Sapeli Veneer by Sonear

Kejriwal
Sonear has emerged as one of the organized players and leaders in the plywood, veneer and laminate segment and enjoys a healthy market share in the infrastructure and the fashion space with its innovative interior décor product. "Known for infusing innovation and vitality in the Veneer and Laminate category, Sonear has managed to offer and create a diverse portfolio which caters to all kinds of markets and all kinds of customer needs and that I feel this is one of the USPs of our company. We are passionately working towards expanding our presence and footprint in Tier II and Tier III cities as these cities have immense potential owing to the high savings rate and a healthy real estate development and redevelopment," says Mr. Kejriwal, Managing Director, Sonear, in an interview with Maria R.

Could you please give a brief overview of Sonear group (earlier Donear) to our readers in terms of its evolution, inspiration and progression so far by touching upon its important milestones?
Sonear Industries Ltd, is a leading manufacturer of Plywood, Laminates, decorative Veneers, Flush doors, water- proof plywood, marine plywood and life time warranty plywood. The group was founded in 1988, in Araria, Bihar, I first started with commercial plywood and over a period of time, after getting more experience. I started a second unit in Haryana in 1993. Over the next few years, I travelled around the world, gained some valuable insights and by 1999, Sonear graduated into becoming pioneers in Decorative Plywood category and by 2007, the group ventured into Decorative laminates.

It was in 2009 that Donear got rebranded as Sonear, and then we started focusing from B2B to B2C. We kicked off a big multi-media campaign to help cut short the time taken to reach the end users.

What does your product portfolio comprise? Also tell us the USPs of your brand and offerings?
Veneer Laminates
Today, Sonear has emerged as one of the organized players and leaders in the plywood, veneer and laminate segment and enjoys a healthy market share in the infrastructure and the fashion space, with its innovative interior décor product offerings – ranging from lifelong plywood, luxurious and high end Veneers and affordable Laminates. Sonear today is known for infusing innovation and vitality in the Veneer and Laminate category.

We have managed to offer and create a diverse portfolio which caters to all kinds of markets and all kinds of customer needs and that I feel is one of the USPs of our company.

Our varied price range suits to every type of customer, from Rs.30 to Rs.600 per sq.ft. Due to our diverse portfolio, Sonear is a preferred brand to work with for – architects, interior decorators, private builders, home owners, real estate developers, institutional developers, and hospitality industry.

How do you see the market potential of plywood, laminates and veneers in India in coming years and what are the growth drivers?
The Plywood and interior décor industry is worth Rs.20,000 crore and out of this 70 – 75% is driven by the unorganized sector and Sonear today is in the 30% of the organized space. We had a turnover of Rs.400 crores for the year 2012 – 13.

With the industry being highly unorganized and fragmented, we as a group are not chasing numbers but are passionately working towards expanding our presence, closely working with our partners and continuously working towards creating and offering innovative décor solutions.

The past couple of years have seen an extensive use of laminates and veneers in interiors of home, office, hotels etc. What are the reasons for their wide acceptance in the market? What according to you are the other emerging application areas of these products?
Interior Decoration
The interior decoration industry is undergoing a change and factors such as, increasing urbanisation, real estate development and the desire to have residences/homes which reflect style and luxury have fuelled the growth. To create distinction consumers are increasingly looking out for ideas and trends which are different and international in look and feel. This change and need is clearly visible in this category too, as the consumers now want innovation in laminates and veneers as well. Consumers are also aware of the various options available in the market and are no longer scared to experiment with their homes.

The applications of panelling products like Laminates and veneers have increased dramatically over the last few years with the advancement in technology and availability of tools which incorporate the latest technologies. Laminates and Veneers are being used on Exterior Applications which was not possible earlier. For flexible surfaces also these products are utilized which give an amazing finish. Commercial interior decorators are also demanding value-added products like Fire Retardant material for panelling purpose, which at Sonear we offer.

A noticeable shift has been witnessed in the consumer’s pick that has travelled from non-branded to branded laminates. What is your take on this?
Yes absolutely, because the consumer now, is evolved and knowledgeable and is not willing to compromise witth quality even if it costs a little more.

How important is innovation and R&D for Sonear to ensure that the product offer is in line with the quality standards and market needs?
At Sonear, our focus is constantly to innovate and offer world-class products to our patrons right here in India.
  • Mela-Film Technology (for Decorative plywood)
  • SAFE Technology (for laminates), amongst a host of others.
  • PNG Technology (For Veeners) Protection on Natural Gloss and shine have found recognition in the hearts of the leading architects/hotel chains and interior decorators.
  • Recently, Sonear has brought into the market a highly customised and limited edition product, The Infinity Ply - The strongest ply ever on which Sonear has given life time guarantee otherwise promises to return the money (Terms and Conditions apply).
The customer involvement and knowledge about laminates and veneers in India is very low. Considering the competitive environment, what are you doing to educate and make customers aware of your products and qualities especially to architects and designers as it is becoming difficult for them to track availability of particular designs in the market?
One of the biggest innovations that we did to tackle the lack of involvement by the end-users consumer was to launch Sonear Studios – a first of its kind experiential store which the brand has created, which allows architects, interior designers and patrons to experience and witness over 500 stunning designs, 35 scintillating textures and numerous platters of decorative Veneers and Laminates – all under one roof. Today, Sonear already has over 10 – 12 Sonear Design Studios in operation in New Delhi, Srinagar, Amritsar, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Indore, Silliguri, Guwahati and plans to add 10–12 more in the next 1–2 years.

Another significant milestone that we have recently achieved is the launch of The Sonear Mobile App - which allows users to browse through all the latest brochures for the various categories that the brand operates in - The Laminates, Plywoods, Flush Doors, and Veneers.

A handy and useful app, it promises to be the perfect tool for designers, architects and home owners, as it would allow not just access and ease of going through the latest collection and designs, but will also note down the requirements and get the sales team to connect with the users immediately.

The app also features a dealer and studio locator that allows users to search for them by city and view their location on a map, or even contact the company via a built-in contact form.

Moving away, we also provide training and support from the basic level, for carpenters, and regularly hold Carpenter meets. At these meets, we upgrade their skill sets, teach them the kinds of plywood they can work on and new techniques are shared with them.

We regularly hold dealer meets where we exchange ideas, information and feedback. Trips to the factories are regularly planned to showcase use of new technology and the machinery, and at these forums feedback is taken. All dealers and franchisees are given brand book and catalogues which allow them to touch and feel the products as we have actual cuts outs pasted in our books.

To engage with architects and interior designers, we have initiated a programme called Bandhan, in January 2013. The platform is to engage and ask for their feedback from-time-to-time. E-newsletters are sent to update them about our launches and besides work, we also create fun and social activities such as movie outings, picnics, tree plantation drives etc.

We have introduced tablets for our sales team in Delhi as a pilot project and we are soon going to introduce this across the country. The entire sales team across the country will be connected through tabs. Whatever their daily sales activities are there, it’s going to be updated on them. We will get feedbacks and mails on the tabs only and will come to know where we are lacking. We will also get the entire reminder. Sonear is the first company with such features.

It is anticipated that a stable government will boost the Indian economy. Do you have expansion plans in terms of products launch and widespread presence?
Yes, I am looking forward for a robust economy with a stable government. We are confident that we will witness a boom in infrastructure and housing sector soon.

Sonear is today available with over 2100 dealers across India. We plan to expand our footprint in Tier II and Tier III cities as these cities have immense potential owing to the high savings rate and a healthy real estate development and redevelopment. Our focus will be also on cities like Vellore, Vijaywada, Vizax and Rajmundri, etc.