Switzerland-based Textest AG has been providing quality control instruments since 1969. Reto Vogt, owner of Textest AG, who was recently in India for the Techtextil India exhibition, spoke at length with ITJ Senior Sub Editor Karthik Muthuveeran, about the Indian market for its products and its future plans. Speaking about the market share for the Indian market, Vogt says, “India currently holds a minuscule market for our products. It could be around just 10 per cent of the total global market share.â€Â
Vadodara-based Thymas Electronics Pvt Ltd is currently Textest AG’s agent in India. Excerpts from the interview…
Explain your journey over the years.
Thymas has been one of our oldest agents in India. They have been with us for more than 25 years. In the beginning, Textest was into yarn and fibre testing equipment, but we have now totally moved away from that to technical textiles testing equipment.
It has been quite a journey from a very small beginning. India has now become a very significant market for us. It has been a good journey actually.
Which are the products for technical textiles segment?
The most important sector for us is the filtration products. We have a whole family of filtration testing products. We have everything – right from lab testing, online testing to mobile testing. For us, this is the most important segment.
Apart from these product, which are the other important products in your portfolio?
We cover a wide range of products. We cover protective apparel. We also provide testing for waterproofing mainly, and we also cover apparel market, hygiene products, medical textiles, to name a few.
How do you look at the market for technical textiles and its products in India?
India is a growing market especially for filtration products. We see growth every year. It has been a huge growth.
Apart from the Indian market, which are the other important markets for your products?
Our primary markets are in the United States, China and Europe. These are the three most important markets for us. Indian market would be around No. 10 in the list. India is a very important market for us, but the market share is not huge.
What would be the market share of the Indian market?
I am not very sure, but it could be around 10 per cent of our overall market share.
Despite India being one of the major markets for technical textiles and its products, Thymas doesn’t have a big share in the Indian market. What are the reasons? What are the major challenges faced in the industry you are in?
The main challenge that we face in the Indian market is the timeframe in taking decisions. In India, it takes about months or even years to finalise a product, but whereas in other European countries, it could take only a few days. It’s not only the challenge in the Indian market, but it is a challenge of us all over Asia, and we are aware of it. It is not a main hindrance unless you know how it works, but if you are new to the market, then it takes some adjustment.
Globally, there are other major players selling the same testing product like your company. What differentiates your products from its competitors?
Our equipment are all made in Switzerland. Our competitors manufacture in China. So there’s a huge difference in quality. There are market for low-end products and there are market for high-end ones too. Sometimes, it gets very difficult to make people aware as they are not willing to spend. Once people decide to spend the money, then they realise the quality that we offer.
What are your future plans?
We have upgraded all our existing equipment to latest technological standards. We have come up with other new inventions. We are now finishing one last project and then we don’t have anything in the pipeline as of now.