DEPARTMENT OF MANAGEMENT UNIVERSITY OF NORTH BENGAL

SUMMER TRAINING AT
ADITYA BIRLA GROUP ULTRATECH CEMENT LTD (UNIT: BIRLA WHITE) SILIGURI (WEST BENGAL)

PROJECT REPORT ON
ANALYSIS OF MARKET SHARE OF BIRLA WHITE IN CHANNEL SEGMENT OF SILIGURI CITY

SUBMITTED BY
Mr. SOURAV CHAUDHURI REGISTRATION NUMBER-580448 (2007-2008)

PROJECT GUIDE
Ms. NANDITA PRADHAN ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, DEPARTMENT OF MANAGEMENT, UNIVERSITY OF NORTH BENGAL.

COMPANY GUIDE
Mr. SANDIP JOSHI, OFFICER MARKETING (SILIGURI) ULTRATECH CEMENT LTD. (UNIT: BIRLA WHITE) SILIGURI OFFICE

Undertaking

This is hereby stated that this report is original in every sense of the term and it carries a sense of creditability and strength. I have taken no short cuts and remained both rigorous and scholarly. It may be further stated here that in the preparation of this report and projects undertaken some aid has been taken from a pool of professionally shared knowledge, a detailed description of which has been mentioned in the bibliography section of this report.

DATED -09.07.2012 PLACE-Siliguri (West Bengal)

SIGNATURE

Sourav Chaudhuri

Acknowledgements
It has been an enriching experience for me to undergo my summer training at BIRLA WHITE, SILIGURI. It would not have been possible to undertake the project without the goodwill and support of the organisation and the Department. As a student of Department of Management Studies, UNIVERSITY OF NORTH BENGAL, Siliguri, I would like to express my sincere thanks to all those who have helped me during my training program. I would like to thank my Department authorities and Head of the Department DR. RATHIN Bandyopadhyay, for providing me the opportunity to work with one of the most prestigious organisation. I would also like to give my heart full thanks to my teachers for his valuable guidance, support, suggestions and encouraging words during the entire project duration. I would like to express my thanks to Ms .NANDITA PRADHAN, Assistant Professor, Department of Management, North Bengal University , SILIGURI for her constant guidance and assistance throughout the study. I would like to thank my parents and my friends for their support and motivation throughout the project. My special thanks to MR. SANDIP JOSHI, Officer_Marketing (Siliguri)Ultratech Cement (Unit Birla White) (my company guide).

WITH REGARDS:-

Sourav Chaudhuri

Title of the study

ANALYSIS OF MARKET SHARE OF BIRLA WHITE IN CHANNEL SEGMENT IN SILIGURI CITY

Executive summery
1. To find out the areas in Siliguri, West Bengal where maximum construction is taking place. 2. Collecting the data regarding the Dealers & Retailers in Siliguri Region. 3. Finding out the Share of White Cement and Wall Putty in Siliguri Region .

The survey was conducted in Siliguri and surrounding areas for the first five weeks, we used to go to a different area every day to find the dealer and retailer and get the questionnaire filled. The surrounding area has been defined as with the help of questionaire, primary data, random sample, was collected retailers, whole sellers. The survey was undertaken over a period of 45 days. In the first 20 days the survey was conducted extensively in the area of Siliguri. Siliguri is a town in Darjeeling District of West Bengal. Siliguri is a fast developing town where large development projects are being undertaken as the town is fast developing . The location of the town is very strategic as it is a gateway to the Northeast of India, Bhutan, Nepal and also Bangladesh. Given this strategic location of the place there is huge potential for Business development in this region

Objectives of study

The objective of the project is almost clear by the name. 1. To find out the areas in Siliguri where maximum construction is being taking place. 2. Collecting the database regarding the Existing Dealers, competitors Dealers, Retailers in Siliguri Region.
3. Finding out the Market Share of Birla White, JK WHITE, Asian paints, Nerolac Paints,

Berger paints, Shalimar paints, Johnson & Johnson, Deluxe, Shakti , Unicon, Tata, Colour Value, Marbellers, Indigo, Shikar, Wall Care & other brands , etc. Some local players like Kamdhenu, Herco & Deluxet etc Channel Segment in Siliguri City. 4. Finding out the Market Share of Birla and J.K. In the Siliguri City. Hence, finding out the major influencers in the consumer decision making process was very important.

Introduction
Cement Industry
The cement industry is one of the main beneficiaries of the infrastructure boom. With robust demand and adequate supply, the industry has bright future. The Indian Cement Industry with total capacity of 165 million tons is the second largest after China. Cement industry is dominated by 20 companies who account for over 70% of the market. Individually no company accounts for over 12% of the market. The major players like L&T and ACC have been quiet successful in narrowing the gap between demand and supply. Private housing sector is the major consumer of cement (53%) followed by the government infrastructure sector. Similarly northern and southern region consume around 20%-30% cement while the central and western region are consuming only 18%-16%.India is the 2nd largest cement producer in world after china .Right from laying concrete bricks of economy to waving fly overs cement industry has shown and shows a great future. The overall outlook for the industry shows significant growth on the back of robust demand from housing construction, Phase-II of NHDP (National Highway Development Project) and other infrastructure development projects. Domestic demand for cement has been increasing at a fast pace in India. Cement consumption in India is forecasted to grow by over 22% by 200910 from 2007- 08.Among the states, Maharashtra has the highest share in consumption at 12.18%,followed by Uttar Pradesh, In production terms, Andhra Pradesh is leading with 14.72% of total production followed by Rajasthan. Cement production grew at the rate of 9.1 per cent during 2006-07 over the previous fiscal's total production of 147.8 mt (million tons). Due to rising demand of cement the sales volume of cement companies are also increasing & companies reporting higher production, higher sales and higher profits. The net profit growth rate of cement firms was 85%. Cement industry has contributed around 8% to the economic development of India. Outsiders (foreign players) eyeing India as a major market to invest in the form of either merger or FDI (Foreign Direct Investment). Cement industry has a long way to go as Indian economy is poised to grow because of being on verge of development.The company continues to emphasize on reduction of costs through enhanced productivity, reduction in energy costs and logistics expenses. The cement sector is expected to witness growth in line with the

economic growth because of the strong co-relation with GDP. Future drivers of cement demand growth in India would be the road and housing projects. As per the Working Group report on Cement Industry for the formulation of the 11th Plan, the cement demand is likely to grow at 11.5 per cent per annum during the 11th Plan and cement production and capacity by the end of the 11th Plan are estimated to be 269 million tones and 298 million tones, respectively, with capacity utilization of 90 per cent.Despite the growth of Indian cement industry India lags behind the per capita production. Supply for cement is expected to remain tight which, in turn, will push up prices of cement by more than 50%. The most important factor for better prices is consolidation of the industry. It has just begun and we will see more consolidation in the coming years. Other budget measures such as cut in import duty from 12.5 per cent to nil etc. are all intended to cut costs and boost availability of cement.Sadly the adverse effects of global slowdown have not speared this industry too. Demand is sluggish, the government is keeping an eagle eye on prizes, domestic coal and pet coke, prizes have increased sharply and utilizations rates are down. The numbers coming out are a reflection of grim times. ACC the countrys largest cement company thats controlled by Swiss giant HOLCIM, registered 2% fall in august sales. It is the biggest fall since Feb 2007. Production fell by 5%. To stand against the problematic situation, government as well as cement industry has taken some steps. Companies are focusing on cost of transportation. One of the strategy is to decrease dependence on road & opt for sea logistics as that can cut transportation cost by 30- 50 %. Some plants are adopting futuristic plan such as setting up captive power plant, moving closer to the customers by creating clicker, crushing, and capacity in key markets, to be more customer centric to generate better revenue. India should push for stricter regulations of market place as to control the prices of big companies and prevent them from forming cartels and exchanging information. To fight with the high inflation, government wants to import more cement from Pakistan .However cement prizes are not very much high as other items but still they are increasing. And the reason of high prize is surging cost of raw material and transportation cost. Apart from this government also discussed with cement industry not to have increase in prizes and keep consumer interest in mind. Now the question arise in front of the government is whether the demand by the government is possible to increase through expenditure on infrastructure or notaccording to the current state of economy when so many crises are going on or how the government allocation of US$ 3.23 billion for the National Highway Development, Project will keep the demand for cement alive? And to what

extent the prizes of cement should be increase so that consumer cant affect. Cement industry in India has also made tremendous strides in technological up gradation and assimilation of latest technology. Presently, 93 per cent of the total capacity in the industry is based on modern and environment-friendly dry process technology. The induction of advanced technology has helped the industry immensely to conserve energy and fuel and to save materials substantially. Indian cement industry has also acquired technical capability to produce different types of cement like Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC), Portland Pozzolana Cement (PPC), Portland Blast Furnace Slag Cement (PBFS), Oil Well Cement, Rapid Hardening Portland Cement, Sulphate Resisting Portland Cement, White Cement etc. Some of the major clusters of cement industry in India are: Satna (Madhya Pradesh), Chandrapur (Maharashtra), Gulbarga (Karnataka), Yerranguntla (Andhra Pradesh), Nalgonda (Andhra Pradesh), Bilaspur (Chattisgarh), and Chandoria (Rajasthan). Report on Cement Industry In India By: Shobhit Chandak (www.scribd.com

