Sudip Dutta is the biggest name in Indian Packaging Industry today.
His company- Ess Dee Aluminum Pvt Ltd- that has some of the biggest FMCGs like Nestle, Sun Pharmaceuticals Ltd etc. as its clients.
This billionaire entrepreneur is basically from Durgapur (West Bengal).
But what’s more interesting is the fact that a rich businessman like him is just a 12th passed out (and not even a graduate)!
The most important conflict in Sudip’s life arrived when the entire responsibility of seven family members fell down upon his shoulders after the demise of his father and then his elder brother.
Due to these hardships, Sudip had to sacrifice his dream of becoming an engineer and migrate to Mumbai for job opportunities after he completed his 12th.
In 1989, a 17-years old Sudip started working in a packaging company. He earned just Rs 400 per month. Moreover, he had to walk 40 km every day for this job and live with 20 other men in a single room.
Sudip later decided to buy a manufacturing unit by Rs 16,000 from his savings, when he realized that the company he was working was going to be shut down.
Sudip saw an immense scope in the pharma companies and the FMCG industry in terms of product packaging.
He visioned to make his company a tier-1 firm in the coming couple years. The company had already tough competitors like India foils, Jindal Ltd. etc. So for Sudip, the next step was to get a prominent place in that league.
He focused on the manufacturing quality, creative designing and safety standards in his packaging methods which gave him huge advantages over the contemporaries.
Later, Sudip acquired the India foils from the Vedanta group for 130 crores in November 2008.
He was suggested by many delegates it was a huge mistake as his company was still smaller than Vedanta.
What’s a win to win with juniors? Let us beat Vedanta and then shout loud.
-Sudip, at his internal company conference before the acquisition.
Later, Sudip’s Ess Dee beat Vedanta hands down and ranked at the top most position eventually.
Sudip’s story is not any of those overnight successes but the inspiring journey of a responsible teenager who became a billionaire in his way to fighting for his family.
His creativity, high expectations, and quality based approaches raised the bar of the packaging industry for once and for all. He has shown that with the right set of skills, you don’t need a degree to become a billionaire.
Today Sudip Dutta owns a self-built empire of worth Rs 1,685 crore.
