Shiva Ratan Sharda
Chairman, Sharda Group
(Industrial & Trading House)




By Sushila Budhathoki

Sharda Group (SG) is a group of companies that emerged as a business conglomerate over a span of less than 30 years with an annual turnover in excess of US $150 million. “By doing businesses that are in demand, we succeeded to establish ourselves in the market in a short period of time. The group is continuously producing diverse products to address the different needs of the customers since its inception,” shares Rajesh Koirala, General Manager at the group.

Every company where the group invested huge money proved to be the right business as it contributed to the growth of the group. SG has been involved in a wide spectrum of industrial operations, manufacturing and trading products, ranging from industrial goods to consumer durables and non-durables. From carpets, flour, rice, footwear to oxygen, the group has been introducing various products according to the market demand. SG owns many big industries in Nepal including Asian Thai Foods- a popular name for noodle manufacturing, Pashupati Khadya Tel Udhyog- the first private sector manufacturer of refined oil in Nepal, Shivam Cements among various others. These manufacturing industries are located at Morang, Sunsari, Kathmandu and Hetauda.

Starting from Hetauda Iron Industry, an iron manufacturing company in BS 2040, the group now has more than 20 companies with all sound business. “The establishment of iron industry was a major breakthrough in expanding of our business. The group have turned that iron industry into a company named Premier Wires that produces GI wires now,” says Koirala. Before forming the group, the group members had various other investments in gold trade, rice mills, oil industry and different small industries that eventually led them operate companies with diversification of products.

The changing global socio-economical scenario had also set the course of businesses for the group, according to a message posted by the Chairman Shiva Ratan Sharda in their website. According to him, good quality products and services, high production capacity, prompt delivery and warm interaction with the consumers have further enhanced the reputation that the group carries. And this combined with an excellent marketing network has enabled them to cover a wide market. The Group’s Chairman is also the immediate past Chairman of the Kumari Bank.


Multi-product Companies

The group has established a number of industries that require high to low investments. The group has invested some Rs 1.5 billion in instant Noodles industry and in cement; the investment is around four billion. The group has also established a company, Premier Wires that produces GI wires with the capacity of 21,000 MT yearly. In plastic, it owns three various companies - Atlas Pet Plastic Industries, Premier Polymers and Pashupati Synpack for producing a wide variety of plastic products. It also produces oxygen from its two companies namely Binayak Oxygen Industries and Kantipur Oxygen Pvt Ltd.

The group of industries has also established Asian Thai Foods with an automatic plant with a capacity of producing eight hundred thousand packets of 75gms noodles per day. For homecare products, there is a company called Cosmic Homecare that mainly manufactures a variety of mosquito repellent coils in various shapes. Other companies like Pashupati Rice and Oil Mills and Nutri Foods produce flour and rice while rubber and footwear products are produced in two companies - Lion Rubber Industries and AC Footwear. Nutri Foods Pvt. Ltd produces energy foods as well.

The group is also involved in trading of wide variety of products including metals like copper and brass, electrical goods, machinery, FMCGs, chemicals among many others. Moreover, it has also invested in BFIS (Banking and Financial Sectors) starting with the Sunrise Bank Limited and Nepal Merchant Banking and Finance Ltd. It is also targeting hydro power projects as its new sector for investment with the Riddi Hydropower Development in hands.


Grabbing Consumer Market

Like the products, the clients are also varied which include government projects, NGOs, private sectors and general people. According to Koirala, the Group’s specialization is in house wires, GI wires obtaining 10%, 20-25% and 15% market share respectively.  The group regards its companies among the top five companies in Nepal. “We never compromised in quality. No one can point us about the quality of the products,” he shares. The noodles products including RumPum acquire second position in the market. It also exports some of the products to India and Bhutan.

The market sometimes turns bad for the investors. Bishnu Shrestha, Sales and Marketing Manager at SG says, “We had a very good sale of ghee in the past. We used to export these products in other countries as well. But the business has gone down now,” Basically a manufacturing conglomerate, SG is also facing power shortage problem like many other industries in Nepal. And the competition is also harsh though they say it is healthy. Koirala says, “There are competitions in various forms mainly in terms of quality and price. And we are surviving despite the huge competition in the market. This is very important for us.”


