Featured Story – Sun Mark Stainless: the evolving arm of Sunrise Group
What does trust, reliability, and commitment look like in the global stainless steel market? For Mr. Pratik Shah of Sun Mark Stainless, the answer is best given in the form of an anecdote: “In 2014, a client placed a large order with us. Then the market price suddenly increased by more than $500 per ton before the order had been processed.
But there was never a word spoken about trying to renegotiate the prices agreed upon, because if we take care of the client, if we take care of each other in difficult market situations; we are fulfilling our commitment as a company.” Unsurprisingly, with an attitude like this, Mr. Pratik and his brothers- Mr. Ruchit & Mr. Jignesh have led Sun Mark to tremendous success over the past 6 years, building on a legacy that began with their father’s company, Sunrise Group, in the late 1970s.
For Sun Mark Stainless, teamwork at all levels of the business is vital to success.
Mr. Mahendra Shah founded the Sunrise Group in Gujarat over 42 years ago, choosing to name his company after a universal symbol of birth, growth, and awakening. The company has lived up to its inspired name, becoming a conglomerate made up of four individual businesses, each successful in their own right, with approximately 1,500 total employees in India. The Sunrise Group supplies high quality stainless steel products to companies within India and abroad, catering to markets in the oil and gas, petrochemical, construction, engineering, agricultural, nuclear and thermal, paper and pulp and shipbuilding industries. 80% of their business is in exports—spread across 23 countries—while domestic sales comprise the remaining 20%.
Several years ago, Sunrise Group became a family business when Mr. Mahendra Shah was joined at the helm by his two sons–Mr. Pratik Shah and Mr. Ruchit Shah–as well as his nephew, Mr. Jignesh Shah. Emulating their father’s leadership, the brothers made the customer a central focus of the company, but they also introduced innovative changes to the Sunrise Group business model that has fostered rapid growth. The Group’s total turnover leapt from $100 million in 2015 to $170 million in 2019. Plans to accelerate this already impressive rate of growth are being continuously implemented. A major aspect of the Shah brother’s strategy entails a continued focus on Sunrise Group’s subsidiaries like Sun Mark Stainless.
Forward Integration and Sun Mark Stainless
Seeking to widen the Sunrise Group product portfolio through forward integration, the Shah’s created Sun Mark Stainless in 2014. Sun Mark became operational in 2015 and primarily focuses on manufacturing stainless steel welded Pipes & Tubes for the ever evolving and expanding needs of the Indian and international markets.
One of Sun Mark’s 16’’ NB pipe mills.
In addition to welded Pipes & Tubes, output from Sun Mark includes stainless steel coils. Most recently, the company has added butt weld fittings to their line.
As Mr. Pratik explained, “we wanted to add another product downstream, and by using our own pipes and tubes to create the stainless steel Butt Weld fittings, we are able to guarantee their quality.” These fittings come in a variety of shapes, including elbows, reducing tees, equal tees, end caps, and concentric and eccentric reducers. In just a few years, Sun Mark has morphed from a boardroom strategy into the largest manufacturer of stainless steel welded pipes & Tubes in India.
This growth was made possible by the construction of a new, state-of-the-art production facility in Gujarat, currently operating at around 60,000 tons per year. The facility includes 21 Tube Mills for welded pipes and tubes, with plant machinery sourced from leading Taiwanese Machine manufacturers.
The pipes welded in the facility range from 1/2” NB (21.34mm) to 16” NB (406.40mm) to SCH 5, 10, and 40, mainly in grade 300 series. They come in the ASME, ASTM A312, A778, A269, and A270 specifications, equivalent to EN and DIN standards.
In terms of butt weld fittings, the facility produces the same size and grade range as their welded pipes, though these are offered in the full suite of ASTM and EN standards.
Mr. Shah noted when discussing Sun Mark’s facilities that in addition to the quality products produced, the company is dedicated to providing a healthy and happy working environment for their employees. “We place employee safety above all else, because we believe that a positive working environment leads to positive results. We have been rewarded for our culture by our dedicated staff, who are truly invested in our company’s success and growth. Ensuring the happiness and safety of our staff and in turn, the happiness and financial stability of our associates’ families, is one of the most rewarding aspects of our work.”
