RR Kabel : Foresight to have electrically equipped & safe India

Mr. Shreegopal Kabra, President ,
Ram Ratna Group

Q. RR  Kabel has gained credible brand recall among the electrical cables space during last few years, please brief us about the company’s journey from the inception & share some of the milestones achieved by the company?
Ram Ratna Group started RR Kabel in the year 1998 keeping in mind the increasing need of the Indian consumer towards safer electrical products.  Since inception we have believed in delivering world class quality for all our clients, whether national or international and that continues to pay us dividends. There are various achievements acquired by RR Kabel in the wire and cable segment. Our initiative to invest in quality has helped to obtain the maximum number of Indian and international certifications for our product like BASEC (UK), VDE (Germany), UL (USA), NF-USE (France), CE and many more. Infact, RR Kabel is the only Indian company to have maximum number of approvals for its products.

                RR Kabel is the first company to have introduced the concept of Lead free, Low Smoke and Halogen free cables to the Indian market.  The Patented UNILAY technology has also added to the quality of the wires that we provide to the Indian Consumers. Our premium product Firex – HFFR and RR Unilay were specially developed with the latest technology available globally to offer  better performing wires and cables and also ensuring safety for the users.

Q. Please brief us more about Ramratna Group’s infrastructure?
We at Ram Ratna Group broadly operate in two verticals, namely Electricals and infrastructure. The electrical segment has various products in the group’s basket. Our product range comprising of RRKabel (Cables), RRShramik (Winding wires), RRCopper (Copper tapes, Bus bar systems), RRMicro (Panel accessories), RREubiq (Power outlet system) and the new ranges to be offered in the next few years are all focused to the Power sector.  To cater to the above brands, four independent manufacturing facilities in Silvassa and one in Vadodara are already in place. Work is in progress for a new integrated complex in Vadodara that should up in the next 18-24 months. Apart from this we are in JV for two ranges with manufacturing base in Singapore and Coimbatore. In the infrastructure segment, we offer the automated multi level parking services under the brand of RR Parkon. The manufacturing unit for RRParkon is located at Pune.On the Sales support and administrative side , we have 23 offices across India to cater to the requirements of our clients.

Q. The ensuing electrical boom calls for massive investment in electrical products manufacturing and the component industry, according to you what are the prospects for cable products in India? How do you plan to position your products?
In the recent past the industry has observed these trends, and hence there is a constant increase in demand for good quality wires and cables.  With the increased awareness amongst the consumers, upgradation of the product is a key necessity. Keeping in mind the initiative from the Government, we expect it to yield enormous results for the electrical product manufacturing industry.

                    The growth prospects seems to be stabilizing in the long term as we see the agricultural sector also becoming power hungry with the various new farming techniques now available. We always had a foresight to have electrically equipped, safe India, keeping this is mind we have worked towards our goal to excel in the Power and Distribution sector along with the transmission side. We believe that with the technology and skill set available with us we would be in a position to leverage on our strengths and offer the right product mix to the power sector.

Q. Could you brief us about your topline product range? What are value added services you provide to your customers?
As mentioned above, Ram Ratna Group is present in the Electrical and Infrastructure industry. With a topline product in each range – FIREX in RR Kabel, Oxygen Free copper tapes & Bars in RR Copper, Safe, flexible& smart power outlet system from RR EUBIQ , we ensure that our product delivers both cost and operational efficiencies to our clients. In terms of value addition, since these products are in the commodity arena, we try to bring in our contribution by customizing the needs of clients and ensuring superior delivery parameters

Q. What are your future plans to maintain substantial market positioning in electrical cable space?
We are continually under the process of expanding our product basket, ensuring that our client gets the maximum value for money along with the innovative product range that we offer the client. Our investment in the quality systems has paid its due, as we have the maximum number of Indian as well as International product approvals that ensures global level of safety and performance for our clients. This apart, we have already embarked on increasing the availability quotient for our products with a wider distribution network.

Q. What is your quality policy for the business?
Our QP for business is very simple. Empower People, Build self sustaining processes and enable  transparent business practices  and  strive to add value to the enduser

Q. As per your opinion what is the role of research & development in product performance? How do you score R&D in your company against all other functional heads?
Today’s consumers are more conscious about standards as compared to few years back.  They have become quality conscious and are looking out for value for money. Today in the wires and cable market, manufacturers are spending more money on upgradation of the products as compared to R & D. The research in this area is not very prevalent, but JV’s with international manufacturers are increasing in the electrical sector. At Ram Ratna our R&D has been in the forefront of all our initiatives.  In fact, this is one function that is driven by the top management and works closely with the marketing team to analyse current trends and to ensure that the right investment is made at the appropriate time.

Q. The recent meltdown of the economy has affected many industries, what is the current scenario of electrical cable industry?
The Electrical cable industry also faced the impact of the recent meltdown of the economy.  In the recent past the sector has seen a temporary silence where the purchases had taken a back seat, but with the slow stabilization of the economy this temporary phase will fade out as we have observed the market slowly coming back to normal.

Q. What are the future opportunities for electrical cable industry?
There seems to be a growing trend for the electrical cable industry.  With the new initiatives declared by the government in the  power sector , it is estimated that the dependence on the electrical industry will increase.  This would also increase the demand for large investment in the electrical sector.

Q. As per your opinion, what are the technology transformations in electrical cable manufacturing industry over the years?
The Electric cable manufacturing industry has undergone a lot of transformations; initially the wires were made from rubber insulation, while aluminum was used for household wiring. With continual efforts to upgrade the product and make maximum use of good quality wires in domestic as well as commercial space, Copper is now being used in the manufacturing of wires.  Many organizations like ICPCI and Electrical Cable Manufacturing Association have laid down certain guidelines about the use of the wires and cables. The authorities need to take a note of these guidelines and ensure that electrical cable manufacturers adhere to the same.

Q. What are the distinguishing factors in comparison of Indian against the global electrical cable industry?
Global cable industry is differentiated in terms of the scale of operations.  Once you look at such large volumes, the other parameters in terms of systems, quality aspects and looking at the global market as the playing field automatically come into focus.  Earlier we were constrained by domestic consumption being lower than the production base which is no longer the case.  The domestic demand has started to grow and this will have to be supported by bigger manufacturing capacities. Further quality is a great leveler and that is paramount if one wants to be active in the global scenario. We have proved that investment in quality standard can often blur the difference between global majors.

Q. Please comment on how can the Indian electrical cable industry become globally competitive?
The Indian market still is looking inward by adopting age old practices starting from sourcing of raw materials, adherence to basic IS standards and trying to circumvent the taxation system to be competitive in the market. But it is a case of killing oneself without even making an attempt to swim against the tide since the shore is just a few strokes away.  We have to believe in ourselves and start looking at the market from an outsider’s perspective.  Look at better technology, product up gradation and begin the process of changing the international perception  of our products of being cheap, non-standard range needs to be tackled aggressively.

Q. What factors impart the success of your company?
Our three pillars of Innovation, Trust & Transparency

Q. What is your vision for Ramratna Kabel for coming years ?
We would like to be seen as an organization that ranks among the top three globally for Wires & Cables.