52
Profiling India
In late November Jamie Mitchell and Phil major domestic OEMs or the export market. Also business, and most have long established
Matten took a long planned trip to India. clear is that the combined annual output of the customer relationships in Europe and North
Although warned by seasoned travellers that top dozen or so producers of carbon steel America.
journeying around India can represent fastener is relatively small by comparison with Viewing India as a panacea for potential EU
something of a challenge, neither could be either European or other Asian fastener anti-dumping measures, or conversely being
prepared for a visit during which India manufacturing countries. Certainly estimates of concerned it will become the next threat to
captured world headlines, for truly tragic export capacity equate to little more than that of European manufacturing both appear erroneous.
reasons. three of four of the biggest Chinese factories. The anti-dumping investigation has already
Every year this magazine sets a clear target to Most of the leading Indian companies are highlighted the cost differences between India
visit at least one different major fastener region strongly committed to supplying major sectors of and China. Factories with whom we spoke felt
with the objective of discovering more about its the domestic market, notably automotive – car, that the data obtained by the European
industry and markets. In fact, India had been on truck and off-highway, and of course motorcycle. Commission, although solely from Pooja Forge,
the agenda for 2007 but a packed year meant it The wind power generation market currently was unlikely to heavily overstate Indian costs of
could not happen. Doubly committed, flights also represents a major opportunity as does production. The limits of high-grade capacity
were booked early in 2008 and dates firmly India’s huge pent up infrastructure construction have already been noted.
blocked in diaries. As it turned out we potential. Witness the additional traffic havoc Perceptions about the anti-dumping issue
experienced a mixture of generous hospitality, Delhi’s massive metro construction project is cre- were mixed. While most suppliers did expect
an all too brief exposure to India’s rich and ating right now. some enhancement in business if AD measures
multi-faceted culture and the frustration of a trip India’s capabilities of manufacturing in brass come into force, there were significant concerns
curtailed by the explosion of mindless savagery go back many years. Increasingly now, can be that European trade action could result in the In-
in Mumbai, fortunately for us while we were still added competence in cold formed, volume dian market being assailed by lost cost imports
in Delhi. As a result we owe a number of production of stainless steel fasteners. as China sought new outlets for its capacity.
factories a promised visit that events made What is apparently absent is any significant Most companies believed their positioning
impossible and have learnt, with no real fastener distribution structure. Two reasons would remain in the higher grade segment of
surprise, that a short visit is inadequate to get to appear paramount. One is the extent of the standards market and the specials arena,
grips with this huge and fascinating country. So ‘micro-scale’ fastener making, directly servicing with little apparent appetite to invest
we will be back. low volume local demand at very low costs, significantly in additional capacity for production
Meantime these pages are a first insight into albeit with the extreme variability of quality of higher volume standards. While there were
the Indian fastener industry, gained from characteristic of ‘craft’ level production. The other definite statements of confidence in the strength
personal visits and discussions and issue is arguably one of India’s major economic and potential of the Indian economy, there was
supplemented by material submitted by challenges – infrastructure, or rather in many an air of real caution over world economic
companies we were unable to get to this time. areas the lack of it, which makes it extremely conditions, and a ‘wait and see’ attitude to
General statistics about India are easy enough difficult to deliver, literally, the benefits of investment.
to research on the web these days. There is, distribution services.
though, no substitute for ‘being there’ - a Quality amongst the larger volume producers
mantra for which we make no apologies, and is what one would expect for factories servicing
which is the basis for focusing on our own automotive, with many plants accredited to TS
impressions and the thoughts they provoked. 16949. Those factories we visited were clearly
It is difficult to establish just how many well established and equipped, with production
companies are making fastener products in equipment best described as solid and reliable
India. From anecdotal evidence, though, the rather than cutting edge modernity. Heat
number is huge, but the market highly localised treatment was usually in house, mostly but not
and polarised. Very small, craft level makers of entirely atmosphere controlled, mesh belt
screws seem to be everywhere – several esti- harden, quench and temper lines. Testing
mates hazarded there were tens of thousands. facilities, again if not cutting edge, were well
Whatever the real number there are clearly not equipped, staffed by knowledgeable personnel
many more than a dozen large-scale producers and evidenced stringent quality regimes. Most of
with the capacity and capability of servicing the major plants have significant export
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