Major copetitor
Company ACC Gujarat Ambuja Ultratech Grasim India Cements JK Group Jaypee Group Century Madras Cements Birla Corp Lafarge Production 17,902 15,094 13,707 14,649 8,434 6,174 6,316 6,636 4,550 5,150 5000 Installed Capacity 18,640 14,860 17,000 14,115 8,810 6,680 6,531 6,300 5,470 5,113 4573

Report on Cement Industry In India By: Shobhit Chandak (www.scribd.com)

Types of cement in India

The types of cement in India have increased over the years with the advancement in research, development, and technology. The Indian cement industry is witnessing a boom as a result of which the production of different kinds of cement in India has also increased. By a fair estimate, there are around 11 different types of cement that are being produced in India. The production of

all these cement varieties is according to the specifications of the BIS. Some of the various types of cement produced in India are:

Clinker Cement Ordinary Portland Cement Portland Blast Furnace Slag Cement Portland Pozzolana Cement Rapid Hardening Portland Cement Oil Well Cement White Cement Sulphate Resisting Portland Cement

ADITYA BIRLA GROUP PROFILE

A US $40 billion corporation, the Aditya Birla Group is in the League of Fortune 500. It is anchored by an extraordinary force of over 133,000 employees, belonging to 42 different nationalities. The Group has been ranked Number 4 in the Global 'Top Companies for Leaders' survey and ranked Number 1 in Asia Pacific for 2011. 'Top Companies For Leaders' is the most comprehensive study of organisational leadership in the world conducted by Aon Hewitt, Fortune Magazine and RBL (a strategic HR and Leadership Advisory firm). Over 53 per cent of its revenues flow from its overseas operations. The Group operates in 36 countries Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, China, Egypt, France, Germany, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Italy, Ivory Coast, Japan, Korea, Laos, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Poland, Russia, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Tanzania, Thailand, Turkey, UAE, UK, USA and Vietnam.

Birla White

Introduction
Birla White is the best selling white cement brand in India with a production capacity of over 550 thousand tons annually. It is positioned as the whitest white cement, thereby equating quality with the whiteness of the cement. Birla White is a critical component in wall finishes such as Grit Wash, Stonecrete and Tyrolean. It is also the main ingredient in the application of mosaic tiles and terrazzo floorings. The range of unique stand-alone products that Birla White has introduced includes Wall care putty, Level last, Texture, GRC and Kool-n-Seal. Between them, they facilitate care for walls and make the interiors more appealing. Established in 1988 with an initial production capacity of 80 thousand tones, the company has indeed come a long way. Its manufacturing plant is today regarded as one of the most technologically-advanced white cement plants in the world. Driven by innovation and excellence, Birla White has consistently been improving its product quality through technological advancements. Significant efforts have also been made to diversify its product portfolio. Birla White today boasts of a product portfolio consisting of several surface finishing options. The company has a strong global presence in the developed European and fastgrowing Asian markets.

PRODUCT INFORMATION

BIRLA WHITE CEMENT

Birla White cement offers a pristine white canvas for crafting architectural elegance. Its exceedingly high refractive index and high opacity imparts brilliant lustre and a smooth finish to surfaces, even when blended with pigments. It gives the freedom to create designs with a wide palette of colours, textures, shapes and sizes. Birla White is the Birla White cement offers a pristine white canvas for crafting architectural elegance. Its exceedingly high refractive index and high opacity imparts brilliant luster and a smooth finish to surfaces, even when blended with pigments. It gives the freedom to create designs with a wide palette of colours, textures, shapes and sizes. Birla White is the preferred white cement for decorative cement paints, fitting marble, mosaic tiles, terrazzo flooring and white cement based value-added products. Birla White Cement takes artistic expression in architectural design to the next level. A product of the most advanced technologies and manufacturing processes, it offers a pristine white canvas for crafting architectural elegance. Its exceedingly high refractive index and high opacity imparts brilliant lustre and a smooth finish to surfaces, even when blended with pigments. It offers the freedom to create designs with a wide palette of colours, textures, shapes and sizes. Birla White

is the preferred white cement for decorative paints, plasters, Mosaic tiles, Terrazzo flooring and white cement based value-added products.

WALLCARE PUTTY
The elegant dcor of your home can easily be marred by the eyesore of flaking, ruining even the expensive coat of paint on your walls. Birla White Wall care Putty offers you total protection against flaking. Its superior quality makes it the only putty in India to meet global standards (HDB, Singapore). As a white cement-based putty, it binds strongly the elegant dcor of your home can easily be marred by the eyesore of flaking, ruining even the expensive coat of paint on your walls. Birla White Wall care Putty offers you total protection against flaking. Its superior quality makes it the only putty in India to meet global standards (HDB, Singapore). As a white cement-based putty, it binds strongly with the base plaster, even if the surface is damp, and forms a protective base. It fills up the fine pores in the walls and ceiling, giving you a smooth and dry surface for painting. With effective protection against flaking, you are assured of a good looking home for years to come.

COMPETITORS BRANDS

White cement & Putty was first introduced by Birla as cement based solution
for curing the wall. The introduction in the market stimulated good response and triggered competitors to foray in the same market. Two types of wall puttees are available in the marketWhit Cement Based and Acrylic Based. Since both are substitutable the market competition gets stiffer. The competition is stiff with players not only from the White Cement Industry, Birla White but also from the Paint industry like , JK

WHITE, Asian paints, Nerolac Paints, Berger paints, Shalimar paints, Johnson & Johnson, Deluxe, Shakti , Unicon, Tata, Colour Value, Marbellers, Indigo, Shikar, Wall Care & other brands, etc. Some local players like Kamdhenu, Herco & Deluxet etc are also in the fray. The fight for market share in this segment is fuelled by unparalleled competition from not only major brand offerings but from cross segment commodities like POP.

The main competitor of Birla White is JK White, because it is the only White Cement & Putty available in the market.

Birla White cement & wall care putty was the first white cement & wall putty to be launched in the market and till now it is clearly enjoying the first mover advantage by grabbing the highest chunk of the putty market.

MAJOR COMPETITOR
JK WHITE-

Born to the 125 year old multi-disciplinary J.K. Organization, J.K. White Cement Works (a part of J.K. Cement Ltd.) is a company that has been enriching the consumers world with ornamental aesthetics since 1984.

Thus began a journey of committed excellence in product quality, customer service and social responsibility. The company in the past 25 years has established itself as a front runner in the White Cement category. Over the years, continuous process improvements & modifications have increased J.K. White Cement Plants production capacity to 400,000 tons per annum.

With a nationwide distribution and strong equity in the category, J.K. White Cement brings aesthetics to life with matchless White Cement, Wall Putty and Water Proofing backed by turnkey design consultancy and installation support.

Today, J.K. White Cement is the second largest manufacturer of White Cement in India. Not only does J.K. White Cement enjoy demand in the domestic market but is also exported to countries like South Africa, Nigeria, Singapore, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Kenya, Tanzania, UAE and Nepal, hence giving the company a global footprint.

Products JK Wall Cement JK Wall Putty JK Water Proof Birla has first launched white cement & putty in the market and at a later date JK followed the same.

THE PROJECT INTRODUCTION The cement Industry consumers are segmented on the basis of the uses of cement in to three parts1. Existing Dealers 2. Competitor Dealers

3. Retailers Retail Consumers are those who buy the Products from the Exclusive or Non-exclusive Retail Stores. Retail consumers are basically residential users. The sale per consumer is less in case of retail consumers but the no. Of these consumers is very high. Institutional consumers are those who use the products for commercial purposes, like- Shopping Malls, Residential Societies, Hotels, Colleges & Institutes, and Government buildings etc. They use the Products as the inventory to make the final product like tiles manufacturing, Paint companies. The work is related to the sale of White Cement based Wall Putty which are substitute of Plaster of Paris (POP).

SCOPE OF THE STUDY

The project has great scope because any company in this sector needs to understand the perception of the Retailer regarding its brand and need to know how to influence their selling behavior. To do that company requires all the information regarding its channel segments. Such projects can really help while Segmenting, Targeting, and positioning the marketing strategies. After the project findings the company can decide how to increase their market share in Siliguri city. Birla White is trying to grab the opportunity by replacing the others brand which is playing in same sector in the market. For this reason it was imperative to gather maximum data and information for live projects that are taking place in Siliguri (West Bengal) region to get the real situation of the market in the institutional segment.

