Amidst continued market uncertainties due to both economic and political reasons, companies hitherto providing services to the export-oriented markets are now leading their companies to shift towards the domestic markets. One such company shifting its focus towards these domestic markets is Rajasthan International, suppliers of solutions in four core areas – Aerosol, Sewing, Knitting and Yarn. Some of the international brands they represent include Groz-Beckert, Elaspan INVISTA Spandex/Elastane Yarn, Kluber Lubrication, Memminger-Iro, Siliconi, Cerliani, to name a few.
Acknowledging that the export market has lost its exclusive sheen, Rajesh Bihani, MD, Rajasthan International has already strategized to find fresh markets. “Earlier we were interested only in the export market as they were more interested in the kind of machines, which needed our product. But now the domestic market shift is happening and the players there are also going for high-tech and advanced machineries,” avers Rajesh. Though this shift is gradual and can be seen mostly amongst bigger domestic brands, such as Madura, Raymond, etc., the mood is certainly positive; and while in the case of smaller players the shift has still not started, interest is evident in mid-level players to move up the technology ladder. “The change that has come for mid-level and even small players is that the black sewing machine is almost gone. It is similar to what happened to export units in the ’80s and ’90s. This is a positive sign for us and benefits us because more high-speed machines will mean better and efficient needles, lubricants and other related products,” adds Rajesh.
Currently, the company is keen on studying markets, developing its existing product range and also focusing on service. The company is adding more technical human resource to provide better after-sales services for its expansive product categories. Moreover these services are part of the built-in cost of the product, filling in the gap of lack of technical expertise in the market.
The company caters to knitting, hemming, sewing and non-woven product categories and has recently added a new partner in the non-woven section, the German-based Nomaco for both machines and spare parts. “We are focusing more on non-wovens as it is picking up due to technical textiles segment; for felts, recliners, mats, insulations, medical equipment, high quality products for automobiles, interlinings, etc. non-woven are growing,” claims Rajesh.
With staff strength of 47, the company has a comprehensive range of product categories throughout its three divisions – Knitting, Sewing and Non-woven. “All products related to sewing are for the garmenting segment; so the customer base is the same and anyone going for sewing will get all the products with us, which is an advantage. The same is true for the other sections too,” says Rajesh, stressing on the fact that the company has over a period of time attained the status of a complete solution provider. With a pan-India dealer network in Hyderabad, Chennai, Tirupur, Jaipur, Agra, Indore, Kolkata, Mumbai, Surat, etc. the company is able to service its customers more effectively.
As the garment and textile segment is seeing an increasing surge of industry players moving into the interiors for not just reducing their production costs, Rajasthan International through a separate 3-member team is also exploring how to ensure continuity of service in such hitherto sub-serviced areas. “We have been doing roadshows in cities such as Jodhpur, Bikaner, Pushkar, Rohtak, Bhiwani, etc. We are also trying to appoint dealers to get confidence and conduct road shows in their shops itself. We also set up a canopy in the weekly flea market and give away flyers, keychains, samples, etc. Surprisingly for us the response has been good and the most expensive products are selling more,” claims Rajesh happily.
Increasingly the response for the company’s golden needles through these roadshows has been humongous. “People who have been using other brand needles that are selling at Rs. 55/- for a pack of 10 needles have now started buying one of our brand needle sets which is priced at Rs. 80/- due to our roadshows and the growing awareness of what are the advantages of using our needles,” asserts Rajesh.
With a double pronged strategy of retaining and providing responsive service to the export segment, while creating new markets for expansion, Rajasthan International is a company on the move. “We believe in standing next to our customers in all their efforts – be it in exports, domestic manufacturing or even in factories in remote areas, and that will remain the base of all our strategies for growth in the future too,” concludes Rajesh.
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