The Growing awareness level and putting Civil Engineering to its limits with demand for quality & durable construction has resulted in positive demand. Says Hasan Rizvi, Vice President, STP Ltd in an Interview with EPC World.
What according to you is STP’s core strength in the waterproofing division?
STP Ltd is one of the oldest brand for waterproofing in India, established way back in 1935. Over these years we have mastered the waterproofing technologies and set market standards . The core competency is shifting from APP membrane to Liquid membrane but we still control a major market share of APP membranes.
What are the latest innovations & trends in the waterproofing industry both in India and abroad?
The latest trend is that people want user friendly and easy to apply systems . A shift has been seen towards using liquid applied membranes for waterproofing. With people getting environmentally cautious & laws pertaining to the environmental protection getting stiffer. It has resulted in creation of eco-friendly products which offer better performance. STP Ltd is a company which is inclined to protect the environment and is focusing on environmentally friendly non toxic green products like ShaliUrethane BTD UV resistant single component elastometric in-situ coating, TarFelt LM bituminous liquid membrane for various waterproofing applications , ShaliCem EWP (two component cementitious elastomeric coating)
Tell us about ‘Avishkar’ your R & D facility in Hooghly.
As far as STP Ltd is concerned , we develop products as per our Indian climatic conditions. STP products are time tested. We at STP Ltd have a state of the art R & D centre backed by qualified team of R & D experts. Our facility ( Avishkar) is based near Kolkata . We understand the need of our customer and our R & D team provides outstanding products to suit the market requirements.
Given the government’s increasing impetus on infrastructure, do you think the domestic market will offer enticing opportunities for manufacturers of waterproofing products?
Government focus to speed up infrastructure like power , ports, roads, freight corridors, industrial hubs etc are the drivers for the construction Chemical and waterproofing industry, it will still take some time for the market to pickup.
Chemicals, construction, ports and shipping – a lot of the direct and allied areas of the waterproofing industry are a part of the ambitious “Make in India” campaign. As a company with an established pan India presence, what role do you foresee in such an initiative?
The ambitious initiatives like Make in India are very encouraging but the pace of investments have to go up, to have a noticeable impact.
Apart from the governments consolidated efforts towards a better infrastructure what would be the other growth drivers for the waterproofing industry in the coming years?
The growing awareness level and putting civil engineering to its limits with demand for quality & durable construction has resulted in positive demand. Consultants & Architects have realized the importance of waterproofing so they are recommending waterproofing systems in their projects, government inclination for infrastructure development are among the main driving force for construction chemical market in India. The market is growing, it has led to increase in number of substitute products introduced by local manufacturers. Some clients get tempted by very low cost solutions. Waterproofing needs to be taken up seriously, people spend crores in construction overlooking th robust waterproofing solutions the market has to offer.
People need to understand that waterproofing is among the most important factor affecting the durability of the structures.
Currently what are STP’s star selling products in the waterproofing portfolio?
STP Ltd is the pioneer of TarFelt (which has become a generic name for hessian based felt) the company plans to introduce revolutionary waterproofing products like polyurethane based waterproofing like ShaliUrethane LHM, Water based PU product like ShaliUrethane BTD , two component elastomeric Cementitious products like ShaliCem EWP , Acrylic polymer like ShaliCrete. And waterproof Paints like ShaliCryl 215 which also imparts good Aesthetic looks for years.
From Delhi Metro to RashtrapatiBhavan, STP’s products adorn well known spaces in the city. Can you let our readers about the same?
When we talk about waterproofing the first name that comes in the mind of people is STP. We have been associated with waterproofing of various sections of the Metro with SuperThermolay APP membrane , and other govt. buildings including the RashtrapatiBhawan.
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