The government is spending on infrastructure projects like Bharatmala, among others and would be requiring huge infrastructure exercise.
Manish Naik, DGM- Business Development, The Supreme Industries

Getting quality construction in the first go is imperative given the exorbitant cost of repair, says Manish Naik, DGM – Business Development, The Supreme Industries Limited. Considering the expanding market in India, the scope to offer products and solutions is not confined to construction alone. The company plans to add value to infrastructure, real estate, entertainment, commercial and industrial applications, hospitals and hospitality industry as well by the means of its products and solutions, Naik says, in an interaction with Arpita Saxena of B2B Purchase. Interview excerpts:

Brief us about your product range.
Supreme is one of the largest processors of plastic in India. In our protective packaging division, we have products that are primarily used in packaging as well as other applications in construction and insulators for insulation- thermal and acoustic. As our construction applications have been categorised under the brand name – DURA – starting from DURA vapour barrier which is used as vapour barrier, DURA membrane used as waterproofing membrane, DURA protector used as membrane protector(protection) board, DURABOARDHD100 mainly used for expansion joints in construction and infrastructure products. We have DURA rods and also innovative products for tile protection applications DURAPROTECTOR-xf.

Under the brand name INSU, we have a range of products for thermal insulation like, INSUshield- in sheet, roll and tubing forms which are primarily cross-linked polyethylene foams; INSUflexrange of products in sheet and tubing form;INSU reflector for reflective insulation. Additionally, we also have acoustic insulation products namely – INSUsound-xlofornoise reduction in AC ducts. Innovative products like INSUsound-Bxl, INSUsound-Bcap, INSUsound-Bnproducts developed recently for acoustic insulation applications like home theatre, airports, metro, heavy machinery, road barriers, etc. We also have composite panels that are ready-to-install panels for building acoustics.

How do you see the market for your products in India?
Market is expanding and there is huge scope for our products and solutions. Our products are required not just in construction but infrastructure, real estate, entertainment, commercial and industrial applications, hospitals and hospitality industry. All the structures would be requiring our products both in DURA and INSU. Hence, the demand is quite huge. The government is spending on infrastructure projects like Bharatmala, among others and would be requiring huge infrastructure exercise. There is also a policy decision on developing smart cities and more than 100 smart cities are being developed. There is also a change of infrastructure and improvement in real estate, and, newer techniques are being used. Our product range will be utilised there considering the great input demand we have for them. There are new requirements of commercial establishments like malls, hospitals, hospitality industry, and due to campaigns like Incredible India, tourists are coming in creating room for improvements in the hotel industry that is raising our demand for thermal insulation and civil range of products.

How do you plan to add value to construction?
DURA offers better alternatives to conventional products mostly in terms of quality and cost parameter. So, using this range of products helps in getting quality construction. As you know, the cost of repair is much higher. So, getting quality construction in the first go is valuable as that will help in better product and will last in the long run. Thus, adding value.

With the new generation of thermal and acoustic insulation products, we can address other issues like timely completion of projects on time, better aesthetics, reliable performance in thermal insulation, and we have products that can be used to isolate the noise generation and reduce the impact of excessive noise of construction sites on nearby areas thereby adding value to construction sector.

Please talk about your latest innovation.
We believe in innovating our product range. Our sales team is always in the market looking after newer opportunities. In fact, most of our applications are developed according to the industry needs. As for our latest innovation, we have developed a patented product called INSUshield-af that is an air-filled product. That product has an air gap embedded in insulation itself. With that innovation, you get enhanced insulation capabilities with a better flexible product. The acoustic range of INSUsound product range are innovative products that have been developed based on the needs of customers. These are engineered products have been developed through our R&D considering the requirement of each application. INSUsoundrange comprises three products-INSUsound-Bxl, INSUsound-Bcap, INSUsound-Bn.

The latest addition is INSUflexsheets, a range of elastomeric sheets meeting all the relevant national & international standards. INSUflextubings and the sheets offer an array of insulation products hitherto not available in India.

Besides this, we also have another innovation – DURAseperator– a new product developed recently for a large infrastructure project wherein they wanted to have a reliable separator between soil and the construction. Earlier, people were using conventional films of low quality causing loss to the construction industry. So, we have addressed this issue and developed DURAseperator, a speciality co-extruded multi-layer reinforced high strength film with better puncture resistance DURAseperator is easy to lay on the soil before carrying out subsequent construction activities.

What is the major challenge of thermal insulation in buildings like airports, malls and hospitals?
Insulation of commercial buildings have certain challenges. Like in hospitals, a product particulate or fibrous nature would not be suitable. This is because people come to hospitals for healing. If any contaminant or foreign particle passes through the air stream, it will create a polluted atmosphere whereas you need pure atmosphere in the hospital. Our INSUshield and INSUflex products are typically developed considering the need of hospitals and hospitality sector.

Airports have different challenges given the huge structure. Due to their size, the heat generation and cooling load required would be very high. You need insulation that is able to perform in such situation and ensure zero condensation. Insulation for large diameter and long pipes from chillers require reliable insulation product like INSUshield or INSUflextubings; the products provide the best option due to their closed cell structure and pre-formed structure ensures easy fitment.

Commercial buildings require quick installation and commercially viable options. So, there also we have product range wherein you can get your project done quickly. So, the turnaround time of your project is very less which would enable you to handover the project to your tenant very quickly.

Discuss your R&D.
The research and development (R&D) for our division plays an important role. The R&D team is very much aware of the National & international developments and are eager to implement the latest technological innovations to improve the product & process. The R&D team has a close interaction with business development team that understands customer requirements well. So, based on the customer feedback and the close interaction with management, the R&D develops products as per industry requirements. Some of the recent developments are INSUshield-af, INSUsound-Bxl / Bcap / BnandINSUflexsheets by our R&D.