Tariq Sohawon: “Regional expansion is a must for local SMEs”

Tariq Sohawon, an entrepreneur in the paint industry, shares with News on Sunday the challenges he has faced in forging a place for his enterprise, Polytol Paints Ltd and how he sees the business future.

Mr Tariq Sohawon, what is Polytol Paints about?

Polytol Paints Ltd is a medium-sized family business in the manufacturing sector. It is founded on core values of honesty, respect and care for our customers through great value addition. We have always been developing paint products that have better applicable coverage, higher performance and which are also more competitively priced in the market. I owe the success of the enterprise to my brother, A.Samad Sohawon, who is the technical expert behind the quality of our range of products. I must add that we also respect our competitors even though we have suffered a lot from unfair practices in the past. But our policy is to promote fair competition and let the customers choose the best option.

“ I must add that we also respect our competitors even though we have suffered a lot from unfair practices in the past. But our policy is to promote fair competition and let the customers choose the best option."

How did the adventure start?

Our success story started with our core product, Car Bodyfiller, used mainly by panel beaters (toilers), a product on which we have had near-monopoly power for almost 25 years. Today, with our decorative paints brand, Polycolor, we have successfully broken the cartel that exists in Mauritius in the decorative paints market. I consider this as an achievement as many brands have come before us and failed in the face of the monopoly powers that operate in the local paint industry. One more realisation which I dedicate to my personal determination is when our company won a legal case against the Republic of Mauritius at the COMESA court of justice concerning excess duties paid on imports of Kapci paints from Egypt. This case, being a landmark one, has made Polytol known on the international scene and has also opened the door to any African SME intending to sue their respective government before the COMESA court on trade issues.

Tell us about the challenges you face in the sector.

I must say that every day is a new challenge for me. It is challenging indeed to strike the right balance between professional, personal and family life. Apart from normal office routine that consists of attending or conducting meetings, checking mails, etc, I always make it a point to learn something new and which is linked to my favourite topics, namely, management, leadership and personal development. The desire to succeed in life and to keep growing is what drives me. This is a goal I have set myself and to achieve this, I have developed a passion for learning. Learning is growing, so taking challenges and setting myself high goals are my motto for success. I usually face big challenges in the highly competitive environment our company is operating. I have known success and also failures, but I have always been driven by success and learned from the failures.

How do you see your business in the future?

We have experienced about three years of recession in the market and suffered from it. Other companies have known even harder times and were more badly affected. However, our business is now picking up and starts to show good progress. We are therefore positive for the future and even planning double digit growth, God willing. Upcoming big projects like Smart Cities, Heritage Cities, etc will definitely help boost demand for paint products. Other businesses will also benefit from these projects. Mauritius being a small market, we have to seek our growth elsewhere. We have an urgent need to expand internationally, especially into the COMESA market. We have already started with the Kenyan market, which offers huge scope for paints and there are other business opportunities as well. Regional expansion is a must for local SMEs.

Any advice for the new generation?

The next generation has indeed a bright future in front of them. We must be thankful that Mauritius is one of the most peaceful and stable countries in the world and is referred to as one of the most developed countries in Africa. We have free education which is a gift to all of us. I therefore advise our youth to focus on education and learning, as it is key for their development, and they should not forget to commit themselves to moral values, good attitudes and social behaviour. Nothing worth comes easily, so work hard and success will definitely follow.