By Ranjana Konatt | Editor – Brand Positioning
Representatives from the solar and the renewable sector suggest that the industrial sector in India is booming and that there is a pressing need to address the demands and the many requirements of end-users. Kuldeep Walujkar, Director, Corros Metals, said: “We see a lot of consultants eager to know more on the structural details to projects, wind load capacities and the coating thickness of the galvanised products.” However, even though end users or clients do have a sound understanding of what they are looking for, they need to be educated on quality. Ananthakrishna GR, GM, Sales and Marketing, Allied Moulded Enclosure Products India, suggested that for several clients, education on the quality of the raw materials being used is needed. “A few pressing issues and stressors within the market is educating the client on the raw materials being used in projects.” Very few end users are aware of the quality of the material of the products being used. He said: “Having a sound knowledge on the quality of a product and the raw materials being used is crucial when the end-user or client opts or invests in solutions.” Elaborating, he said: “There exists a definite lack of education that pushes the end-user to opt for a solution that has a low price. We as a market need to move and interact with customers, and educate them on the various quality standards in the market.”
The relevance of third-party testing
In addition to educating the end-user on the quality of materials used in products, Tushar Chaudhary, Assistant Manager – Business Development, Renewables, TUV India, stresses on the increasing need for awareness, the advantages and the necessity of third-party-testing. Explaining further, he said that when you are dealing on big projects with multiple investments made – you need an agency who can supervise the project externally on your behalf. “Today the demand within the market is also that we need to be moving towards quality, and include third-party testing irrespective of whether the stakes are big or small,” he added
The introduction of technology and the role of cost
Aayushman Goyal, Sr. Manager – New Product Development, Ganges International, says that new challenges are presenting itself within the renewable sector. As a company which works on robotic cleaning for solar panels, he said: “India is a price-sensitive market, people are looking at robotic cleaning while for many costs remains a factor.” In robotics, and especially with a solar-powered robotic cleaning system, the costs are minimal. For instance, he said: “We have a self-powered robot and there is minimal maintenance required.” Automation and robotics have been seeing slow growth in India and cost would be a ruling factor if the industry was to grow and expand like America and China. Presently, he added, the cost is the over-ruling factor, and otherwise, India is moving steadily towards an industrial revolution.
