Dealers and stockists are the vital links between the cement industry and its customers. They are the people who are in constant touch with the end-users. They are the ‘pulse of the industry’. We bring to you the voice of the dealers and stockists, featuring their suggestions, expectations and much more, for a better tomorrow for the industry.Harshil Patel of Hetal Cement DistributorsAshokbhai Patel started Hetal Cement Distributors in 1984. Presently, the business is looked after by his son Harshil Patel. When the company started, they were associated with Narmada Cement. Later, Narmada Cement was taken over by L&T Cement which in turn was taken over by Ultratech Cement. The company is the exclusive dealer of Ultratech Cement. It is also a distributor of Birla White cement & putty. The company chiefly operates in Anand district of Gujarat. When queried on which are the largest selling brands under his company, Harshil Patel stated, " Ultratech cement is the largest selling brand of the company in terms of quantity sold and Birla White Cement is the largest in terms of turnover generated."PPC category of cement is sold more than OPC 53 and OPC 43 grades. Throwing light on the proportion of institutional sales to retail sales, Patel stated, "there is a rise in retail sales. We sell around 100 mt of cement in retail per month." The company’s monthly cement dispatch of Ultratech Cement is around 3000 bags and they maintain a stock of around 2000 to 3000 cement bags. Commenting on the support given by cement company, he stated, "since we are the exclusive dealers of the brand, we have been receiving excellent support from the company." The company does not face any problems as far as arrival of stocks is concerned as Ultratech Cement operates high capacity cement plants in Rajula and Jafrabad, both in Gujarat. While commenting on the shift towards the Goods and Service Tax (GST), he stated, "cement business will become more transparent. This will also stop the misuse of C forms and cement will become duty free. The local buyer will derive the maximum benefit out of it."To feature your views in this section, please contact Saleh at 09820326555 or write to him at saleh@asappmedia.comor editorial@indiancementreview.com