FACTFILE

My Chinese experience: Was an eye-opener Success: Has failed to spoil me Would never miss: My morning jog and game of tennis Can never accept: No for an answer My strength: My perseverance Advice to budding traders: Never set up an industrial unit on the basis of incentives provided by the government

This 42-year-old entrepreneur is a fast learner. Not only has he visited places the world over, he has also imbibed everything he has seen.

He went to China in a state of panic, following information culled through Net surfing that following liberalisation of imports, the Chinese were going to invade the Indian market. He returned home a changed man.

He had learnt a lot from the Chinese. “Imagine, they work for 15 to 20 hours. So much so that one female working in a manufacturing unit told me she did not have the time to get married and look after a family,” Sunil Kejriwal recalls.

“Chinese workers do not demand anything. They only demand more work. Despite being a communist country, the manufacturing units there do not suffer from any labour trouble,” he says. Impressed, Sunil changed his own life style after returning home. “Now I work for 14 hours and I have no hesitation in admitting that I learnt it from the Chinese,” he says.

“I went there in 2000 to protect my manufacturing business of steel processing, steel furniture, rolling shutters, general fabricators, automobile accessories etc. With the Chinese entry imminent I felt my business would be sucked by the Chinese steel products. Hence I decided to visit that country and learn for myself,” he says.

There he found two to three thousand steel processing units, manufacturing what he was manufacturing.

“I visited 10 to 15 such units in the one month I spent there. It was an eye-opening experience so far as labour quality, infrastructure and upgradation of technology are concerned,” he recalls.

The trip to China changed Sunil’s future course of action too. He realised it was better to “buy from China and sell here, rather than compete with them in the steel processing business”. Now he concentrates on “trading”. “I thought of utilising the distribution channel that I had developed and started importing in 2001 from Malaysia, Indonesia and other countries,” he says.

The Chinese experience also made him and his family change their family’s basic unit, which specialised in enamel household wares. He says, “We adapted the Chinese technique for our sister concern. We are now exporting our products to European countries as well with Italy being the main market.”

Frankfurt in Germany was a revelation too. “Superb infrastructure and total support from government agencies,” he says.

In India, hindrances by government agencies, like the sales tax department, had forced him to reduce his turn-over to control increase in liabilities and the turn-over dropped from Rs five-and-half crore to one crore. However, he continues to work hard.

“My day begins at 5 a.m. After my morning tea and shave, I set out for Ranchi Gymkhana Club for jogging and tennis. I return at 7.30 a.m. and after a fast breakfast, I leave for the factory at 7.40 a.m. so that I can be there by 8 a.m.,” he says. He works there till late in the evening.

“If I am out of town, I practise yoga for 15 minutes or walk. I learnt the value of exercise from my father who practices yoga, ” he asserts.

“I never accept a no for an answer easily. I keep trying. This tendency of never giving up has given amazing results on different occasions. Once I was asked to reach Indore the same evening that I received the call. There was no way one could do it. But I tried. I flew down to Delhi and found that the flight to Indore was late by three hours.”

“Thus I made it to Indore the same evening, which would otherwise have been an impossible thing to achieve,” he says.

He prefers to spend his evenings with his family, instead of visiting clubs.

Sartorially too he maintains a balance. “I don’t like to go to work in formal suits. I wear them only when I am abroad,” he says.

Kejriwal quotes another example of his perseverance . This happened when he managed to get admission in Eliphinston College, Mumbai university in 1982.

“Mumbai University did not recognise any degree from L.N. Mithila University, from where I had completed my intermediate course. But I kept meeting the dean and the concerned officials, and was granted provisional admission and eligibility certificate. Later, I went on to head the students’ union there,” he says. His advice for new entrepreneurs: “Don’t ever set up an industry or a unit on the basis of incentives offered by the state government. The officials will make you bleed till you would be left with nothing.”

Arun Kumar Thakur