Mr Deepak Gupta
October 20, 2020
Meet our trusted customer from the north- Director, PS Raj Steels Pvt. Ltd., Hisar, Mr Deepak Gupta and witness his success story. Starting as a small town hard working boy, Mr Gupta tells us about his journey that led him to become a leading name in the stainless steel pipe & tube industry in north India. Join us as he reminisces his story of determination, discipline, and going the distance in this exclusive interview with Stainless Post.
How did you start this business? Tell us about your early days.
Director, PS Raj Steels Pvt Ltd.
I come from a middle-class family in Hisar, Haryana. My father, Mr Raj Kumar Gupta, used to run a small utensil business. As a youngster, I was taught to never settle for things until I have given my best to achieve what I aspire. My father always led by example and continuously strived towards better business prospects. Having witnessed such dedication, I was motivated to prove my mettle in academics. I went on to earn a degree in Law (LLB) and Science (M.Sc.). While studying in 1996, I joined him in his property and steel trading business. During this time, I learnt the basics of steel and stainless steel business.
Eventually, the business took shape of PS Raj Steels Pvt. Ltd. (PSSR Group), a leading manufacturer of stainless steel pipes and tubes and proficient trader of stainless steel coils, sheets, and plates in north India. We are three brothers managing the business with my father leading us as the Chairman of the group.
What are some noteworthy moments of your entrepreneurial journey?
My father started this Company in 1996. By 2001, we were trading in high volumes of carbon steel. Initially, we used to take up hot rolled raw material from reputed steel manufacturers like Tata Steel, Lloyd, and Orient Steel in order to manufacture cold rolled steel. At this point of time, we were unaware of stainless steel. The metal had started creating a buzz in the market as a promising raw material ready to take up major steel applications across sectors. We were intrigued to gauge the potential of stainless steel. So, in 2004, when we purchased our own land and started our first-ever cold rolling unit, we decided to commence a business in stainless steel.
We began with no prior experience of the stainless steel business but now we are one of the major stainless steel pipe and tube manufacturers in north India. During 2007, we started with a meagre annual production of nearly 300 tonnes of stainless steel pipes & tubes. As of today, we are running 30 pipe mills and are producing nearly 18,000-20,000 tonnes of stainless steel pipes and tubes, with an annual turnover ranging between INR 300-400 crores.
In your entire gamut of suppliers, what sets Jindal Stainless apart?
Hailing from Hisar, we share a very special bond with Jindal Stainless since the starting of our stainless steel business in 2007. Initially, we procured material indirectly from Company’s service centre Jindal Stainless Steelway Limited (JSSL). Later, in 2014, when the Company decided to directly deal with its customers, we happened to be the first customer of the JSL. Jointly, we have organised several fabricator training workshops with Jindal Stainless in order to upskill the ground root fabricators and welders across north India. Jindal Stainless has always played the role of a guardian to us. They have guided us and supported us all these years. We hope make this association even stronger in the coming years.
What is your take on the existing counterfeit in the Indian stainless steel pipe & tube market? What are your hopes from the second wave of Company’s P&T campaign, ‘Jindal Saathi’?
The domestic stainless steel pipe & tube market has been reeling with the ongoing counterfeit trade. Several small producers are selling and trading their products under Jindal Stainless’ brand name, while compromising the quality standards set by the Company. ‘Jindal Saathi’ scheme is meant to check this imbalance and set the domestic industry in order. However, while Jindal Stainless’ material is of high quality, not all producers can stand upto the standards set by the Company. This is why, as a producer and an old customer of Jindal Stainless, I believe that in order to successfully drive the ‘Jindal Saathi’ campaign, the Company must ensure awarding MoUs to trusted customers who can live up to the Company’s quality standards.
What is your message to all the young entrepreneurs out there?
My only message to the future leaders is that success and failure are not accidents or matters of chance. They are an outcome of our choices. A series of positive choices result in success & a series of negative choices result in failure. I believe that we make decisions based on what we want and when. In order to be clear about this, we need to go through two kinds of pain in life; discipline and regret. So make the better choice and never stop doing that.
