- Nandini Bhattacharya is a leading woman entrepreneur in India who has been duly honoured by the government for her achievements
- APN Industries has swelled its business transaction from West Bengal to Bihar, Jharkhand, Assam, Odisha, Manipur, & Tamil Nadu
- Nandini, the founder of APN Industries has been the guiding light for the young entrepreneurs at the Thermal Project in Katwa run by NTPC
Born and brought up in a conservative business family of Asansol, Nandini Bhattacharya recognised her intuitive inclination towards business. Amidst the hustles of managing a family and looking after her child, Nandini would nurture her self-potential to emerge as an entrepreneur. Initially, Nandini was treading lightly for she was yet to grasp the intricate business knowledge. Eventually, Nandini joined her family-owned business to gather hands-on experience and develop some practical ideas for executing business.
The Silver Lining for Nandini
What helped Nandini sail through the many hurdles before she could secure the capital needed and lay the foundation of APN Industries was her determination. No wonder that as a trusted manufacturer, wholesaler and retailer of wire nail making machines, APN Industries has today managed to win the confidence of its customers within a span of few years.
But as Nandini looks back on the initial days of the factory’s inception, she narrates the bureaucratic odds and antagonism she had to beat to realise her ambitions. With the immense support of Burdwan Khadi and the Village Industries Board Office (KVIB), Nandini was able to retrieve the resources she would need to set up the wire nail factory.
Not a Cakewalk for Women Entrepreneurs
“Claiming for a loan at the bank has been quite a struggle for me, and especially when even after several visits we were unable to square up the amount,” explains Nandini. She has been also grilled to justify the entire concept behind the factory set-up with some infuriating questions.
“After waiting in the visitor’s area for three hours, out of the blue, an amazing question was hurled at me by the bank manager, ‘Why Wire Nail? Why not Papad / Jam/ Achar etc? ‘” I was instantly triggered to cite the examples of women entrepreneurs who have earned reverence in the industry by the virtue of their skills and knowledge. “I would indignantly answer back, ‘If Chanda Kochhar was the successful Managing Director of ICICI Bank then why I am not a fitting choice to manage a wire nail business?’”
As rational as her arguments were, Nandini’s proposal would be rejected by the banks on many accounts. People would discard her idea as implausible and advise her to instead establish a parlour or boutique. The bank would pester her to withdraw the proposal and reimagine the manufacturing plant. However, the rejections could not make Bhattacharya nudge. “I was firm about my decision.” Even after her sincere implorations, the proposals could not get through. “After that, I was verbally informed that my project proposal was rejected as being a woman I was assumed incapable of shouldering this type of business,” says Nandini.
Nandini took the reins and collaborated with the KVIB officers before finally accessing the capital from UCO Bank. APN Industries, an ISO 9001:2015 Company, was established in 2013 in the outskirts of Burdwan, West Bengal. APN features products ranging from high speed, fully automatic, easy-to-operate to lower electricity consuming machines. Under the stewardship of Bhattacharya, APN Industries has engaged in business transactions in Bihar, Jharkhand, Assam, Odisha, Manipur and Tamil Nadu.
Awards and Recognitions
Nandini Bhattacharya has been conferred with many titles. She bagged the first position in Best Village Industries of West Bengal in 2014. Nandini was nominated for Ebela “Ami Amar Moto Samman 2015” and awarded by eminent film director Koushik Ganguly, at Kalamandir, Kolkata.
She has been especially honoured by RBI in 2016 in acknowledgement of her outstanding achievement in the manufacturing industry. She has been invited to serve as a Guest Lecturer in the FIEO programme through NABARD at Burdwan to encourage young entrepreneurs.
Over the years, she has been actively associated with the mission “Employment of Disabled” by NHFDC, Department of Disability Affairs, and Government of India. To extend the success of APN Industries, Nandini has taken major leaps. Her expertise has guided the keen young entrepreneurs at the Thermal Project in Katwa which is being established by NTPC. For diligently offering quality services without any chinks in its reputation, APN Industries has been bestowed with many awards and recognitions by the Government of West Bengal.
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