is with great pride
Ithat I present your Company's annual report, a testament to our
unwavering resilience in the face of significant challenges.
Despite the adverse effects of intense geopolitical stress,
heightened inflation, and significant political polarisation on global trade and economic
progress, we remained steadfast in our belief in the unfolding India story and continued
to build capacities and capabilities.
Our performance
The world, as we knew it in the recent past, underwent significant
changes. Intense geopolitical stress, heightened inflation, and significant political
polarisation have hindered global trade and economic progress. However, amidst this global
fragility, India emerged as a beacon of resilience, forging ahead despite harsh headwinds.
While the domestic demand and markets remained robust, export-oriented businesses'
performance dipped due to the global distraught. This reality impacted our performance.
Our revenue from operation dipped by 21.73% over the previous year. EBITDA and Net Profit
also slid by 21.19% and 24.71%, respectively.
While our annual numbers may appear subdued, a partitioned analysis
indicates better days ahead. While the first two quarters of FY24 were particularly
unsatisfactory, we saw an uptick in our performance in subsequent quarters. The positive
move has ushered in the hope of sustaining business growth in FY25.
Capacities and capabilities
The highlight of the year was our new product vertical. We commissioned
our N-Butyl Amine facility towards the close of FY24.
N-Butyl Amine is used extensively in manufacturing pharmaceuticals,
APIs, pesticides and emulsi_ers. With India's steadfast focus on self-sufficiency in
API manufacturing and strengthening India's food security, we are confident that the
demand for this product will rise significantly over the coming decade. Our conviction is
reflected in our surplus capacity (considering the current demand) for this product. We
are reasonably confident that this product will emerge as an important revenue driver over
the coming years. Additionally, our teams are working overtime to commission our DME and
Electronic Grade DMC facilities, which are scheduled to commence operations in the current
year. These products have the potential to ignite tectonic transformations in India and
will make a significant contribution to business growth over the medium term. Moreover,
these products will help us balance our exposure between user sectors.
The landscape over the horizon
India is poised at an in_ection point where it stands to correct
decades of extensive product or service under-consumption across the decade, helping
retain its position among the fastest-growing global economies. And there is little doubt
that India, already the world's fifth-largest economy, will become the world's
third-largest economy well before 2030 - unlocking abundant growth opportunities along the
way. Interestingly, the manufacturing sector will play a defining role in India's
ascent.
Industry experts have dubbed the current period as the golden era of
India's industrial boom. Positive changes in the manufacturing sector are building a
strong foundation for the nation's long-term economic success. 1 The
export of goods from India will rise from about US$450 billion (FY23) to about US$1
trillion by 2030 as investments in capacities and capabilities increase. Since our
products are the building blocks of India's manufacturing sector, our offering basket
and sectoral diversity position us perfectly to capitalise on emerging prospects.
Moreover, we are expanding our product bandwidth. We are setting up manufacturing
facilities for N-Methyl Morpholine, N-(n-butyl) Thiophosphoric Triamide and
Isopropylamine. These additions further expand our futuristic growth horizon. I am hopeful
of a steady uptick in demand for our products over the coming years.
A value-added blueprint
Staying firm on our ethos of supporting India in its journey to the
global platform, we have drawn up an ambitious infrastructure development plan for our
subsidiary, Balaji Speciality
Chemicals Limited. We are setting up a 90-acre Greenfield plant to
manufacture a wide array of products like Hydrogen Cyanide, Sodium Cyanide and Ethylene
Diamine Tetra Acetic Acid, among others, to address the increasing demand for value-added
Cyanide derivatives. This strategic investment will provide a considerably long growth
runway for the Company.
Our strategy for aggressive growth is complemented by our focus on
environmental sustainability, and our commitment to sustainable development will ensure
the long-term viability and success of our projects. As part of our responsibility drive,
we are setting up a 20MW solar power plant. In the first phase, we will take up an 8 MW
installation to be operational by December 2024.
In closing
Your Company doesn't just pride itself on being a purpose-driven
entity - it embodies it, living out this ethos in every strategy, every investment, and
every venture. We continue to map our portfolio against the dynamic market environment to
create an offering basket that serves as a lever for our ambitions. This commitment to
purpose continues to steer us towards an even brighter, more impactful future.
As we conclude another year, I would like to express my deepest
gratitude to our shareholders for their unwavering support and trust in Balaji Amines. I
also sincerely thank our employees for their disciplined dedication and our customers for
trusting our brand.
Synergy guides us as we move forward, inspiring us to exceed
stakeholder expectations while remaining true to our core values. Together, with strong
leadership, we are poised to excel in all spheres and build a sustainable and prosperous
future for our Company and stakeholders.
Warm Regards, |
ANDE PRATHAP REDDY |
EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN |