Deepak Jalan Managing director, Linc Pen & Plastics

One cannot be blamed if the Calcutta office of Linc Pen & Plastics is confused with some kind of museum. Whether it is the simple plastic-cased ball pens of the past or the more sophisticated multi-system pens and pencils that are popular today, a walk around the office is almost a lesson in the history of the evolution in writing instruments.

For Deepak Jalan, managing director, the atmosphere is a reminder of his own evolution in a company that was in its infancy when he joined in 1985. “I never really planned to join the business which was very small at that time and still struggling to find its feet,” he says, recalling his reluctance dating back to his final year in college. There was another reason too why he wanted do something big. “My classmates in school and college came from affluent families — some of the parents owning tea estates while others worked in big companies. I was almost suffering from an inferiority complex,” he says.

Soon after graduation, Jalan joined his father in the family business. At a time when manufacturing and distribution was very much an unorganised sector activity, Jalan decided to study the business a little better. “Writing instrument companies as we know them today hardly existed in the mid-eighties. I spent the first year like an ordinary salesman. I used to pack samples of pens in a suitcase and visit shops and markets within Calcutta and several parts of the country. I tried to sell them and understand the market,” he says.

It wasn’t easy. “It is very difficult to change traditional mindsets. My father was happy with what we were doing. But that didn’t go with my philosophy of thinking big and out of the box,” he says. What followed in the ensuing years was a series of steps seen as too risky by members of his family. But in the end everybody stood by him. No wonder that, more often than not, he uses the word “we” even when he is referring to himself. “At the end of the day, it’s a collective responsibility,” he says.

After gaining a foothold in the eastern and northern parts of the country, one of Jalan’s initiatives was an exclusive tie-up with Japan’s Mitsubishi Pencil Co. in 1992 to distribute its Uniball pens in India. “Those were very exciting times as the Indian economy had just been thrown open. The tie-up gave us the confidence to spread our wings, and people in the marketplace and even our competitors started taking us seriously,” he says. Then came an initial public offering (IPO) to raise capital for the expansion of the company. Turnover then was less than Rs 10 crore. “It was considered an audacious move,” Jalan says. The IPO was over-subscribed.

“Success meant that we could take greater risks with our investments. We also changed our distribution system and decided to spread a wider net in terms of our coverage area,” says Jalan.

That was also the time when the company seriously explored foreign markets. “We slowly tied up with companies and retail chains in various parts of the world starting with South Asia. Today we have a presence in 38 countries.” Around 20 per cent of the company’s turnover comes from exports.

There have been efforts to diversify. “We tried to expand into other areas of business, but we realised that they were not our core areas,” says Jalan. Maintaining high quality has been the cornerstone for success of his company. “Our manufacturing facilities are among the best in the country. Our writing instruments are known for their quality, and it will continue that way,” he says.

Looking ahead, Jalan is confident of increasing the company’s share in the Rs 2,000-crore Indian writing instruments market. “We are one of the top brands in the country and we rule the markets in eastern India while being close second in some others. We hope to increase our market share to 25 per cent in the coming years,” he adds.

An avid reader of books, both fiction and non-fiction, Jalan also believes in keeping abreast of new techniques in management. It was this desire to learn that prompted him to get a diploma in business leadership from the Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta.

Jalan, who is in his mid-forties, likes to spend time with his three children, especially playing with his youngest daughter. He also likes watching comedy shows on television and travelling. It’s been an exciting journey so far.

Based on a conversation with V. Kumara Swamy in Calcutta