Vidya Shankar Ramaiyer

A Visionary Leader in Automotive & Industrial Battery Exports
Vidya Shankar Ramaiyer
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Success in global business doesn’t happen overnight. It takes years of hard work, trust, and a dedication to excellence. Vidya Shankar Ramaiyer, the Founder & CEO of Shivaram Associates, knows this firsthand. His journey began with selling typewriters. Over three decades, he transformed that humble beginning into a career built on expertise in sales, marketing, and global expansion. Today, Shivaram Associates is a trusted name, helping trading conglomerates in the automotive and industrial battery sector thrive across 14 countries. But none of this came easy. Vidya’s success is a result of sharp strategy, adaptability, and a strong focus on quality.

Shivaram Associates: Your Partner in Power & Energy Solutions

Founded in 2014, Shivaram Associates is a fast-growing export marketing and management consultancy specialising in the automotive and industrial battery segment. With a mission to build sustainable relationships with manufacturers and trading conglomerates across the globe by delivering value through superior performance, the company has built a strong reputation across international markets. Its vision to be a promising international marketing and management consulting provider in the global power and energy solutions business drives its commitment to quality, reliability, and strategic market expansion.

Shivaram Associates offers marketing services and project consultancy to various trading conglomerates in selecting the best battery manufacturers across the globe and supporting global investors in assisting in setting up manufacturing units like greenfield & brownfield projects, launching new ventures, and streamlining systems and processes. Additionally, the company supports international trading conglomerates in exploring business opportunities in both Indian and global markets while actively monitoring product performance to ensure sustained growth.

With offices in Chennai and recently opening their office in the UAE under RVS International FZE, Shivaram Associates continues to drive international trade by connecting manufacturers with global opportunities and providing expertise in marketing, management, and strategic business expansion.

The Entrepreneurial Leap

With over 37 years of expertise in Sales & Marketing, Mr. Vidya Shankar Ramaiyer is a seasoned professional with a deep understanding of both national and international markets. His extensive career spans multiple industries, including selling typewriters, bathroom accessories, paints, modular kitchens, and most notably, automotive and industrial batteries.

A specialist in business consultation and new ventures, Mr. Vidya Shankar has successfully guided businesses in areas such as business strategy, market planning, distribution program development, pricing, branding and communication, entry strategies, and international business development.

After spending 25 years selling batteries in international markets, his passion and excitement for the industry led him to take the entrepreneurial leap into the battery export market, laying the foundation for Shivaram Associates. His vision and hands-on experience played an important role in making the company into a trusted name in the global battery industry.

Comprehensive Business & Trade Solutions

Shivaram Associates is engaged in offering “Power & Energy” solutions through its marketing services and consultancy expertise. The company has exclusive tie-ups with multiple global automotive and industrial battery manufacturers, ensuring top-quality products. Catering to trading conglomerates across the Middle East, Africa, LATAM, and East Asia, the company connects manufacturers with international markets.

A strong customer base is the backbone of any business, and Shivaram Associates prioritises best-in-class customer service. With a deep understanding of cost optimisation processes, the company ensures that clients receive the most competitive pricing without compromising on quality. In addition to battery marketing, Shivaram Associates offers business consultation, new venture support, system and management solutions, and international business development services, helping brands establish a strong foothold in global markets.

Turning Challenges into Opportunities

In the initial years, Shivaram Associates faced lukewarm responses from international trading conglomerates, as they preferred direct tie-ups with manufacturers over working with a third-party management system. Gaining their confidence was a slow process, but through consistent effort and trust-building, the company successfully established strong relationships with key trading groups.

The export business is highly volatile and unpredictable, with several external factors affecting operations. Currency fluctuations, raw material costs, import duties, anti-dumping regulations in West Asia, and rising ocean freight charges have made export business riskier. However, Shivaram Associates has consistently tackled these hurdles through a proactive approach that turns obstacles into opportunities.

“One of the biggest challenges has been providing world-class products at competitive prices, supported by strong after-sales service. Customer retention and maintaining consistency in business performance have been another critical focus areas,” shares Mr. Vidya Shankar. They have, however, successfully navigated these challenges while ensuring compliance with various country-specific quality norms and certifications, allowing its brands to gain a strong foothold in global markets.

Milestones in Excellence

One of the most significant achievements of Shivaram Associates has been identifying top battery manufacturers worldwide, focusing on OEM endorsements, quality checks, financial credibility, and overall assessment. This has allowed the company to offer the best quality batteries to various trading conglomerates, thereby retaining them on a long-term basis.

Reflecting on this journey, Mr. Vidya Shankar shares, “The key lesson I have learnt is to remain calm in critical situations. Maintaining good rapport not just with vendors, manufacturers and the trading conglomerates but also with retail networks and customers is essential, as they form the foundation of a thriving business.”