In the study the region Siliguri has been defined as comprising of Bagdogra, Shivmandir, Champasari, Shalugara, Fullbari, Pradhan Nagar, Medical more, Eastern bypass.

DATA ANALYSIS

For the study only primary data has been used. To collect information from the respondents we have made use of the Survey Method of Data collection, specifically interview method of Data collection.

Primary Data

Since the number of distributors also known as stockiest were only five for Birla White and five for J.K White, we have take the ten distributors into consideration. In case of retailers there are fifty six retailers who stock not only Birla White and JK White products but also other companys products. All these retailers have been interviewed for the purpose of our study.

In the survey the dealers & retailers were surveyed to find out their perception as the retail market and competitors are major influencers in the buyers decision making process.

MARKET AREA COVERED BY THE STOCKIEST

Area Only Siliguri Siliguri Suburb Entire North Bengal

BIRLA WHITE 1 2 2

JK WHITE 0 2 3

In the study Siliguri Suburb has been defined as areas comprising of Salbari, Salugara, Fulbari, Shivmandir and Bagdogra. It was found that of the JK White had 3 stockiest who covered the Entire North Bengal and Birla White had 2 stockiest who covered the Entire North Bengal. Birla White had 1 stockiest who covered only Siliguri. It can be seen that JK.Whites stockiest were bigger in size as far as distribution was concerned. Large distribution implies easy movement of goods as they have better logistic and the goods can be shipped on request.

WHITE CEMENT LIFTING BY THE STOCKIEST

WEIGHT 50 KG (MT) 25 KG (MT) 5 KG (MT) 1 KG (MT) BIRLA WHITE LIFTING 27 8 20 20 JK WHITE LIFTING 20 19 36 32

The Volume of sales of both the varieties in 50kg segment of White cement is given by the number of lifting that takes place in a month. The above data depicts the monthly lifting of Birla White and its competitor JK White. It can be seen that the monthly lifting of Birla White is more than JK White in this segment. Even though the difference in the monthly lifting by both the companies is only 7 MT we can still say that the leader in 50 kg packet is Birla White Cement. In the case of 25kg packet of whit cement JK White fares better than Birla White cement. Birla White lags behind JK White by 11 MT during the period of analysis. Even though in case of 50 kg packet Birla White leads, in has not done very well in the 25kg packet category. In the case of 5kg packet JK White is yet again the leader at 36MT lifting per month as compared to Birla

White at 20 MT lifting per month. The same scenario holds true even in the 1kg packet where JK White lifts 32 MT and Birla white lifts only 20 MT. From the above analysis it can be understood that JK White lifts more amount of White cement than its closest competitor Birla White.

A B C PRICING FOR WHITE CEMENT

The ABC pricing is a method which is followed by the stockiest and retailers. This method is unique to this field. A is the price at which the stockiest lift the MT of White cement and wall putty or in other words the cost price of the goods and price B is the price at which the stockiest sell the product to the retailers. The Difference between Price A and Price B is the profit of the retailer. The data that has been collected for the ABC pricing are subject to change as there has been a time lapse from the time the data was collected and the time that it has been analyzed. ABC price implies the prices in different sections. From retailers perspective, B denotes purchase price and C denotes selling price. For Stockiest, A represents purchase price while B implies selling price. As has already been mentioned earlier Birla White has four categories of white cement categorized on the basis of their weight namely, 50kg, 25kg, 5kg, and 1kg. In following table we have analyzed pricing and profit of both Birla White and its competitor JK White. The prices charged by the five stockiest vary considerably from one another the average prices have been taken into consideration for the various categories of white cement by the stockiest. In case of 5 kg and 1 kg bags the stockiest sells 25kg bags comprising of 5kgs five bags in one and 1kg twenty five bags in one. By looking at the overall profit of Birla white Cement and JK White Cement it can be seen that for the stockiest enjoy a profit of Rs. 65 in case of Birla White and Rs. 64 in case of JK White Cement. There is a negligible amount of Re1 difference between Birla White and JK White prices.

PRICE A OF BIRLA WHITE WEIGHT CEMENT 50 kg 746 25kg 386 5kg 445 1kg 444 TOTAL

PRICE B OF BIRLA WHITE CEMENT 758 403 463 462

BIRLA WHITE CEMENT PROFIT 12 17 18 18 65

PRICE A OF JK WHITE CEMENT 746 381 436 436

PRICE B OF JK WHITE CEMENT 762 395 453 453

JK WHITE CEMENT PROFIT 16 14 17 17 64

In the 50 kg segment for Birla White the profit is Rs.12 per bag and in case of JK White the profit is Rs. 16. In case of 25 kg segment the profit for Birla white are Rs. 17 and JK White it is Rs. 14. In case of 5 kg and 1 kg segment the difference between the pricing of Birla White and JK Whites profit is merely Re. 1. By looking at the profit only one would assume that Birla White would be the leader in 25 kg, 5kg and 1 kg segment and JK White would lead in the 50kg segment. However as we have previously analyzed the sales of Birla White and JK White we can say that this above analysis is not true. If we look at Price B of the Stockiest we can see that the selling Prices of 25kg, 5 kg and 1 kg are lesser than the selling Prices of JK White for the same

category. Hence JK White happens to have more lifting in this category than Birla White. In case of the 50 kg category the selling Price of Birla White is lesser than the selling prices of JK White. This further corroborates our previous findings.

PUTTY LIFTING BY THE STOCKIEST

WEIGHT 40 KG (MT) 20 KG (MT) 5 KG (MT) 1 KG (MT) BIRLA WHITE LIFTING 74 23 0 0 JK WHITE LIFTING 130 54 0.5 0.5

In the region under study, JK White Putty sale is more than Birla White putty in the 40 kg segment and the 20 kg segment. By analyzing only Birla White we can say that Birla white fares well in the 40 kg and 20 kg market. During the study it was found that Birla White did not have any lifting in the 5 kg and 1kg segment. JK white who happens to be a leader in this market has a very small amount of lifting in the 5kg and 1 kg segment. Another point to be noted is that all of the lifting in the 5kg and 1 kg market is transported to the Hilly region comprising of Darjeeling and Sikkim.

A B C PRICING FOR WALL PUTTY

PRICE A OF BIRLA WHITE WEIGHT PUTTY 40 kg 813 25kg 467 5kg 0 1kg 0 TOTAL PRICE B OF BIRLA WHITE PUTTY 817 474 0 0 BIRLA WHITE PUTTY PROFIT 4 7 0 0 11 PRICE A OF JK WHITE PUTTY 776 450 615 615 PRICE B OF JK WHITE PUTTY 804 468 650 650 JK WHITE PUTTY PROFIT 28 18 35 35 116

As has already been discussed earlier ABC pricing denotes the purchase price for the stockiest the Selling prices of the stockiest and the selling prices of the retailers and the profits. It is evident from the above table and graph that there is no demand for Birla White Putty in the 5kg and 1 Kg category however in the same category there is demand for JK White Putty. The difference between Price A and Price B of JK White Putty is greater than the difference between the Price and Price B of Birla White Putty. From the above table we can infer that since the profit (i.e. Price A- Price B) for the Stockiest is high in case of JK white the sale of the product is more. If we compare the Selling Price (Price B) of the two products, the prices of JK white are visibly smaller than that of Birla White. The Price B which is the selling price of Stockiest is also the

buying price for retailer. As the working of the inverse relation between demand and prices we can say that JK White Putty has more demand than Birla White due to the low price. However in the 40 kg segment we notice that even though the Price A and Price B of Birla White is higher there is still demand for the product as the Birla White Lifting in this category is 74. The high prices and still the existence of demand given that a cheaper substitute is available could be attributed to the fact that Birla White Putty could have a market due to its good quality.

INCREASE IN RETAILERS FOR BIRLA WHITE & JK WHITE

BRAND IN 3 MONTHS BIRLA WHITE 10 JK WHITE 35

The above data shows the increase in the number of retailers in three months for the distributors. By looking at the table it can be seen that the increase in the number of retailers for JK White is higher than that of Birla White. The above data depicts that in the stipulated time of three months, the increase in the number of retailers is 10 for Birla White whereas the number of increase of retailers is 35 for JK White. It is obvious from the above figure that in the Siliguri city, retailers prefer JK White more than any other brand available in the market. As it has already been mentioned earlier that the profit for

JK White is higher than the profit for Birla White the increase in the number of retailers during the period of study could be attributed to the above finding.