Management Strategies

The group employs more than 1,500 including the labour force in its various companies. Many of the workers in the organization are working for many years and some of them have served their 20- 30 years in the company. Koirala who is also serving the company for the last 20 years says, “We have a very systematic channel to maintain the workforce in our companies. There is a factory in-charge in every manufacturing section who reports to directors and the directors report to the concerned executives.”
The Chairman often meets employees in person that has, according to Koirala, contributed in creating the family environment in the company as well as building the trust among the employees.


Future Strategies

With more quality products, the group is planning to operate more efficiently in the future. The group is planning to come with new industries and product in near future. Asian, a new biscuit from SG is preparing to appear in the market and the trial production for the same has been already conducted. A liquor industry is also in its pipeline. It is also eying to exploit the potentials and opportunities offered by IT and Telecom Industry in Nepal.

AT A GLANCE

Companies under Sharda Group

Premier Wires Pvt Ltd, Duhabi, Sunsari

HB wires, annealed wires, aluminium wires, copper wires, stay wires, barbed wires, ACSR and AAC conductors, house wiring cables, flexible cables, telecom cables, control cables, auto cables, coaxial cables, ABC cables, MS nails rivets, and MS nuts –bolts

Pashupati Khadya Tel Udhyog Pvt Ltd, Sonapur, Sunsari
RBD palm oil, RBD soya bean oil, vanaspati ghee

Pioneer Carpets, Maharajgunj, Kathmandu
Nepali/Tibetan Rugs

Swadeshi Sabun Udhyog Pvt Ltd, Sonapur, Sunsari
Laundry soaps, carbolic soaps, toilet soaps, detergent cakes and powder

Atlas Pet Plastic Industries Pvt Ltd, Balaju, Kathmandu
ISBM bottles and containers

Premier Ploymers, Duhabi, Sunsari
Lay flat tubes and tarpaulin

Pashupati Synpack Industries Pvt Ltd, Sonapur, Biratnagar
PP woven sacks

Shivam Cements Pvt Ltd, Hatiya, Makwanpur
Different grades of cement

Asian Thai Foods Pvt Ltd, Sonapur, Sunsari
Cup noodles, atta noodles, brown noodles, white noodles, cheese balls and pellet based snacks

Cosmic Homecare Pvt Ltd, Khanar Sunsari
Variety of mosquito coils

Pashupati Rice and Oil Mills Pvt Ltd, Lahan
Rice

Nutri Foods Pvt Ltd, Sonapur Sunsari
Wheat flour, fine flour, coarse wheat flour and husk

Lion Rubber Industries Pvt Ltd, Duhabi
Rice rubber rolls and polisher and rubber related products

AC Footwear Pvt Ltd, Harisiddhi, Lalitpur
Fancy shoes, sport shoes, canvas belly, EVA slippers and soles

Nutri Foods Pvt Ltd
Energy and baby food products

Binayak Oxygen Industries Pvt Ltd, Sonapur, Sunsari
Medical and industrial oxygen gas cylinders, nitrogen gas cylinders

Kantipur Oxygen Pvt Ltd, Harisiddhi, Lalitpur
Oxygen cylinders for industrial and medical purpose

Pioneer Marketing
Import-export of copper, brass scrap, zinc ingot, zinc dross, MS plates, rice, silk, betel nuts, food products, chemicals, milk powder, sunflower oil, chocolates, dates

Samiksha Enterprises
Import and marketing of electrical goods, machinery, consumer goods and chemicals

CSR Activities

Sharda Group believes in giving back to the society in the form of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities. The group says that the group’s contribution in development of commerce and industry has been widely recognised by the state as well as the general public. Some of the recent CSR activities include: 

• Establishment of Dulichand Sharda Athithi Sadan in Lahan
• Establishment of Ram Kumar Sharda Uma Shankar Murarka General Hospital with 25 beds and handed over to the government
• Contributed to hostel building construction of Pashupati High English School
• Contributed to high schools and temples in Lahan and Biratnagar
• Donations to scholarship funds for awarding deserving students


Success Mantras

- Honesty to the consumers
- Quality products
- Hard working employees
- Diversified products
- Passion for performance