Quick, name a raincoat brand! If you immediately said ‘Duckback’, you probably belong to my generation. If, however, you blinked, then this article is for you and others like you.
The famous Duckback brand comes from Bengal Waterproof Ltd., which was founded in 1920 and is said to be India’s first waterproofing company. Like Bengal Chemicals , this enterprise too was born of swadeshi fervour.
Brilliant forefathers
An interesting aspect of swadeshi ventures in those days was the level of academic brilliance of the founders, which matched those of the British colonialists in every way. Surendra Mohan Bose, who founded the company along with his brothers Jogindra Mohan, Ajit Mohan and Bishnupada, was no exception. He was educated at Berkeley and Stanford Universities, and brought considerable technical knowledge and experience into the field.
He is said to have been interested in supplying to the military, but it was the plight of the Indian soldiers which moved him the most.
During World War I, when he was serving time in prison for ‘anti-state’ activities (fighting for India’s freedom), he learnt that without groundsheets, raincoats and even boots, many Indian soldiers died during service. To supply proper and affordable rainwear for these suffering soldiers, Bose developed an indigenous manufacturing method — the ‘Duckback process’ (which is still a well-kept secret) — and founded a latex and rubber factory named Bengal Waterproof Works at his house in Kolkata. With this method, the company became a pioneer in the field of chemical proofing, which it then used to manufacture premium rainwear.
In 1938, Bose purchased a closed rubber factory (Dicon) and shifted manufacturing operations to Panihati. In 1940, the company was renamed Bengal Waterproof Limited. But even today, the company is more popularly known as ‘Duckback’.
Sympathy and patriotism
The name ‘Duckback’ — so apt — is said to have been derived from the idiom ‘like water off a duck’s back’. And with the brand’s then stirringly patriotic advertisement — “Entirely Indian — Indian capital, Indian labour, Indian materials and Indian brain” — Duckback was soon a favourite with the public.
The brand’s association was mainly with rainwear, which was (and remains) a seasonal category, then dominated by expensive imported brands and unorganised playe₹ To ensure brand recall in this sector was in itself no mean achievement.
But the Duckback name soon became synonymous with raincoats. The products were durable, well-made and good looking. Though imitations abounded, they could not match Duckback products’ quality. In those days, it was common to see ‘Duckback products available here’ signs in shops’ display windows to attract discerning custome₹
Catering to Defence sector
The company managed the seasonality aspect by manufacturing several other items — school bags, dak bags for postal officers, rubber heels, overshoes, industrial gum boots, ice bags, hot water bottles, air pillows, racket cases, waterproof horse covers, gun covers and even contraceptives are listed in old catalogues.
It also produced excellent quality proofed paper, which was much cheaper than its foreign version. Apart from this, the company catered (still does) to the defence establishment and many government institutions, supplying oxygen masks, rubberised inflatable boats, gum boots, snow ankle boots, G (anti-gravity) suits for pilots, tents, helicopter landing gear, submarine escape suits and life jackets.
The Duckback brand soon became a household name across the country. Sales increased steadily over the decades. As demand outstripped supply, the company rode on goodwill and brand recognition for a while. At its peak, it is said that very little was spent on promoting the brand name or in expanding the user base. It restricted advertising to just a few print ads, which was effective enough in those days to keep the brand name in public memory.
A roadblock
After the period of steady growth, however, there was some stagnation in the mid-1990s. The annual turnover remained almost the same, hovering around ₹50-60 crore. As rubber prices shot up and consumer preferences changed, the company’s fortunes dwindled.
Rubber was priced at around ₹50 per kg in 2000-01. Within a decade, the price had spiralled to around ₹280 per kg. Children, the target group for raincoats, started taking buses and cars to schools. Several means of transport became more easily available; correspondingly, the need for premium rainwear decreased. Cheap, disposable raincoats became more readily available.
The reign of Duckback in the rainwear segment seemed almost over.
Shift in manufacturing
The company rallied and around 2006, it shifted its focus from the manufacture of protective rainwear to soft luggage — carry bags, office bags, travel bags and the likes. The rainwear category was also strengthened with the introduction of featherweight raincoats, waterproof jackets with leggings and hoods, all aimed at the two-wheeler riding population. They improved distribution and marketing channels, brought in newer products and upgraded quality standards.
In fact, in the mid-2000s, the company also started manufacturing transportable astrodomes (the first such in the country) in association with the National Council of Science Museum for educational purposes (each inflatable, rubberised astrodome is lightweight, easily foldable and coated with waterproof material. It is also fire resistant. As it is a replica of a planetarium, it is called ‘Taramondal’).
Working issues
Around 2010, though orders kept coming in, the company shut down production for two years due to working capital shortages and labour troubles.
As Duckback struggled to regain its position at the top, the Reserve Bank of India sanctioned a Corporate Debt Restructuring package in 2012. The West Bengal Government also came to the famous brand’s rescue, with a financial package.
The company now hopes to re-establish itself. It is planning to focus on laptop cases, business cases and health-related products.
Bengal Waterproof Ltd. has one manufacturing facility at Panihati, and a wholly-owned subsidiary, Bihar Rubber Company Ltd., an ISO 9001:2008 company, manufacturing products under the Duckback name at Ranchi. It has showrooms at Kolkata and Mumbai and about 1,000 dealers across the country.
Experts say that as the younger generations are not even aware of the Duckback brand, it is essential that the company comes up with an impactful website and takes to social media in a big way to advertise its presence.
Even among the older generation, nostalgia can only take you up to a certain point, say market watchers. An innovative approach and newer, trendier options may be needed to put Duckback at the forefront again.