India Volume 12

94 SUPERBRANDS 2020 Market Words have undeniable power. With constitutions, they decide the fate of nations; with letters, the fate of humanity. The writing instrument, by default, has a tremendous responsibility. It has been called upon to express sentiments and judgements of great significance and import. Such has been the impact of this instrument that craftsmen have spent years constructing the perfect one. Yet, there is always more to do. Writing Instruments is now an over H 8,000 crore industry in India, growing between 10 and 12% per annum. Despite its size, the business is fragmented between the organised and unorganised sectors and between the very large companies and very small fringe manufacturers. Altogether, a massive range of writing instruments are churned into the market: ball pens, hi-lighters, colour pencils, gel pens, student stationery items, permanent and whiteboard markers and scores of specialised instruments for drawing, sketching and more. In this rapidly evolving Writing Instruments market, Luxor is one of the oldest and most respected brand names. In fact, Luxor had pioneered and created this industry in India way back in the early 1960s and continues to shape its future even today. Achievements Because of its pioneering role, Luxor became one of the first companies in this segment to be recognised by the Government of India as an export house, manufacturing and exporting quality writing instruments. This recognition was followed by the company being approved for the coveted ISO: 9002 certification in 1996, the ISO: 14001 for environmental management systems from Germany’s DQS and was also the first to receive the OHSAS – Occupational Health & Safety Assessment Series. In addition, every Luxor product meets Germany’s stringent DIN (DeutschesInstitutfürNormung) of pens. This series of pens is manufactured by using recycled products and designed to minimise negative impact on the environment and reduce carbon emissions. Luxor’s rise to eminence has also been showcased in the Limca Book of Records for conceptualising and designing the smallest pen in India. Due to its excellence in the highly competitive export arena it has been awarded the Largest Exporter Award consecutively for the last eleven years. It has also received a 2-Star Export Trading House certification instituted by the Government of India. On another note, the Writing Instruments Manufacturers Organisation has rated Luxor amongst the top writing instruments exporter for the past several years. It has won several awards from the Quality Circle Forum of India and has been awarded the HSBC Gold Card Certificate. Luxor is also the first SAP-enabled company in the Writing Instruments category. Luxor’s impressive achievements are underpinned by an unstinting commitment to better systems, environmental concerns and good corporate citizenship. History The India of the 1960s was a dusty, village- dominated country with poor infrastructure and business subjugated by licenses. It was clearly a time high on hope but low on delivery. It was certainly not the time to dream. But a young boy, growing up in the narrow lanes of Old Delhi, broke this mould. DK Jain dreamt of manufacturing pens for a living. His family thought it to be a bizarre idea and hoped that he would soon get over his delusion. Today, more than half-a-century later, his company – Luxor Writing Instruments Private Limited – has emerged as an undisputed market leader. During this long journey, Luxor has relentlessly pursued the long-term goal of building a globally acclaimed, well- diversified conglomerate, a vision that is now coming to fruition. standards and the US standard of ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials). Luxor also became the first writing instruments company in India – and the second in the world – to be awarded the certification of EcoLogo for its Eco-Write series What started as a dream for a young impressionable boy in the 1960s, transformed into a legacy named Luxor over a few decades. The company invisioned and nurtured by the late DK Jain turns out millions of pens each day and accounts for about 15% of India’s Writing Instruments market (Source: internal research and estimates). Its state-of-the-art facility and research and development division have turned out several innovations and fashioned proprietary technology. Along the way, Luxor has been fêted and awarded with citations, certificates and trophies and has earned the seal of some of the most aspirational standards of manufacturing and adherence to quality.