Open Avenues

APL Apollo Tubes Ltd.

Steely Resolve for Greater Innovation and Market Creation

Open Open | 23 Dec, 2022

Sanjay Gupta, CMD, APL Apollo Tubes Ltd.

What was the motivation behind choosing to operate in the highly competitive arena of the construction industry?

Our motivation thrives on our innovative product portfolio. The history of the steel tube industry says it has always been commoditized and competitive. At the time when we stepped into the market we wanted to follow a unique path. We began translating this vision into a reality by manufacturing square and rectangular shaped tubes that not only carved out a niche in the market for us but also replaced conventional construction products. The driving force behind our limitless enthusiasm to work in the heavy construction industry is our powerful legacy of innovation and the ability to create a market. In 2017, we started working on a new product range of heavy structural steel tubes. In the same year, we set up a mill for producing our first 300*300 mm Dia tube, which turned out to be a game changer. Presently we are well positioned to introduce sizes 500*500mm Dia tubes. The range of products we have is both innovative and flexible. We are the World’s First Company to produce tubes ranging from 10mm*10mm to 1000*1000mm with thickness varying from 0.23mm to 40mm. We believe that if the solutions and product offerings are triggered by innovation, then we can achieve greater heights in the competitive construction market.

What are the cornerstones of your work ethic in terms of deliverables in India’s steel tube manufacturing space?

We have a 55% market share in India’s structural steel tube industry. As an industry leader we endeavour to bring the best technology to steel tube manufacturing, so that it can boost the industry in terms of efficiency and product innovation. We have been pioneers in bringing in the latest technologies in structural steel tube manufacturing such as DFT (Direct Forming Technology), ERW (Electrical Resistance welding), inline galvanizing technology, and high-speed rolling mills. We are glad that small players too are keen to adopt these technologies, which will augment the overall proficiency of the entire industry.

Tell us about the innovations you have set in place to align your offerings to the demands of this burgeoning market.

We have succeeded in building a portfolio that could replace conventional products like wood, aluminium, steel angles and channels, TMT bars and long steel products. Our innovative product portfolio (especially door frames, window frames, octagonal tubes, hexagonal tubes, and elliptical tubes) was launched with this agenda in mind. Compared to wood products, our steel tubes are low in cost, fire-resistant, termite-proof, recyclable and nature-friendly. When it comes to the price, steel is by default a cheaper product than aluminium. Also, compared to long steel products, our tubes offer a more optimum weight-to-strength ratio. All these products have been launched to create a market for innovative applications in the light construction–to heavy construction arena.

We endeavour to bring the best technology to steel tube manufacturing, so that it can boost the industry as a whole in terms of efficiency and product innovation. We have been pioneers in bringing the latest technology in structural steel tube manufacturing

What have been the highs and lows on this journey to date?

APL Apollo started with an annual production capacity of 10000 tons, and today we have stretched this to an annual capacity of 2.6 MT. In the next few months we will be a 4 million tons annual production capacity company. So, if you look at the bar it has been mostly on a high note. Subsequently, we have also had our low phases. Steel is our main raw material, which by nature is a very volatile commodity. We have to manage steel price volatility to ensure our unstoppable growth. There have been a few instances in situations (like when the entire world was struggling with the COVID-19 lockdown) where we also have taken hard decisions to cut down on cost. During the pandemic, we had to also cut down our growth forecast for those years, but fortunately, we lost only a little in those couple of years. The most exciting part is our bounce back, which is equally strong.

What has been the most exciting aspect of your work and what would be your message to entrepreneurs from your experiences?

APL Apollo’s pillars are grounded in innovation, market creation, and ESG. Our skills in innovation, market creation and ESG are already trusted industryby our customers and also by the industry doyens. Now we are more excited about our products, which are in the pipeline for the next three years, especially from the upcoming Raipur plant. We have already started our market creation activities and from the initial response from our customers, it’s highly encouraging. As far as ESG is concerned, this was the new strategy we embedded in our DNA over the last two years. We believe that sustainable growth is the way forward for Indian companies and APL Apollo wants to be the front-runner in achieving sustainable goals which are being set by all the countries.

APL APOLLO WANTS TO BE THE FRONT-RUNNER IN ACHIEVING SUSTAINABLE GOALS: APL APOLLO TUBES LTD.APL Apollo’s pillars are grounded in innovation, market creation, and ESG. Our skills in innovation, market creation and ESG across a decade are already trusted by our customers and also by the industry doyens. We have already started our market creation activities and from the initial response from our customers, it’s highly encouraging.

What is the future of India’s construction industry and how do you see your contributions within the framework of its growth?

If India has to become a $5 trillion economy over the next 3 to 4 years, then the construction industry has to play a mega role in achieving that goal. In our estimate, the construction industry should grow at a 1.2 to 1.3-time multiplier to the GDP growth. So if we assume that the GDP growth should be in the high single digits, the construction industry has the potential to grow in double digits. Today, the construction industry is based on four things–speed, cost efficiency, quality, and environmental friendliness. We believe our heavy structure tube offerings and our steel building solutions offerings can match all these four needs of the market. We have a firm belief on the future of India’s construction industry, even we are also super excited about our new steel building offerings for the market.

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