Page 42 - Masala E-magazine Vol 9 Issue 6 Junel - July 2018

COVER STORY
The company website’s corporate social responsibility section
is fi lled with numerous projects he has initiated and been a
part of. These include donating to The Kidney Foundation of
Thailand, building schools for underprivileged children, and
providing non-perishable goods like rice and wheat fl our to the
Christian asylum seekers and others who are severely in need.
These are causes he feels strongly about and are woven
through the cloth of the company’s DNA. Having been in
business for more than a few decades, Pinderpal shares some
of the lessons he has learnt that got him to where he is today,
and why he believes in giving back and changing the world for
the better.

Tell us what inspired you to get into the textile business, and
how the Thai Japan Group has grown over the years?
Getting into the textile business was natural, as my father had
set up Thai Japan Textiles Co., Ltd in 1970. The initial focus was
trade of textiles for the local market, and when I joined, I set up
our export department, which is currently our core business,
and it steadily grew to approximately fi ve times the sales of
our local business. After growth was steady and my brother
Karamjit Madan was heading that division, we developed our
manufacturing subsidiary, KS Perfection Industries, which
produces intricate embroidery and lace fabrics.

Our textile trade saw a double-digit growth rate until around
2003, when Thailand’s textile industry reached maturity. Cost
disadvantages were seen industry wide, and we no longer
achieved our desired growth. That’s when we decided to focus
on the booming tourism industry, and expanded and diversifi ed
our real estate portfolio. Today, we have three hotels under the
chain of Golden Tulip, and a serviced apartment, which are all
managed and run by us, under the Mandison label.

What are some challenges you’ve had to endure to reach
the success you have today?
Starting from scratch meant we began our textile business with
no banking facilities. Over time, we built a good relationship
“ I believe that we have a duty and trust system with our initial fi nancers. That helped
tremendously to drive our growth in that fi rst chapter. Also,
to help society. If we enjoy
growth in our businesses and when I began, we could not afford to hire a large team, so we
were doing everything ourselves — from accounting and sales
to documentation and dealing with suppliers. There were times
we have the means to help I was personally packing goods myself in our apartment to
“ to get your hands dirty.
others, we must. make sure we did not miss any deadlines. You must be prepared

I understand your company is a family run business. What
are some of the advantages and disadvantages of working
with family?
A great advantage is you have their undying support and
loyalty in times of crisis, and it is in these crises that everyone’s
true nature comes out. In times like this, your bond grows
deeper, which will help your relationship both personally and
professionally. A disadvantage, perhaps, is that you really have
to understand that everyone’s skills are not the same — and
you must be careful not to compare one child or colleague

42 Masala Magazine
JUNE - JULY 2018