Binod Kumar Maheswari, Chairman & Managing Director of Creative Polypack Limited has harnessed his creativity to luminous advantage. His flexible packaging firm triumphs as a frontliner in India, ranking numero uno in Eastern India His creativity as a businessman has been realised in full measure through Creative Polypack Limited - more fondly referred to as “Creative” - in the words of Binod  Kumar Maheswari, Chairman and Managing Director of the flexible packaging firm. The desire to turn entrepreneur, however, was sparked off at a rather insouciant age. Maheswari states, “Before graduation itself, I had a strong desire to do something of my own, but I did not have sufficient capital.” Graduating in 1970, Maheswari joined his family business at Jalpaiguri, North Bengal. The persistent desire to turn entrepreneur, though, took him to Delhi, wherein he traded in iron and steel for a few years. “I made some money, but there was no job satisfaction,” he admits, “That made me take the plunge and I shifted my base back to Kolkata.” Maheswari was keen on kickstarting a business venture where the “market was large and the investment small.”

Dame Destiny soon orchestrated that opportunity for him. “A close friend of mine was in the business of corrugated boxes,” he reveals, “He told me that some of his customers were seeking a good supplier of printed wax-coated paper. That triggered off the idea in my head and my journey as an entrepreneur started.”  

A few rounds of fruitful discussions with friends and relatives sufficed to convince Maheshwari that flexible packaging was a trade option he could safely explore, since it offered a vast market and could be kick-started with a small capital.

That canny strategy – put into practice at Kolkata in 1986 - has yielded lush entrepreneurial fruits for Maheswari, who’s grinning atop a business boasting of a   Group turnover of close to Rs. 600 crore! 

Start & Struggle 
“I had a 2000-square feet shed and got some very essential machinery with an investment of approximately Rs. 3 lakh. With great difficulty, I managed to get a loan of Rs. 4 lakh from bankers. The unit started off as a proprietorship concern in the name of Creative Printers And Packers. Initially, I got some small business from a local manager of soap and bread. It was a confidence booster, but was not viable enough. I continued in my efforts and in six months, I got my first order from the Kolkata unit of Hindustan Unilever Ltd.”

Steady Rise 
“By 1980, my business grew to an extent where I could buy land, construct a building and purchase some high-speed machinery. By the mid-80s, I bought some more sophisticated machinery and my proprietorship firm evolved into our current Limited company.”

Pasha Of Packaging 
“We have eight state-of-the-art manufacturing units across India, with a capacity of over 26,400 MT per annum, serving FMCG companies in personal care, food & beverages, home care and more. We provide packaging solutions to most of the leading brands of soap, detergent, shampoo, cement, medicines and other products. We manufacture soap wrappers, laminates, food laminates and extrusion laminates.”

Three Treats!
“Today, we have three companies: Creative Polypack Limited; Aparna Paper Producing Industry Pvt. Ltd. and Vibgyor Printing and Packaging Pvt. Ltd. Creative Polypack has an annual turnover of close to Rs.375 crore. We are growing at the rate of 20% per annum.”

Success Mantra 
“Conduct your business ethically, following the laws of the land. Once you make a commitment, ensure that it is achieved with sincerity, honesty and hard work. The thirst for top-class quality should never diminish and good man-power development is integral towards that end. Effective after-sales service will win over the most difficult of customers and contribute majorly towards success.”