Interview of Founder and Chairman, Shree Ganga Industries – Mr Janak Raj

August 31, 2026

1. You started out as a Chartered Accountant, moved into agricultural machinery, and eventually built a manufacturing business. What was it about entrepreneurship and manufacturing that made you take that first step into setting up a tube mill in 2010?

As a Chartered Accountant, I understood numbers and the discipline that comes with them. But I also wanted to build something tangible, something that you could actually see and touch. My experience in the agricultural machinery business gave me a very different understanding of how businesses operate at the ground level and how closely they are connected to people’s everyday needs.

By 2010, I felt ready to take that experience into manufacturing. Stainless steel, in particular, appealed to me as a material with tremendous potential for the future. Setting up the tube mill was therefore not a career shift but a homecoming to what I actually wanted to build.

2. Shree Ganga Industries began with a capacity of just 30 MT a month and has since grown to 800 MT a month, with another 2,500 MT/month facility coming up. Looking back, what were the moments or decisions that changed the trajectory of the business?

Every tonne we produced after the first 30 was a decision, not an accident. The real change came when we stopped thinking like a small workshop and started thinking like an industry player. That meant having the confidence to invest in capacity even before the demand had fully arrived.

It was a leap of faith, but one that we believed in. More than a single order, it was that decision which changed the trajectory of the business. It took us from an initial capacity of 30 MT a month to 800 MT, and now towards a new 2,500 MT facility.

3. You work with stainless steel every day. What is it about the material that makes it so versatile? Which stainless steel projects or installations that you have worked on stand out to you the most, and why?

Stainless steel doesn’t ask you to choose between strength and beauty. It gives you both, and it lasts. That combination is what makes it such a versatile material.

What stays with me is not one particular project, but seeing our tubes become part of railings, furniture and structures that people will use for decades, often without giving much thought to the material itself. There is something very satisfying about that quiet permanence. You make something once, and it continues to serve its purpose for years. That is what I particularly value about stainless steel.

4. From agricultural machinery and healthcare to fuel retailing and stainless steel tubes, your businesses operate across very different sectors. What have you learnt about building a business that stays relevant across changing markets, and where does stainless steel fit into that larger journey?

Every business we have built, whether in healthcare, fuel, agriculture or steel, has been about solving a real, everyday need. I think that is the common thread that allows a business to stay relevant even as markets change.

Stainless steel fits naturally into that philosophy. It is a material that keeps showing up wherever life is happening, whether it is a hospital, a farm, a home or a public space. Its applications may change, but its relevance continues because it solves practical problems while also offering durability and a good finish.

5. Your association with Jindal Stainless goes back to 2016. What has made this relationship endure, and how has your business evolved alongside Jindal Stainless over the years?

A good raw material partner makes you look good to your customer, and consistency is what makes that partnership last. Our association with Jindal Stainless has endured because of consistency in quality and availability, and because they have stood by us as we have scaled our business.

Over the years, both businesses have evolved, and we have grown alongside each other. Their stainless steel has, quite literally, been part of our growth story. For a downstream manufacturer, having confidence in your raw material gives you the boost needed to take the next step.

6. The stainless steel industry is moving beyond being simply a material supplier towards creating products and solutions for infrastructure, mobility, water, healthcare and everyday life. From your vantage point as a downstream manufacturer, where do you see the most interesting opportunities emerging?

I think the most exciting shift is stainless steel moving from being seen simply as a material to being understood as a solution. As a downstream manufacturer, I see significant opportunities in mobility, water infrastructure and healthcare, among other areas.

These are spaces where stainless steel is not just another material being used. It is a material that people trust for its strength, durability and longevity. That opens up a much larger opportunity for the entire stainless steel ecosystem.

7. If you had to describe the relationship between Shree Ganga Industries and Jindal Stainless in one sentence, what would it be?

Jindal Stainless doesn’t just supply us stainless steel. They supply us with confidence, and that confidence is what helped turn a 30 MT/ month workshop into an 800 MT industry.