VIABILITY OF RETAILERS SCHEME

BRAND Positive Negative

BIRLA WHITE 3 2

JK WHITE 5 0

The above table shows that the J.K.Whites retailer scheme is more viable than the Birla White scheme. This could be one of the reasons for the increase in the number of retailers as compared to the increase in the number of retailers for Birla White. Out of the Stockiest interviewed three stockiest said that the scheme given to the retailers of Birla White is good while the remaining two stockiest do not find the retailers scheme of Birla White viable. For J.K White, the entire stockiest find that the retailer schemes of J.K White are good enough.

SATISFACTION WITH DISTRIBUTION

BRAND POOR AVERAGE GOOD VERY GOOD BIRLAWHITE 0 1 3 1 JK WHITE 0 0 4 1

The distributors were asked the question as to how they graded the distribution of J.K White and Birla White. The above table depicts the findings. The questions were divided into 4 categories viz. poor, average good and very good. It is found that none of the stockiest for JK White and Birla White said that the distribution system was poor. One stockiest of Birla White reported that the distribution was poor. Four stockiest of JK White and three stockiest of Birla White reported that the distribution was good and one each from JK white and Birla White reported that the distribution was very good. It is good that none of the distributors of Birla White said that the distribution system was poor. However in comparison to JK White There was one distributor who said that the distribution system of Birla White was average. The company should take adequate steps to look into its distribution system increase the satisfaction level of the stockiest.

PERSONAL INITIATIVE OF THE RETAILERS

1. Achieving of retailer scheme, 2. Tour scheme, with maximum points per ton. 3. To advertise the market, to locally & wholly. 4. Local Advertisement, 5. Door to Door visit, 6. Labour misri meet is necessary. 7. Company service will try to better. 8. Personal stockiest Meet, 9. Personal Retailers Meet. 10.Retailer scheme launch for the month of May & June, 11.As per the logic concern door delivery by personal, 12.Free Vehicles and transportation on road. 13.Always co-operate the company employee for channel sale development. This stiff competition rate is negotiation for capturing market. 14.Do not understand the billing system, 15.Billing system between company and stockiest is too complicated. 16.Billing system should be easy for stockiest. 17.Token system is not necessary. For 40 kg, 20kg, both bags should have token system, is not one types of bag. Discount system should not be credit; it should be kind of cash.

RETAILERS DATA ANALYSIS

WHITE CEMENT ANALYSIS
CHOICE OF BRAND OF RETAILERS OF WHITE CEMENT:
BIRLA WHITE CEMENT 19 JK WHITE CEMENT 14 BOTH 25

The retailers were asked to name the brand of White Cement that they preferred to sell. Of the 58 retailers 19 retailers preferred to sell Birla White Cement; 14 preferred to JK White Cement and

25 of them preferred to sell both the brands. From this it can be inferred that Birla White Cement is a clear choice among the retailers in comparison to JK White Cement.

REASON FOR SELLING WHITE CEMENT

BRAND IMAGE 16 9 PRODUCT QUALITY 12 7 CUSTOMER DEMAND 23 25 COMPANIES OFFICIAL RELATION 5 4

BRAND BIRLA WHITE CEMENT JK WHITE CEMENT

The Retailers were asked to cite reasons for their choice of selling White Cement. The reasons provided in the questionnaire were Brand Image, Product Quality, Customer Demand and Companies official relationship with the retailers. With 23 points the retailers of Birla White said that it was customer demand, product quality got 12 points, Brand Image got 16 points and

companies relationship got 5 points. IN case of JK White customer Demand got 25 points, product quality got 7 points, brand image got 9 points and customer relation got 4 points. JK White gets more point in terms of customer demand than Birla White Cement. This implies that JK White has more demand than JK White. However the Brand Image of Birla white is better than JK White as Birla White gets 16 points and JK White gets a mere 9 points. The product Quality of Birla White is also considered superior to JK White and the same is true for companies relation with the retailers. There could be other reasons for why JK White has more customer than Birla White even though Birla White is qualitatively better than JK White.

AVERAGE LIFTING OF WHITE CEMENT IN A MONTH

The data represented below has been collected from a particular segment of Siliguri market. The data does not represent the analysis of whole White Cement division of Birla White cement.
BRAND 50 KG BAG 25 KG BAG 5 KG BAG 1 KG BAG BIRLA WHITE CEMENT 511 242 1477 5844 JK WHITE CEMENT 279 212 1525 5769

From the above table we can see that in case of Birla White and JK White in the category of 50kg Bag, retailers have a lifting of 511 bags and 279 bags respectively. In the 25 kg category Birla Whites lifting is 242 bags and in case of JK White the lifting is 212 bags. In the 5kg category, Birla Whites lifting is 1477 bags and in case of JK White the lifting is 1525 bags. In the 1kg category the lifting of Birla White is 5844 bags and in for JK White it is 5769. It can be seen from the above table that Birla White has more lifting than JK White in the categories of 50kg, 25 kg and 1 kg. However in the 5 kg category the lifting of JK white is more than the lifting of Birla White. In Siliguri region Birla Whites total lifting is 8074 bags and JK Whites lifting is 7785 bags. Thus we can say that Birla White happens to be a more in demand than JK White in Siliguri.

WHICH BRANDED WHITE CEMENT IS COMFORTABLE FOR THE RETAILERS TO SELL?

BRAND RETAILERS OPINION

BIRLA WHITE CEMENT 37

J.K WHITE CEMENT 29

The retailers were asked the question as to whether they were comfortable selling Birla White Cement or JK White Cement. Of the total respondent 37 of the retailers said that they were comfortable selling Birla White Cement whereas 29 of the respondents felt that they were comfortable selling JK White Cement. The comfort of the retailers in selling Birla White cement could be due to the brand image of Birla White and product quality which are superior to JK White as reported earlier.

WHICH BRANDED WHITE CEMENT IS PROFITABLE FOR THE RETAILERS?

BRAND RETAILERS OPINION

BIRLA WHITE CEMENT 19

J.K WHITE CEMENT 20

Of the respondents who replied to the above query it was found that 19 retailers said that Birla White was profitable and 20 retailers said that JK White was more profitable. There is

not much difference in the profit of the retailers in the two brands of White Cement. From the above table and the previous table we can infer that even though retailers have preferred to sell Birla White Cement rather than JK White Cement it is sheer profitability margin of JK White that guides its sales.

A B C PRICING DISTRIBUTION OF RETAILERS

The ABC pricing of the retailers is the continuation of the same for the retailers. In case of the distributors the prices are Price A and Price B, Now in case of the retailers the Price B is the cost price of the White Cement and the Price is the selling price of the retailers the difference between the two prices is the profit of the retailer.
PRICE B OF BIRLA WHITE WEIGHT CEMENT 50 kg 760 25kg 407 5kg 90 1kg 18.22 TOTAL Price C of BIRLA WHITE cement 801.17 428 98.54 20.14 BIRLA WHITE cement profit 41 21 8.54 1.92 72.46 PRICE B OF JK WHITE CEMENT 756.5 416.36 90.09 18.16 Price C of JK WHITE cement 808.5 437.5 98.39 19.9

JK WHITE cement profit 52 21.14 8.3 1.74 83.18

The price that we have taken here are the average prices of all the retailers, this has been done for computational ease as the price of the retailers varied to some extent. It was found that in totality JK White was more profitable for the retailers as compared to Birla White. For JK White the retailers made a profit of Rs.83.18 and for Birla White the Profit was Rs.72.46. By taking only the profit into consideration we can say that JK White would be preferred over Birla White. Now moving into the category wise analysis, in the categories of 5kg and 1kg the profit of Birla White is more than JK White, but the difference in the profit is very negligible. However in the 50 kg category the profit of JK White is Rs.52 while the profit of Birla White is only Rs.41. The higher profit of JK White offsets the higher profit margin of Birla White in the 5kg and 1kg category. Overall we can say that even though Birla White is preferred Brand over JK White for the distributors and retailers as far as brand image, product quality is concerned however by the mere fact that the profitability is more in case of JK White it has a greater sale than compared to Birla White.

