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“Last fiscal year ended up with a growth of 26%”
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Monday, 09 September, 2024, 08 : 00 AM [IST]
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 WIKA Group, a Germany-based leading manufacturer of measuring instruments was founded in 1946. It manufactures and provides a diverse range of products that cater to different market segments such as food & beverages, oil & gas and pharmaceuticals.
WIKA India is one of the 45 subsidiaries of the group, with four plants located in Pune, Chennai, Faridabad, and Ghaziabad. The facilities in India are well equipped with state-of-the-art machinery and certified calibration and testing instruments. The food sector is a key industry that the company serves with its instrumentation solutions. The products being used are precise measurements, accurate ratings for pressure-temperature. Gaurav Bawa, senior vice president, WIKA India, shares his views on regulatory requirements in F&B industry, sustainability, trends in the market and more, in an email interview with Kimberley Almeida. Excerpts:
Tell us briefly about your company.
WIKA Group was established in 1946 and since then, there has been no looking behind in terms of growth and evolution. The inception of WIKA India was done in 1997 in Pune, Maharashtra, post which the company has established three more plants in three different cities in India – Ghaziabad, Faridabad and Chennai.
Since our products are highly demanded in the local market apart from the global market and are highly reliable, the company has been manufacturing their maximum percentage at its plants locally. This makes it easier for us to meet the demand of our customers within the country as well as export the products as and when required. While the new technological advancements are taking place at a fast pace, it is praiseworthy to see that we have been manufacturing and launching new products in pressure, temperature, force, flow as well as level, at par to the market trends as well as ensuring that they meet the ever-evolving customer needs. Our products are targeted at different focus growth markets such as hydrogen, food and pharmaceuticals, HVAC to name a few that help us to continue to grow and evolve always.
While growth and expansion are a key focus of us, we make sure that we do not impact the environment in negatively as well as meet the sustainable goals of the company.
Give us details about compliance with regulatory requirements in F&B industry.
Food and beverage is one of our key market segments. Therefore, we make sure that all the products manufactured specifically for this segment must cater to the international safety and other quality standards. Some of the international standards that our products comply with are FDA (Food and Drug Administration), EHEDG (European Hygienic Engineering and Design Group), 3-A Sanitary Standards, Inc., and ATEX (directive 94/9/EC).
Hygiene is at the utmost priority for us. We make sure that we maintain it at the highest possible level and no compromise is made. Also, we keep ourselves updated with the latest and advanced technologies to make sure that our new products launched in the market are in conformity with the same.
Sustainability is in no way compromised at our company. We ensure that the energy, water and other resources used in the manufacturing process are minimal wasted and comply to environmental regulations.
Tell us about your products that cater to different F&B industry needs.
We are a leader in the manufacturing of measuring instruments that cater to the needs of different industry segments. Some of the measuring instruments with industry-standard and manufacturer-specific process connections that are manufactured by us for F&B segment are milk thread fitting DIN 11851, clamp connections to DIN 32676, clamp ISO 2852 and ASME BPE, aseptic connections to DIN 11864, Neumo, Varivent, for sterile or aseptic applications.
Our products are also manufactured to cater to the pressure, temperature, level, and force measuring needs of the customers. The electronic pressure measurement instruments like S-20, PSD-4, and DPT-20, help in precise and energy-saving control and regulation of the processes. Along with temperature, process pressure and hydrostatic level, these instruments can also be used to control the dosing of inert gas blankets, monitoring of filters in downstream areas and filling pressures. The pressure sensors such as SA-11, by us are suitable for dead-space free instrumentation, Cleaning-in-Place (CIP) and also for Sterilisation-in-Place (SIP) with elevated temperatures. Likewise, there are numerous other products that can be mentioned in the list.
What are the difficulties faced by the company in this competitive space?
There’s no doubt in stating that the global brands like us fight against a lot of challenges in this competitive world. Yet, they keep their spirits high and continue moving towards success. Talking specifically about us, the company faces numerous challenges but knows well how to deal with them. Some of these include:
1. High competition & technological advancement
Since the market is filled with numerous similar players, it gets difficult, at times, to innovate at the same pace and maintain the same market share. But we have always focused on adopting new technologies and launching new products from time-to-time that makes it easier to fight against this challenge.
2. Meeting customer expectations
It is obvious for customers to expect high accuracy, reliability, and customisation in the products. Although challenging, we make sure that we are able to meet the desired customer demands and continue fighting against all challenges that may arise on the way.
3. Availability of raw material
There are times when there is difficulty in the availability of raw material. This can be owing to multiple reasons like pandemic and geopolitical tension. This, in turn, can lead to increased costs of the raw material resulting in reduced demand and manufacturing issues.
Along with this, we also have an in-house team that keeps a close check on the quality and availability of raw material, thereby, safeguarding us from this issue.
4. Regulatory Compliance
It is a very stringent requirement for companies like us to adhere to stringent regulatory standards across different regions. This can increase operational complexity and costs. But what we believe in is collaborating with other industry leaders, technology providers, and academic institutions that makes it easier for them to enhance its product offerings and enter new regions.
What sets your company apart in the industry?
We have always remained a step ahead of its competitors. Being a leader in the instrumentation world, there are several factors that sets our company apart in the industry such as:
1. Wide product range
Ever since our establishment in 1997 in Pune, Maharashtra, we have been manufacturing a wide range of pressure, temperature, level, force, and flow measuring instruments that cater to the needs and demands of various industries and segments. Some of these include oil & gas, food & beverages and pharmaceuticals.
