Commences production and supply of warp preparatory machines
Karl Mayer, the global leader in warp knitting and warp preparatory machines, has taken an important decision to set up a joint venture in India along with A.T.E. Enterprises and Rabatex for manufacturing warp preparatory machines. The new company, known as Karl Mayer Textile Machinery India Private Ltd., has its registered office in Mumbai and the production facility in Ahmedabad. Karl Mayer is the majority shareholder with 76% holding and takes responsibility for the management of the new company. Rabatex and A.T.E. hold 12% each. The new Indian JV currently employs 50 people.
At ITMA in Barcelona, The Textile Magazine had the opportunity to discuss the new Indian JV with the management representatives of all the three entities, namely, Mr. Roland Kohn, President Business Unit – Warp Preparation, Karl Mayer Holding Gmbh & Co. KG, Mr. Anuj Bhagwati, Managing Director of A.T.E. Enterprises Ltd., and Mr. Haresh Panchal, Managing Partner of Rabatex Industries.
The 83-year-old Karl Mayer Group has been associated with A.T.E. and the Indian market for nearly seven decades. It has been a very long association and today the Indian market contributes nearly 30% of the global revenues in a good year. India is among the top markets globally for Karl Mayer, according to Mr. Roland Kohn.
Considering the importance of the Indian market, the Karl Mayer Group took the next big step thereby reinforcing its commitment to the customers. Mr. Roland Kohn said: “Karl Mayer’s strategy has always been to produce close to our customers. If you see the history of Karl Mayer, we have established manufacturing facility in different regions globally including Japan, Italy and in China”.
Mr. Kohn added: “For the weaving preparatory machines we were thinking of a long term strategy for the Indian market. We have been in discussion with A.T.E. and exploring opportunities in the market. Through A.T.E. we got in contact with Mr. Haresh Panchal of Rabatex and we then decided to establish a joint venture company in India. Through this joint venture, we will leverage on the rich experience of Karl Mayer, Rabatex and A.T.E.”
Karl Mayer Textile Machinery India Private Ltd. will focus mainly on the manufacturing and sale of warp preparation machines and creels mainly for the Indian market, as well as service and spareparts sale for warp preparation and warp knitting machines. The three partners have come together offering complimentary skills which would benefit the JV.
Karl Mayer, a technology driven company, is a global leader in warp knitting and warp preparatory machines. Rabatex has nearly six decades of experience in frugal Indian engineering and manufacturing competence. A.T.E. has been the trusted Indian partner of Karl Mayer for the last seven decades and has the much-needed sales network and connections with customers across India.
The few years back Karl Mayer had established a manufacturing facility in Ahmedabad. Mr. Kohn said: “We wanted to know more about the Indian market, hence we set a small assembly facility to learn and understand the market better. We wanted to engage more with the Indian market and our customers. Hence we decided to take this strategic decision to set up a manufacturing facility in India. Now this assembly facility will be part of the joint venture with sufficient scope for future expansion. The new JV has already started manufacturing and selling”.
All the key components are still imported from Germany and the rest of the components are manufactured and sourced in India. Rabatex will play an important role in the manufacture of components for the Indian JV as per the technology and quality standards of Karl Mayer.
JV partners
Commenting on the JV partners, Mr. Kohn observed: “The special contribution of Karl Mayer and Rabatex Industries to the joint venture will be production know-how and manufacturing capabilities in the warp preparation machines sector. Both companies are important players in the warp preparation industry”.
“The reason for going with Rabatex was the mutual trust between the companies”, Mr. Haresh Panchal was very open in his discussion and had a clear strategy. “Hence it is a combination of trust and mutual understanding which helped decide on Rabatex”.
Rabatex Industries too relies on the synergies of the new relationship. “Rabatex Industries is excited about this association with Karl Mayer, a technology leader in the warp preparation machine industry, and A.T.E., India’s leading customer-focused textile machinery marketer. “Our respective strengths will help us in providing advanced technology machinery backed by professional aftersales service to the Indian textile industry”, said Mr. Haresh Panchal.
Karl Mayer and A.T.E. have worked together for nearly seven decades. So when the company wanted to deepen its engagement in the Indian market, A.T.E. was the natural choice.
A.T.E. enriches the group with its proximity to the market and its strength in customer support. The company has already been Karl Mayer’s distribution partner for many years. “We are honoured to deepen our relationship with Karl Mayer and start a new relationship with Rabatex Industries with this new joint venture. We thank our many customers who have encouraged us to take this step with their continuous support. We are confident we will be able to serve them better”, commented Mr. Anuj Bhagwati.
Aftersales service
The aftersales service and spares for the Indian market are completely handled by an independent entity, Karl Mayer Private Ltd., which has already started functioning. This entity will get integrated with the new JV company handling the service requirements for all machines from the Karl Mayer Group installed in India and for all customers. The company has set up a training center in Ahmedabad.
The new Indian joint venture of Karl Mayer, A.T.E. and Rabatex aims to enhance their position and distribution in the Indian market. Moreover, it is intended to make good use of the existing competencies and synergies, especially in terms of purchasing and customer service. It also augurs well with the Indian Government’s “Make-in-India” initiative and will further boost customer confidence.