PUTTY ANALYSIS BRAND PREFERENCE BY THE RETAILERS

BRAND RETAILERS BW 28 JKW 42 AP 7 NP 16 BP 10 SP 7 J&J 6 KD 5 HK 5 DT 1 STI 1 UC 1 TATA 3 CV 1 MRB 1 IND 1 SHI 1 WC 1 OTH 1

The above data depicts the total number of brands of putty available in the retail shops and the choice of brands made by the retailers. There are 19 brands of putty available in the Siliguri market. Thus there is huge level of competition among the various players available in the market. The total number of brands available in the Siliguri market are- Birla White, Jk White, Asian paints, Nerolac Paints, Berger paints, Shalimar paints, Johnson & Johnson, Kamdhenu, Herko, Deluxe, Shakti , Unicon, Tata, Colour Value, Marbellers, Indigo, Shikar, Wall Care & other brands which are not mentioned in the above figure. Based on our analysis, it is very clear that the major player in the Siliguri city is Jk White putty. From the above data table, we can see that 28 retailers prefer Birla White putty, 42 retailers prefer Jk White, 16 retailers prefer Asian paints, 10 retailers prefer Nerolac paints, 7 retailers prefer Berger paints, 6 Retailers prefer Shalimar Paints, 5 Retailers each prefers Johnson & Johnson and Kamdhenu, 1 Retailers each prefer Herko, Deluxt, Shakti each, 3 Retailers prefer Unicon, 1 Retailers prefer Colour Value, Marbellers, Indigo, Shikar, Wall Care.

FOR HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN SELLING CEMENT

LESS THAN 6 MONTHS BRAND BIRLA WHITE CEMENT JK WHITE CEMENT ASIAN PAINTS NEROLAC PAINTS BERGER PAINTS SHALIMAR PAINTS JHONSON & JHONSON KAMDHENU HERKO DELUXT SHAKTI UNICORN TATA COLOUR VALUE MARBELLERS INDIGO SHIKHAR WITH IN 6 MONTH S TO 1 YEAR 2 2 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 WITH IN 1 YEAR TO 2 YEAR 5 2 0 2 2 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 MORE THAN 2 YEAR 18 24 5 9 10 6 3 3 1 1 1 1 3 1 0 0 1

2 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

WALL CARE OTHERS

0 0

0 0

1 0

0 1

The above data shows the time period for which the retailers have been selling white putty in the Siliguri market. The above figure is a detailed analysis of the time for which various retailers have been in the business of selling putty. The time period has been categorized into 4 sections i.e. less than 6 months, 6 months-1year, 1year- 2 year and more than 2 years . It is evident from the above figure that most of the retailers in the Siliguri circle have been selling putty since a longer time period. A brief description of the 4 above mentioned categories are cited below: LESS THAN 6 MONTHS: In the Siliguri city, only 2 retailers have been selling putty for a period of less than 6 months. While only 1 Retailers each has been selling JKWhite putty, Asian Paints & Herko since a period of less than 6 months. WITHIN 6 MONTHS TO 1 YEAR: On the basis of the analysis, we came to know that 2 retailers respectively have been selling Birla White & JK White putty since a period between 6 months to 1 year. Again there is 1 retailer each who have been selling Nerolac Paints & Kamdhenu since a time period between 6 months to 1 year. WITHIN 1 YEAR TO 2 YEARS: During the project tenure we found that 5 Retailers have been selling putty since a period between 1 year to 2 years. On the other hand, 2 Retailers respectively

of JK White, Nerolac & Berger Paints are into the business of selling putty for the period 1 year to 2 years. 1 retailer each has been selling respectively Johnson & Johnson, Herko, Marbellers, and Indigo & Wall care. MORE THAN 2 YEARS: It can be cited from the above table that the 18 retailers are into the business of selling Birla White putty for more than 2 years ; 24 Retailers have been selling JK White putty since a period more than 2 years ; 10 retailers have been selling Berger Paints for more than 2 years; 9 Retailers have been selling Nerolac Paints; 6 Retailers have been selling Shalimar Paints for more than 2 years; 3 Retailers each have been selling Johnson & Johnson, Kamdhenu and Unicon for more than 2 years. While 1 retailer each have been selling Herko ,
Deluxt, Shakti, Unicon, Colour Value & Shikar respectively.

TOKEN SYSTEM IS USE FULL FOR INCREASING SALE PUTTY BY THE RETAILERS
OPINION RETAILERS YES 29 NO 20

It is seen from the above the table that token system is really beneficial for the retailers. The data is based on the perception of 49 retailers who have been visited for acquiring the information. The token is available only on 20 kg bag of putty. The token is basically beneficial for the

laborers. It is on the recommendation of the laborers that most of the purchase of putty is made. Based on the survey report, we found that 29 retailers agree with the statement that token system is really useful for the retailers. Whilst the remaining 20 retailers dont prefer the use of token system as it is only beneficial for the laborers. Since majority of the retailers are in favor of the use of token system, so definitely we will also go for the use of token system.

REASON OF SALE PUTTY

BRAND BIRLA WHITE CEMENT JK WHITE CEMENT ASIAN PAINTS NEROLAC PAINTS BERGER PAINTS SHALIMAR PAINTS JHONSON & JHONSON KAMDHENU HERKO DELUXT SHAKTI UNICORN TATA COLOUR VALUE MARBELLERS INDIGO SHIKHAR WALL CARE OTHERS BRAND IMAGE 16 11 3 4 5 1 3 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 PRODUCT QUALITY 9 6 3 4 2 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 CUSTOMER DEMAND 20 28 3 13 7 5 4 3 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 IF ANY OTHER REASON 7 6 0 0 2 1 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

From the above figure, we can see the various reasons which make the retailers to sell putty. There are mainly three primary reasons for selling putty which are BRAND IMAGE, PRODUCT QUALITY & CUSTOMER DEMAND. Now we will analyze the various factors which make a retailer to sell putty. The factors have been analyzed one by one. Brand Image: 16 retailers sell Birla White putty because of the existing BRAND IMAGE of the brand.11 retailers of Siliguri sell JK White putty because of the brand image associated with the brand. While in the Siliguri city, 3,4, 5, 1, 3, 1,retailers sells Asian Paints, Nerolac Paints, Berger Paints,
Shalimar Paints, Jhonson & Jhonson, Kamdhenu, Tata putty respectively because of the brand

image of the brand. Product Quality Product quality is a key reason for selling putty. During the survey, we came to know that 9 retailers in the Siliguri region sell Birla White putty since the quality of the product is good.

While 6 retailers in the Siliguri city sell that it is the quality of the product which makes them to sell JK White putty. While 3, 4, 2, 2, 2, 1 prefer to sell Asian Paints, Nerolac Paints, Berger
Paints, Shalimar Paints, Jhonson & Jhonson, Tata Putty because of the quality of the products.

Customer Demand: From the above data, we see that the 20 retailers prefer to sell Birla White putty because of the prevailing customer demand of the brand in the Siliguri zone. 2 retailers of putty sell JK White putty because of customer demand of the brand. While 3, 13, 7, 5, 4, 3, 1, 1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1 retailers prefer to sell ASIAN PAINTS, NEROLAC PAINTS, BERGER PAINTS, SHALIMAR
PAINTS, JHONSON & JHONSON, KAMDHENU, DELUXT, SHAKTI, UNICORN, TATA, COLOUR VALUE, MARBELLERS, INDIGO, SHIKHAR, WALL CARE PUTTY because of the huge demand made by the customers.

Other Reasons: Apart from the above three factors, there are also many other factors which makes a retailer to sell the products. Based on the above data we see that 7 Retailers sells Birla White putty because of other reasons which they did not mention. Apart from this, 6 retailers of Siliguri sell JK White putty because of other basic reasons.

WHICH BRAND COMFORTABLE FOR SALE BY RETAILERS

BRAND RETAILERS BW 15 JKW 23 AP 2 NP 9 BP 7 SP 1 J&J 1 KD 1 HK 1 DT 0 STI 0 UC 0 TATA 0 CV 0 MRB 0 IND 0 SHI 0 WC 0 OTH 0

The above data denotes the level of comfort experienced by the retailers while selling putty in the Siliguri market. The comfort associated with each of the brands of putty available in the market depends upon some valuable factors. Some of these factors are PRODUCTS QUALITY, PRICE FACTORS, PRODUCT AVAILABILTY, BRAND IMAGE etc. In the Siliguri city, 15 Retailers are comfortable by selling Birla White putty; 23 Retailers are comfortable selling JK White putty, 2 retailers are comfortable selling putty of Asian putty;9 retailers feel comfort by selling Nerolac paints, 7 retailers are comfortable in selling Berger Paints. Whereas 1 retailer each sells Shalimar paints, Jhonson & Jhonson, Kamdhenu and Herko because of the level of comfort associated with it.

WHICH BRAND PROFITABLE FOR SALE BY RETAILERS

BRAND RETAILERS

BW 11

JKW 10

AP 1

NP 3

BP 7

SP 2

J&J 5

KD 2

HK 3

DT 0

STI 0

UC 1

TATA 0

CV 0

MRB 1

IND 0

SHI 0

WC 1

OTH 0

The ultimate aim to run any business is to earn more and more profit. No firm can continue in the long run without profit. Profit is generally determined by the following for profit. With the help of the above data we see that for putty segment, 11 retailers said that Birla White putty is comfortable than any other brands and for JK White putty it is 10 There is a difference of 1 number of retailer in terms of profit made by the retailers by selling the 2 mentioned brands of putty. So the maximum number of retailers would definitely prefer to sell Birla White putty as much more as possible. 1,3,7,2,5,2,3,1,1,1 retailers thinks that Asian paints, Nerolac Paints, Berger Paints, Shalimar Paints, Jhonson & Jhonson, Kamdhenu, Herko, Unicon, Marbellers, Wall care respectively are more profitable for them.

