Since 1892, Stäubli has been one of the world´s leading manufacturers of high-speed textile machinery. In textile field, Stäubli has been offering a wide range of textile machinery including dobbies, cam motions, Jacquard machines, harnesses, weaving preparation, carpet weaving systems and automation.
Stäubli has a well-established market in India with local sales and service staff. The company received very good response at the recently-concluded events´GTTES in Mumbai and ITMACH in Gandhinagar, Gujarat´in India. Fritz Legler, Vice President´Marketing/Sales & Service, Stäubli Sargans AG, spoke to The ITJ on the responses and other issues of the Indian market for Stäubli´s products.
Excerpts…
ITJ Editor: After having exhibited in two exhibitions in India recently, how is the response from the Indian market for Stäubli´s products?
Fritz Legler (FL): We have had a good response and an impressive amount of high-level traffic at our booths in Ahmedabad and Mumbai during the last two recent and local exhibitions. Our local Indian company and team have done a great job to accommodate our existing and prospective customers. There are many important machinery projects in the pipeline and first orders have been coming through.
There is a positive momentum in the Indian market despite the current difficult situation in or outside India. The new Government with its strive ´Make in India´ and support initiatives for the textile industry should eventually have a positive impact. However, micro- and macro-economic distortions, lacking moneys to back up TUF applications, slow response times from banks to offer loans, isolated power crisis or increasing power cost take their toll. Investment decisions are rather slow right now. I guess that we will have to wait for results and decisions of the forthcoming Indian budget.
ITJ Editor: Which are the particular systems of Stäubli, which have attracted larger audience? And why? What are their USPs?
FL: Stäubli is covering a wide range of products and solutions to weavers in areas of simple, standard fabrics, household goods, apparels, shirting materials, terry fabrics, technical applications, carpets and so forth. It all starts with getting a perfect warp onto weaving machines using Stäubli´s warp preparation technology (i.e. automatic drawing-in, leasing or warp tying machines), followed by getting Stäubli´s shed forming technologies (i.e., dobbies, cam motions or jacquard machines) or complete weaving systems to produce carpets under our brand of Schönherr.
All our product solutions have to stand the test of clearly offering unique value to our customers ´ and this prior to us launching any new products. Our customers value uniqueness in the sense of highest quality, longevity, low maintenance or running costs including low energy consumption, high residual values of our machines and so forth.
ITJ Editor: From your experience, how do you think the Indian weavers can improve their markets inside and also outside the country?
FL: Trying to answer this question from the angle of production-, process- as well as quality control, we immediately arrive at the crucial point of being very competitive. Many of the Indian weavers cannot control the whole value- and supply chain and need to get the most out of their production lot. Every pick inserted, every warp stop avoided contributes to their competitiveness. Weaving at its best – productivity is key when it comes to proceeds.
Our customers´ competitiveness is improved through the use of automation technology such as, for instance, automatic drawing in machines. Sustaining highest productivity levels is attain