In an exclusive interview with Window & Façade Magazine, Jayanta Mukherjee talked about fischer’s journey and the milestones it has achieved. Excerpts…
Please brief us on the history and objective behind the formation of your company. What are the milestones you have achieved so far?
For over 70 years, fischer has garnered a widespread reputation for designing, engineering and building innovative fixing solutions. Since the company’s establishment in 1948, fischer has been driven by a constant will to change and strive for better solutions through innovation. Whoever chooses fischer can expect not only the best in terms of quality but also the best in terms of services which are focused and designed with the sole purpose of delighting our customers. We strongly believe in our core values – innovation, accountability, and reliability. With double-digit growth year after year, a workforce of 5200+ worldwide, 47 subsidiaries in 35 countries, 10 production units across 7 countries and with over 1500 Intellectual Property Rights, fischer as a group strives to be a pioneer in the fixing industry.
Fischer MEA a 100% subsidiary of Fischer fixings – Germany, has been constantly expanding its horizons in the Middle East and African markets. Today, fischer MEA operations headquartered in the Dubai-UAE oversee the entire region with local offices in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania and Pakistan deep footprints in all major projects and in the trade market across the Middle East and Africa.
fischer is not just known for various fixing solutions or fire stop/ MEP product ranges, we are highly regarded as a business excellence partner, known to provide customers 360-degree service excellence through a range of specialised services from certified training programs, seminars, onsite/ offsite testing, technical design support, free webinars, a free to use innovative design software and much more. With such commitment to service excellence, Fischer as a brand is highly appreciated by engineers worldwide and is well-known in the construction industry for our trusted reliability and high standards of quality.
fischer products are extensively used in all the milestone projects in the region be it Palm Jumeirah, Dubai Metro, Haram Expansion, or Stadiums of Qatar. Fischer MEA certified as a “Great Place to Work”, Fischer Middle East was elected as “Superbrand” for two consecutive years 2017 & 2018, BNC Construction innovation Award – 2018, Façade Design and Engineer Middle East Awards.
What are the products you offer in the market?
We prefer to say that we do not sell “products” but “Solutions”. As an engineering company, we try to understand the different fixing challenges at construction sites and provide products that meet the engineering/environmental/economic requirements. Our product basket includes steel, nylon, and chemical anchors. We are also in passive fireStop products, pipe and hanger support system and products for curtain wall and façade.
Could you please tell us about your manufacturing facility and capacity?
Fischer Ultacut
fischer has own development and production facilities providing its products and services to private and professional customers around the world. As a certified DIN EN ISO 9001 company and through the fischer Process System (fPS), we continuously optimise our processes and adapt flexibly to customer requirements ensuring highly consistent level of quality. Our production locations are in Argentina, Brazil, China, Germany (Waldachtal, Horb, Emmendingen, Denzlingen), Italy, the Czech Republic, and the USA. Our factories have won the best in class Awards in Europe and other locations.
What are the advantages Fischer has over its competitors?
We are our own competition. We constantly challenge ourselves to deliver better products and economic solutions. Our engineers are best technical minds in our region- hand-picked, trained and groomed over years. 88% of our business is repeat business – it shows that our customers appreciate our value proposition. We have now opened a new center in Abu Dhabi and the 1st branded fischer training van will be on-road this month. Many more activities are planned to be rolled out in 2020.
fischer is a renowned name in the Middle East. What is the success mantra of the company?
I started this organisation as a one-man entity. Today, we have more than 200 professionals working at more than 300 plus projects in the region. Our success is our team – our people. People make a difference – products help.
How is the market for façade systems in the Middle East? What are the trends?
It is a challenging but growing market. We will take a bigger pie of the market with our new undercut fixing system, cast in channels and other new to-be-introduced categories. The skyline of the region is constantly changing. We are adding our products and services to match up the demand.
What do you see as the main challenges faced by your industry?
Actually only during challenges, you can test yourself, your team, your capability, and your sustainability. I am very optimistic about future. We have overcome the challenges of resource mobilization by careful planning and strategy adaptation.
Where do you see your company in 2020?
We will close the year with a lot of successful projects – stadiums in Qatar, metro projects in Saudi, Qatar, and Dubai, Expo 2020, etc. Our team has also won the recognition of “Great Place to Work”. We are adding more experts to our team in the region. As Professor Klaus Fischer says, “we do not want to be the biggest company. But, we want to be the most preferred brand for our customers”.