– Ravi Lunawat, Partner, Lunawat Agency
Since 1972, we have been a dealer in cement business. Initially we used to cater to the markets of Raigad and Pune districts, but now we are focusing on Pune market only. We deal with ACC, Vasavadatta, Birla Super, Zuari, Orient, etc. OPC 43 has more demand currently, through cost-wise PPC is good. Individual retail customers normally go for OPC, while bulk customers like builders, contractors, engineers, etc, go for PPC. Our sales is mostly in bulk category with 75 per cent while the remaining are retail customers. We sell 2,500 tonne per month on an average. We have a direct supply arrangement with the cement companies for our requirements. Payment recovery from the customers is a major issue we are facing. We also face problems in delivery due to lack of availability of proper transport system. Owning a vehicle for transportation is very difficult as maintenance is a major cost for us and the transport charges what cement companies pay is very less.
GST is a major initiative everybody is waiting for. Last year when LBT started, it reduced the business of dealers in cities because that time the market was closed for almost two months and the builders bought cement from other markets. Once the GST starts, the price will be uniform everywhere, which will be good for us.
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