Ratul Chakravorty, Business Head, Mecgale Pneumatics
Ratul Chakravorty, Business Head, Mecgale Pneumatics, feels that nothing helps brand building better than a dedicated team that does not compromise on deliverables. Mecgale Pneumatics is a leading supplier of pressurised pneumatic conveyor for cement industry. Here he talks about the marketing strategies adopted by his company.
According to the 12th Five- Year -Plan, Indian cement industry will be adding another 150 MT of capacity till 2017. How do you plan to tap this opportunity?
Major capacity addition in the 12th Five- Year- Plan is expected to come from PPC manufacture, where fly ash constitutes close to 35 per cent of the raw material. Practically, this would mean that a huge volume of fly ash will require to be conveyed in the most environmentally friendly way. Pressurised pneumatic handling being a proven system for such applications, it can be expected that a sizeable business can be tapped. Mecgale is an established player in the field of pressurised pneumatic ash handling and we are well placed to tap this opportunity.
What is the consumer insight that drives your campaigns?
We have been in the business for around two decades, have understood that PR in business in not just public relations but also is personal relations. We have added scale to our business by engaging closely with our customers and supporting them in times of their need without looking at them solely as key accounts. We have also ensured that along the growth path, we maintain transparent relations with our customer for balanced growth.
What according to you are the new trends in marketing?
The current trend in today’s market is to have single- point responsibility from one vendor. Keeping this in mind, we have already positioned ourselves as an EPC vendor. Presently, civil and electrical work put together contribute to about 30 per cent of our revenues, apart from that obtained from mechanical equipment. The challenge is to have people with knowledge and skill sets to deliver business in an EPC module.
Which factors influence the buying decisions?
Other than price, a major influencer in the market today is delivering on time. Flexibility to accomodate changes that happen in the project lifecycle is another influencer. We have a unique Project Management System in which our customers have equal participation in project execution and creating a contingency plan. Specific to the cement industry, the power consumption per unit of cement produced has a tremendous role as power is one of the highest cost contributors. Mecgale, though, is constantly innovating cutting- edge solutions to reduce power cost per tonne of material conveyed. We also have one of the lowest product lifecycle costs in the industry.
What are your marketing plans in the future?
We recently commissioned a 65 TPH fly ash pressurised pneumatic conveying system for a distance of 1,900 m at Reliance Cement. We have also recently commissioned a 325 TPH pressurised pneumatic raw meal conveying system for Birla cements.
We want to scale up our product line in such applications of high capacity and long- distance pressurised pneumatic conveying. We plan to promote these abilities through the print media. This is, of course, apart from the initiatives we take by advertising in different power plant seminars, exhibitions, etc.
What will your focus be while product branding in the next few years?
We would like to keep our customer engagement focus strong and have them as our goodwill ambassadors. It’s only the quality of your product and customer satisfaction that will grow your business.
Is there anything you would like to share with our readers about effective brand building practices in the industry?
I firmly believe in the adage: ‘Employee first, customer second.’ To have your customer satisfied, you have to have people around you who are motivated, who take that extra step in delivering nothing but the best each time and every time. Nothing can have a more positive brand impact than that.