A Firm’s History Engraved In Stone
This week Grishma Raj caught up with the sulthans of marble industry in Coimbatore, the Maheshwary Marbles company. With an enviable list of happy clients, we had a chat with Anuraag S Rander (Maheshwary) on how he keeps his marbles and sells his stones.
What is your company’s origin and what inspired you to join this business?
Around 40 years back, we had brought in some marbles which were to be used in the construction of our house, the famous architect Ramani Shankar, who owns the famous Shankar & Associates in Coimbatore, really liked the marble for its quality. His first order for marbles sowed the seeds for a marble retail business in my father Shrigopal Rander Maheshwary’s mind. My father found a lack of good retail shops which provide range of choice and service to the customers. Now it’s grown into a full-fledged natural stones company.
I entered the business in 1997 and took the company international. I was always inspired by how important houses are in anyone’s life and marble is one of the most integral components in any house. I liked the idea that I can breathe life to that dream by offering our clients the best quality marbles in all the shades and patterns that they desire for.
Taj Mahal has also been a huge inspiration in my journey towards this business. The white marble which is used to build Taj Mahal is brought in from Makrana city in Rajasthan, which also happens to be our family’s origin. So, I always had that connect with white marble which is also now part of our home.
Can you please shed some light on how marbles are processed and how do you distribute them?
We get blocks of marbles from quarries in India as well as abroad and they get processed in Rajasthan. We deal in basic colored marbles, onyx marbles, travertine marbles and granites. Usually, the marbles are named after the quarry its sourced from.Its then transported to Coimbatore as well as Kochi for selling. From these points, we sell them as slabs to our customers to be processed at their location. We have also forayed into vitrified tiles business.
What value do you offer to your clients and who are your major customers?
We at Maheshwary marbles believe in delivering the best quality natural stones to our customers every time. We are an environmentally responsible company who give back to the environment more than we take. We are well aware of green lobbies, wild life reserves and do not engage in mining that harm the environment. I personally ensure that all our deliveries are in top notch shape.
We are proud to be associated with all leading architects, builders, hospitals, hotels and various other reputed organizations. Our esteemed clients are Sree Annapoorna, PSG group, Kovai Medical Centre & hospital, Globus Nakshatra, Foundation One and SriVari infrastructure private limited to name a few.
It must be hard to choose a favorite kind of marble but when it comes to that what is your advice for your clients?
It truly is a difficult choice but when it comes to advising a customer, I would suggest them to choose Italian marble. Its due to the fact that Italian marbles are durable, provide high sheen and visual appeal when compared to Indian marbles.
What are your views on current challenges that natural stone business faces in India?
The major issue I have seen is the entry of a number of players who deal in marble selling business. But they all start out with very less knowledge and planning. They eventually learn the ways of this business but some don’t survive the harsh climate.
What are your hobbies other than your passion for business?
I really like to meet people and create contacts. I am a movie buff and I love food. That’s why you can find me on Facebook pages called Cine blitz and travelling foodies. This allows me to get in contact with people from many walks of life, which I really enjoy. But other than that, building up contacts have always fascinated me. One of the highlighting factors of choosing to follow my family business is the number of contacts and referrals I have made. I don’t think I would have made so many contacts if I had gone to any other business. Maheshwary Marbles helped me in exploring in and around India and abroad. It helped me evolve and build excellent relationship.
What sort of tips you want to give to our readers who also want to be entrepreneurs like you?
The basic mantra is to work hard and ensure that whatever you deliver is of the highest quality. If you have to survive in any industry, it’s very important to be the best and understand what quality means. It’s a corner stone of our company too.
Marketing and being in contact with potential clients, investors and enthusiasts is another important aspect. Keeping in line with latest in business is also crucial for the company’s success. That’s why we also promote our brand on Facebook and we have plans to launch apps on android as well as IOS.
