The Roof Master Training Programme, which provides expert training to construction workers in rural areas on erection of roofing sheets, is conducted in partnership with NSDC and CIDC. During the year, 462 workers in 18 districts in 12 states had undergone training under this programme. This decision helped in fuelling our brand and business growth.

Particulars	Net sales	EBITDA	Reported PAT
FY2018 (Rs billion)	12.45	0.97	0.5
Growth over FY 2017 (in%)	8.54	88.4	1,170.18

Please share a decision you avoided, which could have otherwise impacted the company's top-line and bottom-line.
The India growth story encouraged us not to cut down on capacity despite the temporary slow down on account of GST implementation. We saw improvement in demand in the second and subsequent quarters.

What are your plans for the company's growth in FY18-19?
For FY19, Everest remains focused on profitable growth. We have announced new product launches, including Everest Super, coloured fibre cement roofing sheet; Everest Durasteel Roofs, new coloured metal roofing sheets; and Everest Solar, a unique proposition of turnkey rooftop solar solutions for industrial and commercial pre-engineered buildings.