2. Reliable and certified products
For us, customer satisfaction is our topmost priority. To attain this, we make sure that all our products are reliable and adhere to a stringent quality standards like ISO 9001 for quality management systems, ISO 14001 for environmental management, ISO 45001 for occupational health, the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) for designing and fabrication standards, and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) at all our plants in India.
3. Wide global existence
WIKA Group has its subsidiaries existing in 45 countries, which makes it possible for the brand to have a strong hold in the market. Like WIKA India manufactures, imports, and exports numerous products from its plants, the other subsidiaries too follow the same practice. This enables us to provide localised products as well as internationally approved and designed products.
4. Excellent after-sales support
Customer retention is not possible only by delivering the right product range. It is important to make sure that your products deliver the required performance as well as you are available to provide support even after the sale of product. This is what makes us unique and help us stand out in the market.
5. Sustainability practices
Sustainability is one of the key factors that make us stand out in the market. From safeguarding environmental to providing social and economic support, we believe in benefitting the society as a whole. Some of the recent initiatives taken by us include pulp packaging and urban forest plantation.
6. Proper product training to customers
It is very common for the companies to just hand-out their product to the customer without providing any proper training. This makes it difficult for them to use the product effectively. We believe in training our customers on all the do’s and don’ts of any product they buy so that there is no risk of hazard or any accident.
7. Calibration Facility
We calibrate measuring instruments in our accredited calibration laboratories, or on-site at the customer’s location. Our Mobile Calibration Van enables us to provide services at the customer’s doorstep, which includes pressure, temperature and electrical parameters through one master switch. The service is already in place in the southern states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh with plans to expand across India in the future.
How has your company fared in the Indian market over the past 25 years?
Our journey has been really interesting, exciting, and commendable even since it began in 1997 with the establishment of first plant in Pune, Maharashtra. In 1998, the regional sales offices were set-up in Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, and Kolkata. The next year saw the establishment of calibration facility in Pune, Maharashtra, which was NABL-accredited in 2008.
The next few years saw several other developments until 2014, when three new plants - Switzer Instruments (now WIKA Instruments India Pvt. Ltd) in Chennai, Indfos Pressure Switches (now WIKA Instruments India Pvt. Ltd) in Ghaziabad, and Micro Precision (now WIKA Process Solutions India Pvt. Ltd.) in Faridabad, were acquired. This was followed by the assembly and manufacturing of SF6 Gas filling units, inauguration of new factory building for level, calibration and SF6 in Pune, and many others till date.
In 2023, we further bolstered the growth of Pune facility with a state-of-the-art force measurement and SKID production unit, including flow metering skids, master meter prover skids, and truck & wagon loading skids.
How was the last fiscal and what kind of sales are being looked at in the new fiscal?
As the demand for our products is on a rise in F&B segment, we try and make sure that we are able match with it by keeping our stock ready in-house. But this does not mean that we compromise on quality in any way. Quality was, is, and will always be our first priority.
Owing to the high demand of our products in this sector, the last fiscal year ended up with a growth of 26% and the future is also at the same pace.We hope that the continuous improvement, growth, and developments in this sector will help us in attaining our targets easily.
What are your long-term goals for sustainability?
Sustainability has been the driver of innovations for us. We have always believed in the fact that the actions taken by us should not affect our surroundings negatively. While we have been taking several sustainability initiatives over the past few years like urban tree plantation, pulp packaging, and zero water waste, we also have certain long-term goals for sustainability.
Some of these include reduction of direct and indirect emissions using more efficient processes and green heating systems. We have already made a shift to making renewable energies like solar as our primary source of electricity. What’s impressive is that a large proportion of this energy is already utilised at our plants in India. Along with this, we are also planning to increase the proportion of sustainable materials in new developments by five per cent. As a responsible employer, we would focus on improving employee retention by protecting the health and safety of our team. We have focused on the in-house implementation of healthy breathing air quality. We have ensured this by controlling the internal AQI not to increase over 20 as compared to the external breathing air quality of 300 AQI. Approximately 90 per cent of our purchasing volume for production will be covered by our Code of Conduct by 2030.
Are you planning to introduce anything new given the trend in the market?
We have always been focused on introducing latest and advanced technologies in our range of products and services. Looking at the recent trends in the market, we are in no way behind in the world of IIoT solutions. The end-to-end solutions offered by us enable comprehensive networking for real-time monitoring and asset control, improving operational performance, performing preventive maintenance activities, and optimising resource consumption. The solutions also help the business benefits from scalability and flexibility to increase operational performance, reduce costs, and stay future proof in a rapidly changing market.
From plant monitoring, wireless networking, predictive maintenance, and process optimisation, we are a holistic provider of digital solutions. We focus on staying updated with the latest and advanced technology while making sure that the advanced solutions offered by us do not compromise on quality.
What about new plans for expansion, diversification, and collaborations?
Like always, we have always focused on maintaining a strong market presence. In the coming years, we are planning to expand market presence by reaching out to a wider audience and establishing effective customer connections. We do not limit ourselves to delivering the products that are easily available at our plants. Rather, we try and understand our customer demands and deliver customised products.The customised demands of our customers vary from industry to industry and segment to segment. Therefore, we make sure that all our products provide all of these measuring solutions - level, pressure, temperature, flow and force.
The future will also see a launch of several new products that would be technologically advanced and cater to different industry segments, especially food and beverage. The IIoT solutions by us help us in meeting the technologically advanced demands of the customers.
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