How is the market evolving for RR Kabel?

The investment in infrastructure and resurgence of the construction markets are a good sign. The Government has initiated the PLI programs and is extending the same to cover chips now. The ramp up is visible, andwe have big names announcing billions of dollars in investment. RR Kabel has a wide range of products and solutions to cater to these emerging needs and we are positive about these developments which can spell opportunities for us.

What are the new trends you are witnessing in the industrial wire and cable segment?

IoT based applications and industry 4.0 requirements are redefining shop floor requirements. This calls for precise, quicker, and smarter solutions combined with sustainable productivity. Power is a critical resource that is required to drive the entire process. The connectivity is to be provided with a network of wiring solutions that can seamlessly be integrated with the requirements on a continued basis. Therefore safe, reliable wire and cable solutions are much sought after now more than ever before.

What sets RR Kabel apart from your competitors? How does RR Kabel ensure the quality of its products?

The range of products and solutions from the RR Kabel stable has always adhered to global standards, even in the national market. The philosophy has been to elevate our standards and deliver beyond customer expectations. This helps RR Kabel to stand out against the competition which is offering products just barely to match domestic standards, which needs a complete overhaul.

What is your growth outlook for the next five years?

It is expected to be in high double-digit growth for existing players since new facilities will need time to grain traction.

What are the new products and services you will be launching for the industrial and commercial segments?

We are looking at a combination of digital andautomation solutions that can cater to the net zero environment with sustainable options.

What are the innovations and technologies you will be introducing in your products and services?

Innovations in the electrical wire space are fairly limited for us now, as we are fighting hard to overcome the inertia in the implementation of stricter standards. Once we can get the regulatory bodies to comprehend this lacuna, then we will focus our priorities on the innovation aspect. There is a great deal of space to be covered in the current playing field itself.

How does RR Kabel ensure the safety of its cable?

We follow the mantra of adopting Global standards for our products which automatically calls for the right raw materials and production processes driven by qualified and committed manpower.

What are the international standards and certifications that RR Kabel's cable complies with?

We have a host of approvals and accreditations that run up to 33 like BASEC, VDE, SASO etc right now from a single manufacturing location. No one else has this capability.

RR Kabel recently announced the acquisition of Luminous Home Electrical business from Schneider and of Arraystorm Lighting. Tell us in detail about these acquisitions. Are you looking forward to further expanding your portfolio?

Luminous Home Electrical Business of Schneider has a range of well-engineered, top of the line products for the Consumer market which fits in with our plan of offering the end user a better product experience. Similarly, Arraystorm offers a superior range of professional lighting solutions with a high degree of customisation.

Both these ranges are yet to gain traction in numerous markets across the country. We have a reasonable presence with our Wires & Cable solution, and we see great synergy in presenting a wider bouquet of products to our clients and leverage on the combined strengths of all three entities.

There were several fire accidents reported in the past at Indian manufacturing facilities. And now the advent of Industry 4.0 has exposed traditional manufacturing facilities to another challenge. How can manufacturing facilities ensure a smooth transition?

Indian manufacturing must recognize the fact that we cannot be oblivious to the reality that we are global. There is tremendous focus on assessing the capabilities of our manufacturing sector by global players.

We need to look at higher levels of productivity, scaling up, safety of the facilities, standards to be adhered to and delivering competitive pricing.

We cannot hope to attract even our domestic market requirements with slip shod product standards in a fast-changing environment that the Indian consumer is being exposed to. Increased mobility knowledge and information sharing is making the Indian consumer value driven and clear about the deliverables.

So therefore, there are two options available to Indian manufacturers - first, the easy way out - continue old methods, processes and deliver sub-par products for the domestic markets. These are driven by short-term goals and price based. The second is to look around, embrace a global outlook, invest in state-of-art infrastructure/technologies, and deliver products to the world.

It is a no brainer choice - the first option will go up in flames literally in a short period of time and go belly up while the second option will survive cater to the changing new world order.

How can businesses improve productivity with future-oriented data cabling?

 Digitization is here to stay. Huge mountains of data will lead to data mining and monitoring. This will eventually lead to corrective actions to plug gaps and improve productivity.

What are the various sustainability initiatives taken by RR Kabel?

We had started our sustainability initiatives a few years ago even before it was being contemplated by others with our manufacturing facilities opting for roof top solar after tapping water and waste recycling. Now our focus is on decarbonizing towards our net zero goals.

What, according to you, are the dos and don'ts that manufacturers should follow to ensure electrical safety at their production facilities?

When you are producing world-class products, you cannot but follow the best practices. Instilling safe practices with zero compromise goes a long way. Primary to this is electrical safety and it is our recommendation that safety audits are taken very rigorously by Senior Management.