Our Journey
Mr. Sevantilal K. Shah
Sevantilal K. Shah started the firm in 1932 while he simultaneously pursued his education. The thrilling world of business beckoned, and he devoted all his time to laying the foundations of a firm that has carved a unique niche for itself in the Pharmaceutical industry. He started with the import of toilet fixtures and accessories before making the switch to medicine - drugs, vitamins, hormones and finally pharmaceuticals.
1932: The Beginning
Sevantilal Kantilal & Co. began with the establishment of its first physical store located at Princess Street in Mumbai in October 1932. This 500 sq. ft. space served as a starting point for Mr. Sevantilal’s first business and later transformed into a chemist when the pharmaceutical distribution business started taking shape. This distribution center continues its operations even today and hosts an annual family reunion to celebrate the beginning of a very special journey.
1939: The First Fruits of Labour
After 7 years of hard work, challenges and perseverance we made our first profit in the year 1939. That year, we recorded a profit of Rs. 7000 (approximately equivalent to Rs. 14 lakh today).
The Inception of a ‘Family Business’
Around the early 1940s, Mr. Sevantilal (center) facilitated a smooth integration of his brothers and nephews into the business, thereby transforming his brainchild into a fully functional family business. He trained and mentored his nephews, who collectively created a vision for the group’s future.
1961: Our Society, Our Responsibility.
The CSR arm of our group is the SK Trust, which was put in place in 1961, to compliment the group’s founding entity ‘Sevantilal Kantilal & co.” Despite being a very small company at the time, Mr. Sevantilal had an impressive foresight. With his foresight and his sister-in-law, Mrs. Kesarben Shah’s, vision the SK Trust was setup to contribute to our society via educational and medical initiatives.
1962: A Strong Foundation
By 1962, the company had already set up 24 different agencies, which were later filtered to 8 in order to maintain a high standard of service and quality. In 1962, the company recorded an annual turnover of Rs. 1.4 crores, making it one of the most successful pharmaceutical distributors in the entire country.
1964: Start of the Manufacturing Era
Eskay Fine Chemicals was a leading producer of Barium Sulphate in India by 1967. Owing to its lineage in the world of radiology, it soon established its leadership in the field of oral contrast media for x-ray diagnosis. It quickly became a renowned supplier of high quality Barium formulations marketed under the brand name of Microbar and went on to serve as the longest standing company of the group until its closure in mid-2015.
1970: Looking into the Future
This year marked a drastic shift from shop-floor work to a corporate office. The Group purchased and designed its first office space at 15 Matthew Road in Opera House, Mumbai. This office, at the time, was considered to be the best of its kind in the entire country.
The 1980’s: Expanding the Business
Growing the Manufacturing Business
Anuh Pharma, the group’s sole public limited company, began production of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (API) in 1989. It commenced manufacturing of Erythromycin Salts with Capacity of 150 MTPA, before doubling this production in 1995 and growing six-fold around the turn of the century.
Growing the Distribution Business
In the early 1980s, SK Agencies and S Kant Agencies became valuable additions to the existing distribution business. With an aim to expand the original business of Sevantilal Kantilal & Co., these two firms were quickly introduced to the supply chain industry and made an impact in no time.
1990-1995: Putting SK
on the World Map
The group’s exports began under the banner of Eskay Fine Chemicals in the early 1960s, and expanded to a global scale when SK Age Exports was founded in 1990. Today, SK Age Exports facilitates our export business in nearly 100 countries.
The Eskay Fine Chemicals attended its first international pharmaceutical exhibition, CPhI Worldwide, in 1995. Prior to this, the group had already attended several local exhibitions, but this marked the first step towards creating stronger international partners and our own international presence.
1996: Adding Feathers to SK’s Cap
S Kant Healthcare was founded upon acquiring M/s. Solvay – Duphar’s manufacturing site and introduced the group to the formulations world. Using the existing site, S Kant hit the ground running with its manufacturing activities and quickly became a known entity within the FDF space in India. This year also marked the opening of S.K. Distributors, a key entity in the group’s distribution business.
2005: New Workspace for a New Era!
The organization grew exponentially from the late 1900s moving into the 21st century. This prompted the need for a larger workspace that encouraged more collaboration and synergies in the group. The space was designed to encourage collaboration and symbolize unity.
2006: Grabbing New Opportunities
Entering a very challenging yet promising 21st century, the Eskay Speciality Chemicals manufacturing facility was built in a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in Surat, Gujarat, making it the first company in the group to be placed in a SEZ. Eskay Speciality Chemicals also went on to become the group’s first of four USFDA approved companies.
2009: Shifting Gears
The formation of SK Logistics in 2009 introduced the group to the logistics, warehousing and CFA businesses. Determined to become a significant player in the Indian market, SK Logistics saw exponential growth from its foundation in 2009 to the present. The construction of an 85000 sq. ft. pharmaceutical warehouse made it the largest warehouse of its kind in the country, at the time.
2011: A Fresh Start
The SK Group began manufacturing various forms of Iodine compounds in 1967. Eskay Iodine Pvt. Ltd. was formed in 2011 with the vision of integrating and consolidating the entire group’s Iodine production into a single state-of-the-art manufacturing facility.
2012: Putting a Vision into Action
With the manufacturing, logistics and distribution businesses under our belt, we ventured into the world of Research & Development (R&D) via Anuh Pharma’s new R&D center in Mumbai. In 2016, S Kant Healthcare also established a brand new
R&D facility for its formulations, herbal and nutraceutical products. With the most advanced equipment and some of the finest scientific minds in their respective fields, both the R&D centers have become instrumental to the group’s business.
2013: For the Greater Good
The installation of rooftop solar panels at the Eskay Iodine facility in Jhagadia, Gujarat was a large stride forward in the group’s existing environmental sustainability practices. The 0.19 Mega Watt solar plant powers 20% of the unit’s energy requirement. Further, in an effort to reduce the carbon footprint, over 8000 trees were planted on-site, allowing the plant to become a zero-liquid-discharge facility as well as promoting conservation best practices.
2017: Onwards and Upwards
The result of integrating six distribution entities of the group, Skites Pharma became the group’s latest addition in 2017. Skites was started with the vision to transform the distribution business with the use of advanced technological tools and existing distribution capabilities. Since 2017, it has already established its presence in several cities with more in the pipeline.
