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[November 2008]
Duravit Builds Production Sites in India
On 17 October 2008, bathroom manufacturer Duravit, headquartered in Hornberg, Germany, laid the foundation stone for a new production site in India. A new ceramic factory is to be built on a site covering some 170,000 square metres in Tarapur in the state of Gujarat. An initial production capacity of 500,000 pieces per year is planned with some 250 employees. With this building, that is to be completed by the end of 2009, Duravit said it was setting another milestone in its internationalisation strategy. The company is now present in more than 80 countries world-wide and produces at several national and international locations: Hornberg, Schenkenzell, Meissen (Germany), Bischwiller (France), Cairo (Egypt), Istanbul (Turkey), Chongqing (China) and, since May 2008, also in Bizerte (Tunisia).
“For us, India is already a fantastic project market and we believe in developing the market further,” said management board chairman Franz Kook, in explanation of the decision. He promised that the new factory and the advantages associated with being a local supplier would enable an opening of the Indian market as a whole, as well as of a few export markets. Duravit has been active in the Indian market since 2003 and is well established in the luxury sector.
Asutosh Shah, Managing Director of Duravit in India, now sees an opportunity to open up the medium-priced market segment for Duravit. “Our country now has a growing group of people with a higher medium income,” reported Mr Shah. These customers are increasingly interested in investing in affordable lifestyle, design and high quality branded products. For many years, Duravit has not only been a luxury supplier but it has also been actively offering outstanding bathroom design at very good value for money. The company thus likes to refer to its product range as offering everything from ‘jeans to dinner jacket’. “This strength in the medium-priced sector will stand us in good stead in India,” said Franz Kook.
However, it is not just the product range that is to open new doors to the market. Asutosh Shah believes that logistics and a suitable after-sales service are also particularly important. This includes numerous training activities. Duravit is very interested in developing a high quality collaboration with local fitters and market partners and, in recent years, has thus offered seminars dedicated to installation, bathroom planning and quality.
In September 2007, a partner event got underway that provided training for more than 500 bathroom experts from seven Indian cities. “The birth rate in this country will continue to increase enormously. We are one of the first manufacturers in this industry to operate in this way and we have a good location,” said Franz Kook. “These are all good reasons to believe in the development of the Indian market.”
ENDS