Work with Passion!
After 25 years with TANATEX, Madhavi Chavan remains as passionate as ever about doing a great job and expanding our business in India.
Working as sales support and logistics manager in TANATEX India, Madhavi has been seen the development of our business and the market in India over many years. “25 years is a long time to witness changes in the company and more widely,” she says. “The biggest change in my view is the strong distribution network we have developed in India, as well as in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.”
A big change also took place with the opening of the production plant in Thailand. Instead of most of her contacts and purchasing being directed to the Netherlands, purchasing largely now goes through Thailand and results in reduced lead times.
Having joined Bayer India 25 years ago, Madhavi remained with the business through the opening of TANATEX India in 2007. At that time she was one of four employees and responsible for commercial activities. Her first tasks included establishing standard operating procedures and setting up a suitable IT system to ensure smooth running. Skype too enables fast and timely communication with departments and experts wherever they are based.
Sustainable solutions provide differentiation
The market has changed considerably over the years. “When we started it was a seller’s market whereas now the trend has changed to a buyer’s market due to increased competition from local and global players. The buyer is king and the seller needs to provide products according to market demand,” she says.
In spite of increased competition, TANATEX is still able to differentiate itself with sustainable solutions for brands and retailers requiring certification like Bluesign, Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS), Zero Discharge Hazardous Chemicals Gateway (ZDHC) and the Restricted Substances List (RSL).
Madhavi describes the Indian textile market as being split between exporters and those catering to the domestic market. It is exporters who are insisting on sustainable solutions and certification and they typically rely on multi-nationals like TANATEX for products and services. Although some local suppliers are beginning to catch up, TANATEX mineral solutions remain very successful in meeting sustainability requirements, with products like TANNEX®, NOVECO, TANNEX® LAZUL and TANAPAL®M-RE all recording strong sales.
Manufacturers catering for the domestic market represent up to 65% of total production and are less interested in sustainable solutions. “With fewer government regulations, our differentiators are less relevant and we have many local competitors,” Madhavi explains. “However, organisations like ZDHC are coming together to raise consumer awareness and lobby the Indian government for sustainable solutions. It is a small start and there is a long way to go.”
Rising to the challenge as two cultures merge
Madhavi’s responsibilities involve her with many areas of the business, from inventory and warehouse to co-ordinating with sales colleagues. She handles logistics issues for Bangladesh and Sri Lanka and also liaises with customers, clearing agents, shipping lines, government departments and more! These interactions with so many people are one of the things she likes most about her job. “They pass on their views about how I can improve and I take responsibility to fulfil their demands. Meeting their satisfaction is always my first priority,” she says. She is happy with her performance as logistics is a key strength in the Indian operation.
Choosing a favourite product is a challenge. Some have really stood the test of time and remain popular like LEVEGAL® RL, BAYPRET® Nano-PU, ACRAFIX® FF and ACRAMIN® Prefix K. TANNEX® Noveco, which is the top selling product in India, is also a contender. Not to mention other mineral technology products like TANNEX® GEO, TANNEX® LAZUL and next generation TANNEX® AIO New.
Celebrating successes
Her favourite memories involve everyone getting together to celebrate successes. “From 2008, we have held a distributor meeting every year to thank distributors and sales colleagues who achieve the highest performance. During these meeting we enjoyed adventure sports. So far we have water rafted at Pune, Paraglided at Sikkim and Parasailed at Goa,” she says. Madhavi also adds she enjoys coming together with the team in the office to celebrate birthdays with cake. During Diwali, they make Rangoli decorations and, in 2017, won the first prize for teamwork within TANATEX Organisation. (see picture above)
Looking forward, her aims are for the company to achieve sustainable top line growth. Additionally, she wants to increase the customer and market base in India. For herself, she wants a good work-life balance. She concludes with a final message for others in the organisation: “Work with passion!”
