In an exclusive interview with Dhanish Goyal, CEO at SD Polymers, said that the Indian polymer industry requires to make the optimum utilisation of manufacturing resources and go for adoption of updated technology.

Excerpts on the interview…

1. What are the core values of the company?

Dhanish Goyal: Honesty in work, simplicity rather than the complexity of operations, customer-centric, constant evolution, and focused approach.

2. How do you ensure the quality control of polymer products during the manufacturing process?

Dhanish Goyal: It was a major challenge during days when technology was not available. We follow constant process monitoring through the use of advanced quality control technology along with a robust process quality check system. Every product is made as per the production instruction and passes through various quality checks before final delivery.

3. What are the main challenges and opportunities currently facing the polymer industry?

Dhanish Goyal: Major challenges in the industry are the optimum utilisation of manufacturing resources and the adoption of updated technology. There is a huge opportunity to aggregate all the manufacturing resources, reduce spare capacity, increase industry output, and create value.

4. How does environmental sustainability factor into the polymer industry, and what steps are being taken to reduce its environmental impact?

Dhanish Goyal: Polymer disposal is the root cause of the environmental issues attached to the polymer industry and its use. The use of polymer has reduced dependency on various products such as wood, paper, etc, and contributed to saving various trees. Further use of polymers in medical applications has saved various lives and kept the hygiene of society. Though the disposal of polymers has created a concerning effect on the environment, various efforts such as the implementation of EPR (End Producer responsibility ) under the Plastic Waste Management Rules of 2016, the use of biopolymers, and the recycling of polymers have been encouraged to reduce the environmental effect of polymer.

5. How do you approach research and development in the polymer industry to stay competitive and meet customer demands?

Dhanish Goyal: RND is the most important factor for the growth of each and every industry. We at SDPPL endeavor constantly update on new materials science and adopt the latest technology for the development of new products. We have also installed advanced and sophisticated polymer RND lab having machines from some of the world’s best testing equipment suppliers. Further, we have a dedicated development team who focus round the clock on new product applications and develop a competitive product that exhibits superior properties and meets customers’ demands.

6. Can you discuss any initiatives or efforts your company has undertaken to promote sustainable and responsible practices within the polymer industry?

Dhanish Goyal: We have launched a free RND program, where any polymer manufacturer can visit our RND facility, get detailed polymer testing along with material identification done, get in touch with our technical team for product development, and know about the latest technology for product manufacturing. We also encourage our various customers in technology sharing and form synergies among themselves for effective and efficient utilisation of resources and sustainable growth.

7. What are the future prospects and potential growth areas in the polymer industry, and how do you see the industry evolving in the coming years?

Dhanish Goyal: There is a huge potential in the polymer industry in the development of advanced polymer composites, reinforced polymers, bio-polymers, carbon fiber-based polymers, and polymer recycling. There is massive demand coming from the infrastructure industry for new building materials made through reinforced polymers. There is also huge demand from the agriculture sector for the adoption of new irrigation technologies and water transportation systems. The automobile sector has huge volumes coming up for lightweight polymer compounds for EVs and high heat-stabilised reinforced material for battery manufacturing.