OBERTSHAUSEN, Germany — July 4, 2014 — India is an important market for KARL MAYER. This traditional textile country is currently the second most important sales region for its Warp Preparation Business Unit. In some sectors, such as direct beaming and sizing machines, KARL MAYER has a market share of more than 90%.
Also KARL MAYER’s Warp Knitting Business Unit is increasingly successful in India. The Business Unit achieved roughly 4% of its machine revenue in India in 2013. Since the end of 2010, there has been strong growth in the warp knitting industry, and this Obertshausen-based company is way ahead in this field. Roughly 80% of all tricot and raschel machines in India are manufactured by KARL MAYER.
KARL MAYER is recognising the increasing significance of India for its business by increasing its presence there. The service subsidiary, KARL MAYER India Private Ltd., was set up as early as 2009. The company’s own training facility, the KARL MAYER Academy India, was opened in June 2012. Now KARL MAYER has set up its first processing, i.e. assembly, facilities in Ahmedabad. This new factory belongs to KARL MAYER India Private Ltd.
A strategy of small steps
KARL MAYER’s site is located in Ahmedabad and covers an area of 3,700 m2, of which 2,100 m2 are taken up by the assembly hall.
For now here are assembled the creels used most frequently for warp preparation in India. If this slow start was a success, then capacity could gradually be expanded further. The aim was to build other types of creel step by step for India, and to obtain the necessary components as far as possible from domestic suppliers.
To ensure that the assembly work is of the highest quality, experienced local service technicians were trained to be responsible for quality assurance – a strategy that has already been successful in China. Between 12 and 14 workers were taken for the start of the new assembly operations.
“If we are really successful here, we can offer our customers all the advantages of local production, i.e. short delivery times, customer-specific solutions and favourable acquisition costs, without any of the tax disadvantages associated with imports.” said the project leader, Alexander Kistner.
Opening of the facility with great ceremony
A celebration was held on 27 May to mark the opening of the KARL MAYER factory in India. Representatives from the company and its local agent, A.T.E., took part in the celebrations. Official visitors from KARL MAYER’s top management included the CEO, Arno Gärtner, the head of the Warp Preparation Business Unit, Roland Kohn, and Jochen Schmidt, head of Technical Textiles, Kevin Socha and Milind Mirkar – the managing director and general manager of KARL MAYER India – and head of the Warp Knitting Business Unit, Oliver Mathews. Also included in the special celebrations were representatives from A.T.E., the managing director, Anuj Bhagwati and the director, Gurudas V. Aras.
The newly developed DS EC2 machine was also premiered at the opening celebrations, amid great ceremony. The opening and inauguration event included traditional ceremonies, such as the saying of prayers, the burning of incense sticks, gifts of flowers to the god, Ganesh, dances in traditional costume and the cracking of a coconut shell. And of course, Arno Gärtner, cut the red ribbon.
Outlook on further activities
These opening celebrations on a smaller scale will be followed by an open house event for KARL MAYER customer at the end of April 2015. In this respect, it is planned to present a warping machine, a wider MJ model as well as some tricot machines. Moreover, by end of December 2014 the KARL MAYER Academy India will move from Surat to Ahmedabad. By concentrating the service activities KARL MAYER hopes to achieve a lot of synergies. The participants in the training courses can see for themselves and be convinced by the quality of KARL MAYER’s location in India and they can have a look at the machines produced there. On the other hand, KARL MAYER benefits from the proximity to its customers.
Posted July 8, 2014
Source: Karl Mayer
