By MK Prabhakar
Beekaylon Synthetics Private Limited is one of the largest manufacturers of dope dyed yarn in the country. The company considered pioneers in synthetic yarn processing, with a significant global presence has always been known for its strong innovation focus.
In an exclusive chat, Sharad Nigam, Vice President –Sales & Marketing of the company gave insights into the growth of the company over the years. “Beekaylon was established in 1979, by Mr. Nand Khemani and Mr.Ashok Khemani. This was the time when polyester was making an entry into India. Beekaylon has always been known for its technology focus, right from the time of its inception. Even back then we had texturizing machines and dyeing plant. We grew gradually. The second generation came into the business (Rahul Khemani, Shohin Khemani and Siddharth Khemani) around 2011 and they started backward integration by putting up a spinning plant.”
“Around that time everybody was producing raw white yarn, but we got into colored yarn. We gradually started developing new products and introducing them to the market. We serve a diverse range of markets from automotive to home furnishings. We are considered market leaders in polyester filament and dope dyed yarn.”
While the company is headquartered in Mumbai, all its 5 plants are located in Silvassa. “We have plants for dope dyed yarn, BCF (Bulk Continuous Filament) , continuous polymerization and air-textured yarns. All these plants are located in close proximity to each other,” he said.
State-of-the-art manufacturing infra
“Needless to say we are always focused on upgrading our infrastructure, keeping in tune with latest international technology trends. The market also sometimes dictates the requirement for certain type of plants. For example, we had a lot of enquiries for cotton yarn, which we don’t make. So, we put up an air-textured yarn plant, which makes polyester which looks like spun yarn.”
“Similarly our BCFplant caters to the need of carpet, rug and bath mats manufacturers. Earlier home furnishing companies had to depend on imports from places such as Turkey or Saudi Arabia, but thanks to Beekaylon, they can get world-class BCF yarn, right here in India. Value addition is our forte. We manufacture flame retardant, UV resistant, anti-microbial, biodegradable and recycled yarns. We also have a cutting-edge R&D center. The total capacity of all our plants put together is around 400 tons per day. We have a team of around 1600 personnel working in our factories,” Nigam mentioned.
USPs
Elaborating on the company’s main competitive advantages he mentioned, “The latest generation is very aggressive to further grow our business in the value added market. It is an area where we have carved a niche. The use of latest technology and the quality focus are key areas of our strength. Plus, we have always been known for our innovation. We are not someone to sit back on our laurels. We are continuously finding ways to benefit the market with new products. We are always seeking feedback from the end-users, knitters, weavers, etc. and doing research for coming out with new yarns. So, I would say innovation is our strength.”
Sustainability focus
Highlighting the company’s commitment to sustainability, Nigam stated, “We use a significant amount of solar energy in our plants. We have the technology to reduce water consumption in our plants. Similarly, we are using PET flakes in our manufacturing process. We are also into biodegradable yarns. All these in a nutshell, are part of our sustainability initiatives.”
Beekaylon’s has been gradually increasing its global footprint. Its products are being exported to key global markets including countries in, North & South America, Europe, Africa and South-East Asia.
Future plans
Speaking about the future plans of the company, Nigam mentioned, “We are a growing company with a very good customer base. We would like to add new plants in the future, add value to the customers, society and the company. We will keep the readers updated on the latest developments in Beekaylon.”
