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“We have a Clear Growth Plan for India for the Next Five Years”

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In Bengaluru, India, Schuco has opened a new showroom with an attached training centre. Schuco is a leading provider of high-quality windows, doors and facade systems of aluminium, uPVC and steel. Products from Schuco meet the highest standards of design, comfort, safety and energy efficiency. Andreas Engelhardt, Managing Partner and Matthijs Bruijnse, Senior Vice President of Asia and South America traveled to India to take part in the opening ceremony.

We interviewed the two on the occasion of the inauguration,the Excerpts are below:

Could you Please Share Schuco ’s Journey in India?

Matthijs Bruijnse (MB): Now, we are entering into the second phase of our journey in India. Our first phase was when we introduced Schuco in the Indian market in 2012. It started with the introduction of the brand Schuco in India and taking the necessary steps for growing our business and achieving a critical mass. We have come far ahead now and it is time to expand our reach in this second phase and to witness a business growth by scaling up further and generate profitable growth in the country.

In the first phase, we faced many challenges while building the brand name. We had to work really hard to gain the trust of our customers, which included fabricators, architects, developers, etc., and we have been quite successful in this task. I am very happy with the Indian team who have worked really hard. We cater to the needs of the younger generation in India, who demand sustainable buildings and lesser energy consumption.

What are the Opportunities in India?

Andreas Engelhardt (AE): We have a clear growth plan for India to reach the turnover, which we have planned for India for the next 5 years. We set a trend that our customers also grow with us, and it is one of the reasons for the success of Schuco in India. Our network of partners and investors is increasing constantly.

The challenge we find is that we have to educate our partners/investors about the premium quality of the products and how sustainable they are for 40-50 years. To train or certify the people, we decided to arrange the training sessions for our customers. We want to sell our products through experts only. India has a huge young population, and they look for improved quality products and solutions. We tend to bring solutions for every need of the Indian building and construction industry.

And although the Indian market is currently slowing down a little bit, we see a lot of opportunities for us in the near future. The potential for our products and solutions in India is phenomenal. We have given full power to our team in India to do whatever they feel is good for the Indian market.

The Demand for High-Quality Fenestration is Growing Rapidly. How do you Cater to These Growing Demands?

AE: The first thing we do is to give training and education to make sure that we are able to install the right product of the right quality at the right place. The other thing is, we also have to reach the decision-makers to make them understand the fact that the quality of the product is the most important aspect and not to go for low quality, cheaper products.

It is challenging but equally rewarding to demonstrate the value of our products over time or sustainability we offer. Safety and security are other features, which are more easily explained and the Indian market appreciates.

Schüco is Investing Heavily in a Warehouse, Services, Training Center and Automation. What are the Major Factors Behind it?

AE: First of all, we see the major market needs, and then we see the better services which we can offer. The warehouse in Bengaluru is equipped with digital controls to monitor that everything is quick and safe. We would like to have direct access to our customers through smartphones. Thus we can cover so many things through one platform. India is a country that is witnessing lots of digitization. Bangalore is the IT hub of the country and it is the best place for our warehouse to connect everything digitally.

Another most important thing for us is to create some innovations catering to market needs. The weather in India is humid and hot, so we can’t bring every product from Germany and offer it here. In India, we have to make the innovations in products by keeping in mind the local climatic conditions.

Could you Please Tell us About this Newly Opened Showroom? What are you Aiming for with this New Facility?

Schuco Products Displayed in the New Showroom

MB: For us, this showroom is an opportunity to showcase what we have and what we can do. Many of our customers, including architects and fabricators, can visit us here to see the innovations we have brought or are bringing. We are planning to build some more showrooms with our partners to give the opportunity to the people everywhere in India to get connected to our products and experience them.

This showroom is also one of the examples of our commitment to India. Our team of experts (engineers and our digital team) is working here in this showroom to offer excellent conditions to act very agile and very oriented to the customer.

You also Have a Product Development Hub in India. What are your Thoughts and Plans about it?

AE: It is growing, and we will hopefully double it in the next few years. Our main goal is to develop our own products for the customers in India, and support development projects for the Schüco group internationally.

Contact:
Schueco India Private Limited
Email: info@schueco.in
Web: www.schueco.in
Tel: Mumbai (+91 22 678 689 89),
Delhi (+91 11 694 089 82),
Bangalore (+91 80 666 989 89)