AVARAGE LIFTING OF PUTTY IN A MONTH

BRAND 40 KG BAG 20 KG BAG 5 KG BAG 1 KG BAG

BW 1686 1065 0 0

JKW 1644 1549 0 0

AP 346 135 0 0

NP 1091 1225 0 0

BP 584 280 0 0

SP 5 460 25 0

J&J 165 25 0 0

KD 188 158 0 0

HK 95 65 0 0

DT 0 10 0 0

STI 16 75 0 0

UC 0 5 0 0

TATA 55 25 0 0

CV 10 5 0 0

MRB 50 20 20 3

IND 114 0 0 0

SHI 11 25 0 0

WC 30 25 0 0

OTH 100 100 0 0

From the survey it was found that the average sale of Birla White putty is 1686 bags. While the average sale of JK White putty is 1644 bags. 346 bags of Asian putty were sold on an average. In the category of 40 kg bag of putty: 346 bags of Asian putty were sold, 1091 bags of Nerolac putty were sold; while 584 bags, of Berger putty were sold on an average During that time. Only 5 bags of Shalimar putty were sold at that point of time. While 165 bags of Johnson & Johnson were sold in a month. The average monthly sale of Kamdhenu putty is 188 bags. 95 bags of

Herko putty are sold average in a month. Deluxt has a monthly sale of 0 bag of Putty in a month. 16 bag of 40 kg category of Shakti brand are sold in a month on an average. The average monthly sale of Tata putty is 55 bags. Color value has a average monthly sale of 10 bags while the average sale of Marbellers is 114 bags. Indigo has an average monthly sale of 11 bags of 40 kg category of putty. On the other side, Shilkhar putty has an average sale of 30 bags of 40 kg category of putty. Wall care has an average monthly sale of 30 bags & other brands monthly sale is 100 bags.

ABC PRICING DETAILS OF CEMENT OF THE RETAILERS A B C PRICING DISTRIBUTION OF RETAILERS

The data collected during the survey is only on a particular segment of Siliguri market. The data does not represent the analysis of whole putty division of Birla White.

COMPARISON OF PURCHASE PRICE OF PUTTY

BRAND 40 KG 20 KG 5 KG 1 KG 459 0 0 BW 798 803 464 0 0 905 527 0 0 829 480 0 0 JKW AP NP BP 81 3 46 5 0 0 SP 0 390 140 0 J&J 774 447 0 0 KD 840 478 0 0 HK 715 420 0 0 DT 0 380 0 0 STI 575 480 0 0 UC 0 370 0 0 TATA 773 450 0 0 CV 700 0 0 0 MRB 580 320 80 25 IND 0 0 0 0 SHI 430 0 0 0 WC 720 430 0 0 OTH 0 0 0 0

The above data table shows the purchase price of the various brands of putty in the Siliguri market. In the above figure, the 0(zero) represents that there is no lifting of that particular brand of putty in the Siliguri region. Birla White putty has a purchase price of Rs. 789/ bag in the category of 40 kg section of putty, the purchase price/bag of JK White is Rs. 803. The purchase price of Asian paints is Rs. 905; while the purchase price of Nerolac paints is Rs. 829. On the other hand, the purchase price of Berger paints is Rs 813. There was no lifting of Shalimar paints in the Siliguri market. Jhonson & Jhonson has a purchase price of Rs. 774. The purchase price of Kamdhenu brand of putty is Rs. 840 whilst the purchase price of Herko is Rs. 715. There is no

lifting of Deluxt, Indigo and Unicon putty in the Siliguri market. Tata putty has a purchase price of Rs. 773. Color value has a purchase price of Rs. 700. Whereas the purchase price of Marbellers is Rs. 580. Shikhar has a purchase price of Rs. 430. On the other hand the purchase price of Wallcare putty is Rs. 720.

COMPARISON OF SALE PRICE OF PUTTY

BRAND 40 KG 20 KG 5 KG 1 KG BW 816 477 0 0 JKW 822 480 0 0 AP 928 545 0 0 NP 807 490 0 0 BP 78 1 49 1 0 0 SP 0 416 150 0 J&J 800 470 0 0 KD 862 499 0 0 HK 767 505 0 0 DT 0 420 0 0 STI 600 500 0 0 UC 0 400 0 0 TATA 808 480 0 0 CV 750 0 0 0 MRB 650 380 130 40 IND NOT FOUND NOT FOUND NOT FOUND NOT FOUND SHI 600 0 0 0 WC 750 460 0 0 OTH 0 0 0 0

It is apparent from the above chart that the sale price/bAG by selling a single bag of Birla White putty is Rs 816. On the other side, the selling price for a bag of 40 kg is Rs 822.So there exists a difference of Rs 6 between the two brands of putty. In other words, we can say that the consumers in Siliguri can save Rs 6 by buying a 40 kg bag of Birla White putty. From the consumers perspective, it is profitable for buying a 40 kg bag of Birla White putty rather than purchasing a 40 kg bag of JK White putty. The Sale price of 40 kg bag of Asian paints is Rs. 928; whilst the selling price/bag of Nerolac paints is Rs. 807. For the remaining brands of putty available in the market, the selling price is such that:- Berger paints it is Rs. 781; Johnson & Johnson it is Rs. 800; Kamdhenu it is Rs. 862; Herko it is Rs. 767; Shakthi it is Rs. 600; Tata it is Rs. 808; Color Value it is Rs. 750; Marbellers it is Rs. 650; Shikhar it is Rs. 600; and Wall care it is Rs. 750. With the help of the above table, we can compare the 20 kg selling price of the various brands of putty available in the market. From the above graph it is evident that the purchasing price/MT of 20kg BAG of Birla White putty is Rs 477.On the other side, the per BAG purchasing price of 20 kg BAG of Jk White putty is Rs 480 each. The difference in the purchasing price of the above two brands is Rs-3 only. Jk White is being able to sell its product of 20 kg packet of Putty at a lower price. At the time when we conducted the survey, the purchase of different brands was such that:- Asian paintsRs. 545; Nerolec paintsRs. 490; Berger paintsRs. 491; Shalimar paintsRs. 416; Jhonson & JhonsonRs. 470; KamdhenuRs. 499; HerkoRs. 505;

DeluxtRs. 420; ShaktiRs. 500; Unicon Rs. 400; TataRs. 480; Marbelers Rs. 380; Wall careRs. 460. In the Siliguri city, there is no lifting of Colour value, Indigo, Shikar brands. In other words, it can be summarized that demand for the three, mentioned brands is negligible in the Siliguri market. The above figure deals with the comparison of sale price of the two brands of 5kg category bag of putty. Sale price can be also called as selling price. Selling price is the price at which the products are sold in the market. If the selling price exceeds the cost price of the product, then there exists profit.The above chart shows the comparison of sale price of putty in. 5 KG. In the 5 kg category of putty bag, we can see that the sale price of Shalimar paints is Rs 150 while on the other hand, the sale price of Marbellers putty is Rs 130. Thus there is a difference of Rs 20 in the sale of the 2 above mentioned brands of putty. Since the sale price is lower for Marbellers putty, so a rational consumer will always prefer Marbellers putty over other type of putty. At the time when we conducted the project, we found that for 5 kg bag of putty, the sale price of 5kg bag of Shalimar paints putty was Rs 150.On the other hand, the sale price of a 5 KG bag of Marbellers putty was Rs. 130 only.

