04-07-2012, 04:27 PM
MARKETING STRATEGIES & DISTRIBUTION CHANNELS FOR MARBLE INDUSTRY
MARKETING STRATEGIES.pdf (Size: 1.44 MB / Downloads: 130)
INTRODUCTION
MARBLE INDUSTRY: - THE NATURE OF THIS SECTOR
As far as India is concerned the marble industry falls under unorganized or
informal sector.
The unorganized sector constitutes a major proportion of Indian industries
and the marble industry being one of constituents in this segment. The
unorganized sector comprises of low skilled labor possessing no degree of
specialization. Firms operating in this segment are crowded by uncertainties
due to lack of documented information and the complexities in accumulating
and managing industry specific resources. The National Account Statistics
(NAS) report that the unorganized sector acts a strong production base for
India economic indices and is yet neglected or unaware from taxation point
of view due to its complex structure.
Although the Indian government holds a huge number of articles for small
scale & tiny sectors, yet their data is never known in exact terms because of
the exclusion they have got in majority of tax applications.
MARBLE (A Dimensional Stone)
The word dimensional stones refer to the durable stones which can be cut to
sizes, polished & used for construction purposes, i.e. marble, granite, slates
etc. These stones belong to a same family resulted from the combinations of
different minerals such as calcium compounds (calcareous) for marbles,
Silica compounds (siliceous) for granite & Shale clay for slate & it is the
mineral base in these stones which distinguishes them from each other.
Marble is a crystalline, compact variety of metamorphosed limestone,
consisting primarily of calcite (CaCO3), dolomite (CaMg (CO3)2 or a
combination of both minerals. The formation of marble takes place from
the contact metamorphism of sedimentary carbonate rocks such as
limestone, dolomite or metamorphism of older marble, thus it is a
metamorphic rock. This chemical formation results in to an interlocking
mosaic of calcite, aragonite &/or dolomite crystals from the recrystallization
of the original rock. The fossils & sedimentary textures present in the
original rock get destroyed due to the temperatures & pressures.
INDIAN STONE INDUSTRY - AN INSIGHT
India has rich deposits of dimensional stones such as granite, marble,
sandstone, limestone, slate, quartzite etc. found all over the country.
States such as Rajasthan & Gujarat are primarily known for raw stone
reserves & their production. India is the third largest exporter of marble
and marble products worldwide. Apart from that, it is also known as one
of the largest consumers of stones & stone products since it has a good
distribution network within the country & a growing demand from the
Indian middle class for their domestic use. (cdos-india.com).
A TRADITIONAL CULTURE
India has a deep rooted history of stones & their uses since the ancient
time, as old as 3200 B.C. Old sculptures, monuments, temples etc those
which remain & those which managed to remain indicate that the
Ancient Indian Civilization hold an architectural heritage. when comes to
architectural work of marble in ancient India, Delwara temple with a
very complex artistic work on marble & The Taj Mahal at Agra built in
the 17th Century tell it all. Khajuraho Temple, Elephanta Caves, Konark
Temple, Ancient Buddhist monuments like the Sanchi Stupa of 3rd
century BC etc are some of the ancient monuments which together
represent the richness of Indian heritage. These monuments & the
architectural work on them indicate the existence of well developed
mining & processing industry.