Tilak Samant of R H Samant & Sons Pvt Ltd has been in the cement industry as a dealer since 1983. Samant started as a distributor for Larsen & Toubro and now stocks Gujarat Ambuja Cement. The company supplies stocks to retailers, contractors and small builder. "The company trades in PPC grade Gujarat Ambuja Cement," said Samant. He gave a detailed explanation of how volatility in cement prices affects the dealers saying, "Take the case of 2011, since January till today there has been an increase of nearly Rs 50 per bag. Comparatively, our investment also increases. Besides, when the company announces a rate increase say from February 28, 2011 onwards all the materials(cements) dispatched from February 28 are billed by the new rate that is prevalent at that time, even if the booking was done a week ago. This increase in price has to be bear by us as the client is unable to understand about this. The company sells approximately 1,000 to 1,300 MT cement per month." On improving the sales, Samant said, "Sales can only be improved by personal relations. The industry is growing and the need for cement is also on the rise, so consumption of cement will increase.” When asked about the various benefits provided by the manufacturers, Samant replied "The manufacturers offer various schemes for the retailers to increase sales. This acts a moral booster for us and helps us." He is satisfied with the packaging and said that Ambuja Cements sells cement in paper bags, which is of good quality. R H Samant & Sons has tie-up for finance with banks. "We are having a cash credit account with our bank and we pay 14 per cent rate of interest," said Samant. Like all, Samant did have high expectation from Budget. But increase in price after the Budget turned out to be a big disappointment. Tilak Samant is a member of Cement Stockists & Dealers Association of Bombay.
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