PROFIT DISTRIBUTION OF THE RETAILERS IN PUTTY SEGMENT

The following data table gives the description of the profit for all the brands of putty available in the Siliguri region. The profit is distributed on the basis of 4 categories i.e. 40 kg, 20 kg, 5 kg & 1 kg bag.
BRAND 40 KG 20 KG 5 KG 1 KG BW 18 18 0 0 JKW 19 16 0 0 AP 23 18 0 0 NP 22 10 0 0 BP 32 26 0 0 SP 0 26 10 0 J&J 26 23 0 0 KD 22 21 0 0 HK 52 85 0 0 DT 0 40 0 0 STI 25 20 0 0 UC 0 30 0 0 TATA 35 30 0 0 CV 50 0 0 0 MRB 70 60 50 15 IND NOT FOUND NOT FOUND NOT FOUND NOT FOUND SHI 170 0 0 0 WC 30 30 0 0 OTH NOT FOUND NOT FOUND NOT FOUND NOT FOUND

The above table depicts the profit gained by selling a 40 kg bag of putty. In the category of 40 kg division of putty, the profit earned by selling a bag of Birla White putty is Rs. 18.For JK White putty, the profit earned per bag is Rs. 19. For the remaining brands available in the market, the

profit earned is such that:- ASIAN PAINTS-Rs. 23, NEROLAC PAINTS-Rs. 22; BERGER PAINTS- Rs.32; JHONSON & JHONSON-Rs. 26; KAMDHENU-Rs. 22; HERKO- Rs. 52; SHAKTI- Rs. 25; TATA-Rs. 35; COLOR VALUE- Rs. 50; MARBELLERS- Rs. 70; SHAKTIRs. 170; WALL CARE-Rs. 30. At the time when in conducted my project we found the above data. The above data is a detailed comparison of the selling price of the various brands of putt available in the market. In the category of 20 kg division of putty, the profit earned by selling a bag of Birla White putty is Rs. 18.For Jk White putty, the profit earned per BAG is Rs. 16. For the remaining brands available in the market, the profit is such that:- ASIAN PAINTSRs. 18, NEROLAC PAINTSRs.10; BERGER PAINTS Rs.26;SHALIMAR PAINTS-Rs 26, JHONSON & JHONSON Rs. 23; KAMDHENURs. 21; HERKO Rs. 85; DELUXTRs. 40; SHAKTI Rs. 20; UNICORNRs 30, TATARs. 30; COLOR VALUE Rs. 00; MARBELLERS Rs. 60; SHAKTIRs. 0; WALL CARERs. 30. There is no lifting for Colour value & Indigo. But we could not find any data for Indigo & Other brands in the market. In the category of 20 kg segment of putty, the highest profit making brand is Herko.

VIABILITY OF RETAILERS
SCHEME & DISCOUNT RETAILERS SCHEME FLAT DISCOUNT YES NO

26 28

0 0

Viability is the ability of a thing (a living organism, an artificial system, an idea, etc.) to maintain itself or recover its potentialities. "Viability is the ability to germination of the seed when provide it to all environmental condition." It is obvious from the above figure that in the Siliguri market, 26 retailers prefer Retailer scheme whereas only 28 Retailers are comfortable with Flat Discount. It is also clear from the above table that no retailers are against any of the two schemes that are being offered to the retailers. But the main question that arises is that which scheme is preferable for which type of retailers. The main that may arise can on the basis on the amount or quantity of cement & putty being sold. For example, for a retailer who has a huge sale may prefer Scheme whilst a retailer with

small turnover may like to take Flat Discount on the purchase and vice-versa. Thus it is clear from the above table that the retailer is comfortable with both the type of tools of sales promotion. But apart from the above two sales promotional techniques, other tools can be followed. But among all the tools of promotion, the above two are the most preferable by the Retailers in the Siliguri market.

SATISFACTION OF THE COMPANYS DISTRIBUTION SERVICE

BRAND POOR AVARAGE GOOD VERY GOOD BW 1 4 30 6 JKW 1 5 23 7 AP 0 1 4 1 NP 0 1 5 4 BP 1 2 5 2 SP 0 1 2 1 J&J 0 0 4 1 KD 0 0 2 1 HK 0 1 2 1 DT 0 0 1 0 ST I 0 0 1 0 OTH UC 0 1 0 0 TATA 0 0 1 0 CV 0 0 1 0 MRB 0 0 1 0 IND 0 0 1 0 SHI 0 0 1 0 WC 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0

Based on the above data, we can see the perception of the Retailers about the level of satisfaction that they gain with the distribution of the company. The above numbers are nothing but the number of stockiests and their perceptions about the level of distribution of white cement & putty. The questions were divided into 4 categories viz. POOR, AVERAGE, GOOD & VERY GOOD. No stockiests think that the distribution of White cement & putty is poor. Secondly, 4 & 5 retailers of siliguri region think that the level of distribution of Birla White is average. Thirdly, 30 & 23 retailers of Birla White and Jk White respectively feel that the distribution channel of white Cement & putty in Siliguri and surrounding hilly areas is good. Last but not the least,6 & Retailers each are of the view point that the distribution of Birla White & Jk White is Very good in the Siliguri zone. Based on the above data sheet, it can be depicted that the brand image of both the brands of white cement & putty available in the Siliguri market has a very high BRAND IMAGE & REPUTATION.

POOR: Only 1 retailer think that the distribution of berger paints is poor. For rest of the other brands, no retailers are of the view that the respective brands they sell are poor.

AVERAGE: The number of retailers who think that the various brands of cement & putty they sell is average are the following nature;- Birla White 4; Jk White cement5;Berger

paints2; while Asian paints, Nerolac paints; Shalimar paints; Herko; Unicon 1 retailers each. GOOD: Most of the retailers who sell Birla White think that the distribution of the particular brand is good. 23 retailers says that the distribution system of Jk White are good.5 retailers each says that the distribution system of Berger paints and Nerolac paints are good. 2 retailers each say that the distribution service of Kamdhenu, Shalimar Paints and Herko are good. 4 Retailers each tells that the distribution service of Asian paints and Jhonson & Jhonson are good.

VERY GOOD: 6 Retailers are very happy with the distribution system of Birla White. Whereas the perception of 7 retailers is that the distribution of Jk White cement is very good. 4 Retailers are fully with the distribution service of Asian paints. 2 retailer are of the view that the distribution channel of Berger paints is Very good. 1 retailer each tells that the service of distribution of Asian paints, Shalimar paints, Jhonson & Jhonson, Herko & Kamdhenu are very good.

SCOPE OF FURTHER RESEARCH

In future when such researches are needed to be carried out, care should be taken for ensure that the sample size is big enough to produce some viable results. The sellers who are to be interviewed have a prior knowledge about the product and are in position to comment on the issue. The sellers being interviewed have sample time to devote towards the questionnaire so as to give constructive suggestions on the matter being discussed. After the implementation of the project finding another detailed research can be carried out to find out the response of the market to Birla White Cement & Wall care putty and based on the sellers perception and expectations new policies can be formulated.

SWOT ANALYSIS
(STRENGHTS, WEAKNESS, OPPORTUNITIES, THREATS,) STRENGHTS
Birla, Being one of the oldest companies, gets a lot of support from the government.

 The awareness level about Birla is very high as it has been in the market since 1947. Brand name sells and that exactly is big boon and a load of support to the company. Birla white wall care Putty has good product quality. Birla has super brand and power brand in entire putty segment.

WEAKNESS
Putty is a low tack product, there are many local unbranded company make putty. Birla white wall care putty rate is higher than any other brand.

OPPORTUNITIES
Day by day the market of Putty sale is increase. Growing building material industry.

THREATS

Paints companies are introduce their putty. On the point of view paint dealer they are taking better service and offer from their particular paint company. In case of Birla white Wall Care Putty their distribution channels is different. The availability of cheaper alternative and downward pressure of pricing. The name JK putty is much more aware among the different customers because of its FAST MOVERS ADVANTAGE and the use of its generic trademark. In the category of putty, majority of the customers uses the generic name of JK putty.

CONCLUSION:
WHITECEMENT:
In white cement category, the stockiests sell the products in Siliguri and in the surrounding hilly areas. As per my analysis, the sale of stockiest is more for Jk White cement as compared to Birla White cement. Customers prefer Jk White cement more than Birla White cement because of low price and the profit margin gained by the stockiests. IN SILIGURI ZONE, the market leader of white cement is Jk White cement. In Siliguri town, the major player is Birla White cement because of its higher sale in the retail market. From the retailers and stockiests perception, we came to the conclusion that Customers are more aware of Jk White cement than Birla White cement.

PUTTY:
The name Jk putty is much more aware among the different customers because of its FAST MOVERS ADVANTAGE and the use of its generic trademark. In the category of putty, majority of the customers uses the generic name of Jk putty. From the retailers and Stockiests perspective, the demand of Jk putty is higher as this particular brand of putty gives them a higher profit margin and discount. In 5 kg & 1kg category of putty, there is no sale or lifting of Birla White putty in the SILIGURI REGION. But Birla White putty sells and lifts putty in the hilly areas like Darjeeling, SIKKIM ETC. To attract more and more customers, Birla white putty should make its advertisement and other promotional measures more effective. In both the retailers and stockiests section, the market leader is Jk putty.

RECOMENDATION
To attract more and more customers, Birla white should make its advertisement and other promotional measures more effective. For create awareness for the brand name for the normal painters, small dealers, & for the lay mans much more activity should be done in siliguri town. Local advertisement should be done in local language Bengali, Nepali, & Hindi. Man power is not sufficient because paints company have lot of man power for giving better service.

