Pushing The Boundaries Of Growth

Success has greeted Suresh Kumar Poddar, the chairman and managing director of Mayur Uniquoters Limited, from the get-go, helping him turn his company into one of the largest manufacturers of synthetic leather in India. In conversation with MARWAR, Poddar talks about how it all began and the long way they have come since.

- Pooja Mujumdar

SURESH KUMAR PODDAR’S desire to launch Mayur Uniquoters Limited (in 1992) had stemmed from a vision to manufacture world-class synthetic leather. At that time, the synthetic leather segment was fragmented and primarily dominated by the small scale industries (SSI) sector. Poddar, nevertheless, has scripted an incredible journey of fame and success, and the growth continues two decades later to make Mayur Uniquoters one of the largest manufacturers of synthetic leather in India, with a total production capacity of 3.05 million linear metres every month and a whopping FY 2017-18 turnover of 556.37 crore. “This scale of production is supported by our high-tech production lines that comprise top-of-the-line machinery imported from China and Italy,” says the 72-year-old Poddar, who is the chairman and managing director of Mayur Uniquoters.

Early years

Poddar’s family originally belongs to Fatehpur, Rajasthan, from where, like countless other Marwari families, it had moved to Kolkata, lured by the city’s business prospects. In Kolkata, his father took to trading in synthetic leather. Son Suresh joined him when he was 22, having just acquired his degree in science from the University of Calcutta. As a budding entrepreneur, Poddar developed an avid interest in trade and distribution of synthetic leather and in 1968 began working as a commission agent for the National Leather Cloth Manufacturing Company. Success followed. “By 1976, we got distributorship for Eastern India. We used to supply to Bata and Hindustan Motors at that time,” he reminisces.

Striking out on his own