Domestic leadership being strengthened
Savio is a name synonymous with a world-class range of automatic winders, two-for one twisters (TFOs) and rotor spinning frames. With its manufacturing plants located in Italy, the Czech Republic, China and India, Savio Macchine Tessili, established in 1911 in Pordenone, Italy, by entrepreneur Marcello Savio, has grown from its humble beginnings as a small component manufacturing company for the local Italian textile industry, to now being counted among global industry leaders when it comes to yarn finishing machines.
Set up with a vision of providing Savio products to the growing Indian market, the plant at Coimbatore also caters to the needs of key global markets. The sprawling plant has a variety of facilities, apart from manufacturing lines, including an electronic lab, customer training center, a textile lab and a showroom where customers can attend live demonstrations of Savio products.
In an exclusive interview to The Textile Magazine, Dr. Franco Bonello, Managing Director, Savio India, shared his views on a variety of subjects, including the company’s recent performance, the products manufactured at the Indian plant, Savio’s key global export markets, aftersales service support and participation in ITMA Barcelona, among others.
Edited excerpts:
Beginning the interaction with his views on trends in the Indian market in 2018, Dr. Bonello felt that things had not panned out as expected. “Let’s say, for the sector that we are in, i.e., spinning, it was not a good year. There was no “spark” in the market the whole year. We have noticed a downtrend and we expect it to continue in 2019 for reasons such as the market feeling, the after-effects of the impact adapting to GST, and newspaper reports regarding the flow of funds affecting the investment in new machines and on spinning.”
However, Savio India has been able to tide over the trend successfully. “Despite the not so positive situation, we have reached our targets. We recently closed the year with results achieved above what we had targeted. We have been able to increase our market share. We now hold more than 60% of the market share. In 2015 we were well below the first and second position players. From there, in a remarkably time we take pride in saying that we now are the market leaders. Savio is now a recognized brand in India. Thanks to our customers, we continue to further strengthen our position.”
Setting new standards
Speaking about the products that are produced in the Indian facility, Mr. Bonello said: “The machines that we manufacture here are TFOs, i.e., Sirius and Cosmos. Sirius is meant for both export, as well as the Indian market. Cosmos, for us is our bread and butter product. In fact, Savio is globally recognized for this really good quality product. We also offer Sirius TFO with a DuoPot system. This product is mainly for export, though in the near future we may launch it in the Indian market… We are exploring the possibility on that front. We are already in discussion with several customers regarding the same.”
Both Sirius and Cosmos have been setting new standards in the market helping customers with reduced initial investment cost, while at the same time offering energy saving, as well as low maintenance cost. The range of twisters is ideally suited for a wide range of feeding and spindle dimensions and for every yarn type and count. These machines also feature user-friendly electronic solutions, that makes the operators work a lot easier. Similarly, the company’s ‘PolarEvo’ and ‘EcoPulsarS’ range has been raising the bar in the winding machines market segment, with their superior technology and performance.
Some of the key global markets to where machines manufactured in Savio’s Indian facility are being exported include, Turkey, Indonesia, Egypt, the US, Uzbekistan, South America, and Bangladesh. The company’s modern manufacturing plant in Coimbatore is Savio’s only facility globally at which two-for-one twisters (TFOs) are manufactured and sold in India and also exported around the world.
Variety of facilities
Savio India also boasts of a training center where regular training courses are conducted. Short term training class for middle and high-level mill technicians are conducted at the training center. The training broadly covers areas such as theoretical and practical study of machine characteristics, mechanical and technical features, electrical, pneumatic, electronic and technological regulations, general maintenance, etc.
Another highlight of Savio India’s manufacturing set-up is the presence of a showroom where customers can attend live demonstrations of the company machines.
When queried as to whether Savio intended to further increase the production capacity in India, Dr. Bonello, answering in the affirmative, said: “Throughout this year, we are in the process of optimizing certain facilities which will help us get ready for the future. We are continually looking at expanding our production capacity. Take the case of TFOs, for example. In the beginning we were able to produce only a few machines, now we are able to produce more than 35 to 40 machines per month.”
Continuing further on the subject, Dr. Bonello added: “We are therefore investing heavily to increase our TFO production capacity. We are also focused on reinforcing our supply chain. The results are there for all to see. Our supply chain has improved. We have always focused on the selection of the right supplier. Since our production is growing, it is important that we have a supplier who helps us stay closer to the market.”
Focusing on emerging technologies
Known for its strong R&D focus, Savio India is working on a few future technologies. When asked about them, Dr. Bonello responded: “We are working on energy efficiency output of our machines. This is an important area, because customers are very particular about power consumption. We have been trendsetters in this area. Our EcoPulsarS, when launched in 2015 created a revolution in the market because of its energy saving ability. We are also working on 4.0. Our winders are already 4.0 compliant. In 2019 you can definitely expect further developments in this line.”
He added: “We have a group of engineers located here in our Indian facility. We have started to develop, as well as customize solutions for our Indian, as well as overseas customers. So that way India is now becoming a central hub, not only for production but also for R&D,” Dr. Bonello stated.
With aftersales service support emerging as a key differentiating factor, Savio India had in 2016, launched ‘E-Spare’, an online portal, where customers could login and order for spare parts. “The portal has met all our expectations, as well as that of our customers. The portal has helped improve our response time. The integration with customers has improved. Communication as well as transaction is faster, easier, as well as easy to manage,” Dr. Bonello said: “We will have a new release of the portal in a few months. I am sure the upgraded version will be even more useful to the customer.”
Aftermarket services
Savio India also has its technical support team numbering 40+ competent engineers based out of strategic locations throughout the country, ensuring prompt technical support services to its customers. The headquarters at Coimbatore is also equipped with a high-tech electronic lab providing electronic repairs. Apart from providing a wide range of repair services, express services are also provided in the event of a breakdown from the experienced service technicians at the lab. Also, part of the infrastructure is a textile testing laboratory which caters to the needs of Savio India’s customers, who can bring in their yarn and test it against different parameters such as strength and quality.
Asked as to what products and solutions Savio would be showcasing at the forthcoming ITMA 2019 at Barcelona, Dr. Bonello pointed out how the company had a long history in coming out with innovative solutions. “We have always been coming out with exciting products and solutions, that have been displayed regularly at ITMA shows. However, I cannot reveal much right now. But rest assured that Savio will continue with its tradition of innovation, as you will find out during the trade fair.”
By M.K. Prabhakar & Mohan Raj