THE PROBLEM DEFINATION

The White Cement & putty market is still a nascent one. It is in the growth stage of its product life cycle. The product was first brought in to market by Birla followed by JK and others was a late entrant into this segment.

LIMITATOIN OF RESEARCH
Though a successful survey was conducted there were still certain limitations to the study. Below are some of the limitations of the research conducted: As far as limitation is concerned it may mentioned here that time frame was a Major constraint particularly for the market survey as because studying and Diagnosing the market needs a lot of time but the time constraint made the survey Suffered a bit. It may be also mentioned here that as the survey includes a lot of Travelling, problems were faced regarding the travel conveyance. It was a great problem and it made the work suffer a lot. The sample size was big; interview with more number of specifies could have given a better outcome on the overall acceptability of White Cement & putty AMONG THEM. Research like this which concern with the information that is not revealed easily; generally require are patient hearing and understanding. Since the people interviewed were all busy professional an honest hearing and understanding of the subject from them were very rare.

Some of the retailers interviewed were not that clear about their opinion. In some cases views were not communicated properly.

Although efforts have been taken to meet and overcome these limitations perhaps if they had not been there more life could be brought in the project.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
For the purpose this study in this information collected was from primary data which was obtained from the field. The sources from which other information was obtained were as follows.-

WEBSITE

www.scribd.com www.adityabirla.com www.birlawhite.com www.jkwhite.com www.wikipedia.com www.slideshare.com

REFERENCE BOOKS

MARKETING MANAGEMENT- Philip Kotler ,C.P Gupta, Rajen Nair, ADVERTISING & SALES PROMOTION- S. H. H. kajmi, Satssh K Batra, SUCCESSFUL SALES PROMOTION- Pran Choudhury, Ricky Elliott, Alan Toop, ADVERTISING MANAGEMENT- Rajeev Batra, John G Myers, David A. Aaker, MAGAZINE- Business world, Management Chronicle,

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY- C. R. Kothari, Dipak Kumar Bhattacharya,

ANNEXURE
Questionnaire STOCKIEST QUESTIONNAIRE
I Mr. Sourav Chaudhuri, a student of MBA from NBU is pursuing a Marketing study as required for completion of the MBA degree. I need your co-operation to complete the study. In view of this I would request to your good self to provide me some information about your perception regarding Market share of Wall care putty and White Cement.

THANK YOU, FOR YOUR CO-OPERATION Mr. Sourav Chaudhuri, MBA Student, UNIVERSTY OF NORTH BENGAL
1. Year of establishment of the firm?
Ans--_____________________________

2. Which Branded cement do you sale?

A. Birla white cement B. J.K white cement

3. Which branded Putty do you sale?

A. Birla white wall care putty

B. C. D. E. F.

J.K white Putty Asian paints putty Nerolac paints putty Berger paints putty Others

4. Market area covered by the stockiest?

A. Only siliguri

B. Part of siliguri C. Suburb of siliguri D. Entire North Bengal

5. What is your average lifting of white cement in a month?

PACKING QUANTITY 50 KG ( MT ) 25 KG (MT) 5 KG (MT) 1 KG (MT) TOTAL

6. What is your average lifting of wall putty in a month?

PACKING QUANTITY 40 KG ( MT ) 20 KG (MT) 5 KG (MT) 1 KG (MT) TOTAL

7. A,B,C pricing details of white cement of the stockiest?

White cement

Price A Packing 50 kg 25 kg 5 kg 1 kg Birla White J.K White

Price B Birla White J.k White

8. A,B,C pricing details of wall putty of the stockiest?

Wall Putty

Price A Packing 40 kg 20 kg 5 kg 1kg Birla White J.K White Asian Paints Nerolac paints Berger paints Others Birla White J.K White

Price B Asian paints Nerolac paints Berger paints Others

9. How many retailers increase you in last 3 months?

Ans- ____________________________________________________________

10. What is your personal initiative for increasing sale of white cement & wall putty?
A. ____________________________________________________________ B. ____________________________________________________________ C. ____________________________________________________________

D. ____________________________________________________________

11. What is your opinion about the viability of retailer scheme in market?

A. B.

Positive Negative

12. Are you satisfied with companys distribution service?

A. B. C. D.

Poor Average Good Very good Name-:___________________________________ Name of the point- : __________________________________ Contact number: __________________________________ Address-: __________________________________ ___________________________________

RETAILERS QUESTIONNAIRE
I Mr. Sourav Chaudhuri, a student of MBA from NBU is pursuing a Marketing study as required for completed of the MBA degree. I need your co-operation to complete the study. In view of this I would request to your good self to provide me some information about your perception regarding Market share of Wall care putty and White Cement. THANK YOU, FOR YOUR CO-OPERATION Mr. Sourav Chaudhuri, MBA Student, UNIVERSTY OF NORTH BENGAL

1. Year of establishment of your firm?

Ans--_____________________________

2. Which Branded White cement do you sale?

A. Birla white cement B. J.K white cement C. Both

3. Which branded Putty do you sale?

A. Birla white wall care putty C.Asian paints E. Berger paints putty

B. J.K white Putty D. Nerolac paints putty F. Othe rs

4. From how much time you sale putty & white cement?
BRAND BIRLA WHITE PUTTY JK.WHITE PUTTY ASIAN PAINTS PUTTY NEROLAC PAINTS BERGER PAINTS PUTTY OTHERS PUTTY BIRLA WHITE CEMENT JK WHITE CEMENT Less than 6 months Within 6 months to 1 year Within 1 Year To 2 years More Than 2 Years

5. What do you think about token system in putty, is use full for increasing in trade?
A. Yes B. No

6. What is the reason of sale wall putty & white cement?

BRAND BIRLA WHITE PUTTY JK.WHITE PUTTY ASIAN PAINTS PUTTY NEROLAC PAINTS BERGER PAINTS PUTTY OTHERS PUTTY BIRLA WHITE CEMENT JK WHITE CEMENT

BRAND IMAGE

PRODUCT QUALITY

CUSTOMER DEMAND

COMPANIESOFFICIAL RELATION

IF ANY OTHER REASON

7. What is your average lifting in white cement in a month?

PACKING
WHITE CEMENT QUANTITY

50 KG (BAG)
BIRLA WHITE JK WHITE

25 KG (BAG)
BIRLA WHITE JK WHITE

5 KG (BAG)
BIRLA WHITE JK WHITE

1 KG (BAG)
BIRLA WHITE JK WHITE

TOTAL
BIRLA WHITE JK WHITE

8. Which branded white cement is comfortable for sale by you?

A. Birla white cement B. J.K white cement

9. Which branded wall putty is comfortable for sale by you ?

A. Birla white wall care putty C.Asian paints wall putty paints wall putty E. Berger paints wall putty

B. J.K white wall Putty D. Nerolac F. Others

10.Which branded white cement & wall putty is profitable for you ?
A. Birla white 1.Cement 2. Wall care putty C. Asian paints wall putty

B. J.K white 1.Cement E.Berger paints putty G. None of these

2. Wall Putty

D. Nerolac paints wall putty F. Others

11.What is your average lifting of wall putty in a month?

PACKING
BIRLA WHITE JK.WHITE ASIAN PAINTS

PUTTY

QUANTITY

40 KG (BAG)

NEROLAC PAINTS BERGER PAINTS OTHERS BIRLA WHITE JK.WHITE ASIAN PAINTS

20 KG (BAG)

NEROLAC PAINTS BERGER PAINTS OTHERS BIRLA WHITE JK.WHITE ASIAN PAINTS

5 KG (BAG)

NEROLAC PAINTS BERGER PAINTS OTHERS BIRLA WHITE JK.WHITE ASIAN PAINTS

1 KG (BAG)

NEROLAC PAINTS BERGER PAINTS OTHERS

12.A,B,C pricing details of white cement of the retailer ?

White cement Price B Packing 50 kg 25 kg Birla White J.K White Birla White Price C J.k White

5 kg 1 kg

13.A,B,C pricing details of wall putty of the retailers?

Wall Putty Price B Packing 40 kg 20 kg 5 kg 1kg Birla White J.K White Asian Paints Nerolac paints Berger paints Others Birla White J.K White Asian paints Price C Nerolac paints Berger paints Others

14.What about your opinion regarding the viability retailers scheme or flat discount?

15.Are you satisfied with companys distribution service?

BRAND BIRLA WHITE JK WHITE ASIAN PAINTS
YES

NEROLAC PAINTS

BERGER PAINTS
NO

OTHERS

POOR AVARAGE SCHEME GOOD & DISCOUNT RETAILER VERY GOOD SCHEME
FLAT DISCOUNT

Name-Name of the pointContact numberAddress--

: ____________________________ : ____________________________ : ____________________________ : ____________________________ ____________________________ ____________________________