Their Competitive Edge

Based on the country’s market dynamics, Shivaram Associates offers Good, Better, Best product ranges to meet demand, making it suitable to market and sell in the highly competitive trading network. The company also engages with selected manufacturers from Zero Import Duty countries. “All these strategies make our offer acceptable to the importer of a country,” says Mr. Vidya Shankar.

Shivaram Associates stays in tune with changing trends and technical updates, closely monitoring various countries' PEST factors. The company consistently analyses market shifts and technological advancements to refine its strategies. “For example, a few months ago, we were promoting many brands from India under the ‘Make in India’ program,” he adds.

A Decade of Growth

Shivaram Associates is a ten-year-old export marketing and management consultancy firm that can analyse and enter exclusive contracts with reputed firms with the required global manufacturing standards. The company has been able to deliver services to leading trading conglomerates in 14 countries across the GCC, Africa, and South America. Moving forward, the plan is to appoint distributors in East Asia, West Asia, and SAARC countries and expand business.

Since 2014, the group has been able to make its global footprints in various countries. From a humble beginning of INR 17 lakh in business generation in 2014, starting with one manufacturer in India, today, Shivaram Associates has reached a respectable business revenue generated for its various manufacturers.

 with the support of many global manufacturers, served more than 30 major trading conglomerates across Asia and Africa. The long-term vision is to establish a presence in 40 countries and support the trusted vendors to establish their brands across the various international markets.

To take the business to the next level, the firm opened its new consulting firm, RVS International FZE, in the UAE in 2025. The company plans to make Shivaram Associates and RVS International FZE a preferred and trustworthy partner of 10 leading global automotive and industrial battery manufacturers. So far, exclusive contracts with 7 manufacturers have been signed. The goal is also to become a preferred project consultant for leading global investors in setting up greenfield and brownfield projects in the West Asia region.

“Establishing ourselves from a solid foundation, we look into the future with an ambition to grow as a leading organisation in automotive products and services, enjoying the continued patronage of our existing clients and venturing to establish many more new client relationships,” says Mr. Vidya Shankar.

The company is also exploring potential business partnerships for global battery distribution and aims to become a leading project consultant in setting up greenfield/brownfield projects in automotive, inverter, and solar batteries, supporting solar park projects in the West Asia & African region.

RVS International FZE has carved a niche for itself in automotive products and services. It is a fast-growing organisation that has earned the trust and confidence of international customers within a short span of time.

The Journey So Far

  • 2014 – Established as an export marketing and management consultancy.

  • 2015-2020 – Built a global presence by collaborating with 15+ manufacturers across India and international markets.

  • 2021 – Signed exclusive contracts to promote own brands and manufacturer brands through Shivaram Associates.

  • 2022 – Expanded operations to serve 14+ countries, appointing trusted brand partners.

  • 2023-Present – Strengthened industrial segment presence with SMF VRLA, AGM, Tubular, Solar, and Traction batteries while maintaining steady annual turnover.

Current Portfolio – Works with 30+ importers and distributors, offering a diverse battery range for motorcycles, auto-rickshaws, passenger cars, trucks, tractors, and industrial applications.

Core Strength – Consistently delivers high-quality products at competitive prices, ensuring sustainable growth for partners while operating on marginal profit margins.

What Lies Ahead for Shivaram Associates

Shivaram Associates works and associates with many global manufacturers who are highly talented at updating with the latest technologies in battery making, such as SMF batteries, EFB technology, and AGM technologies. The company is also entering the future EV vehicle and Lithium/Sodium battery manufacturing, becoming a part of this revolution. At the same time, the firm is falling in line with adopting AI technology and machine learning to stay ahead of the curve.

As part of its expansion, Shivaram Associates is spreading its wings into project consultancy, supporting global investors in setting up battery greenfield and brownfield projects. A major initiative is to play a key role in the renewable energy sector, particularly in solar park setups in power-deficient countries. This initiative will support the Make in India program and create employment opportunities for both skilled and unskilled workers overseas.

Industries are moving towards various progressive trends, including AI and machine learning approaches. More companies are investing in breaking down data silos, creating a data-driven culture, and preparing data for AI tools. The penetration of EV vehicles, lithium battery technology, and renewable energy will gain momentum in the coming years.

"As I have already explained, we are elevating ourselves from a marketing consultancy firm to project consultancy, supporting various global investors in the power & energy solutions sector," says Mr. Vidya Shankar.

A structured way of identifying key players, mapping their strengths, and implementing an outreach strategy is key to staying ahead. The company expects drastic growth in AI adoption to support data-driven decision-making and enhance business performance in the evolving global market.

Leadership Mantra

Advising aspiring entrepreneurs, Mr. Vidya Shankar shares, “In today’s world, budding entrepreneurs have unlimited opportunities in exploring domestic requirements and the export business. Many countries across the globe need many things that are in shortage in their country, and entrepreneurs need to pluck those low-hanging fruits.”

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