Michael Berger, Managing Director, Durr India Pvt. Ltd.
Q: How has the 50-year journey in India been?
Berger:
India has always been an interesting market. Since building a galvanising line for Tata Motors at Jamshedpur, we have developed our activities in the Indian market. We are globally active and India is one of the main markets for us. Today, almost all the five divisions are active and offer high-quality Paint and Final Assembly Systems, Application Technology, Clean Technology Systems, Measuring and Process Systems, Woodworking Machinery and Systems. The firm has expanded its capacities on the sub-continent with a view not only to serve the local market but also to make itself available to customers outside India as an engineering centre. We have established 3 locations here and in Chennai, we have it for paints, for the automotive industry. We have been building automotive plants for Hyundai, Mahindra and BMW. We entered the two-wheeler industry when the automobile industry slowed down a little bit. The belief in us is because the industry sees the German technology as a standard and Durr as a name, and we would like to continue this.
Q: What are your plans for the two-wheeler market?
Berger:
Our journey with Two wheeler industry in India started in the year 2010 with our prestigious customer Mahindra. Since then our journey is phenomenal and we delivered paint lines every year across the country. Our esteemed customers include Mahindra, Hero, TVS, Royal Enfield and global references covers Piaggio, Harley Davidson, Honda and many more. One of the key strengths is experienced people and we have around 16,000 people worldwide. What we are doing is niche and this is what is needed for the future. For a product, you need efficiency and it needs to be competitive. For that, you need efficient and highly qualified machinery. That is what exactly we are providing. It is maintenance friendly and we are ready for the future too, that includes smart and industry 4.0 products.
Q: What are the future plans for Durr in India?
Berger:
More automation and more robots for paints will come in. We see that e-mobility will set up different needs. Many top companies have started working for EVs, both in cars and two-wheelers. So, the next generation will be e-driven. For this, there will have a change in production equipment and it requires a different setup. Digitalisation, being more greener, sustainability is also part of it. Besides mass production, it is also going to be on being more environment-friendly. We are also ready for the future with smart products, smart process and smart factories. These are the driving things that will be coming to India.
Q: What sort of investments is being made in India?
Berger:
We are continuously investing in the market to drive localisation and performance. We invest mainly in people, and expanding in engineering. We have also invested in the training centre and in service. Wherever our customers are we are present there as well.
Q: What percentage of localisation are you looking in India?
Berger:
Localisation is key and we would like to do it. But, it depends on the technology. Key technology like robots will still be imported from Germany, while the products surrounding it is what we would like to go completely local. We are looking at 25% imports and 75% being local made. This is in the automotive industry and all these depend on the technology. In general industry, we have already localised everything. Just the key components are coming from Germany.
Q: How different is Durr from its competitors? Berger:
Quality is one of the main factors. Next, comes workmanship of our qualified people and discipline. Then, the technology, German engineering, German machinery, efficiency and eco-friendliness. Our continous investments and efforts in R&D is putting in a lot of efforts and digitalisation is part of it.
Q: What is your R&D investments?
Berger:
R&D is mainly driven out of Germany and the investment is made on a yearly basis, and it is on the increasing trend. Digitalisation is also being part of the R&D, that develops internet platforms and smart solutions ready for the requirement of Industry 4.0 .
Q: With automation and digitisation reduce human resources?
Berger:
They will co-exist and automation is generating a lot of workforces. We should use automation for surrounding. For example, a painting job can be done by machines and humans can concentrate on much-needed areas.
Q: Is there a possibility for all kind of electric vehicles in India? Berger:
It is possible, but they will be Indian adaptations. There will be a mix of EVs in the city, and hybrids in long distance. For e-mobility, we need infrastructure and as it is behind the schedule, we need other solutions. There will be combustion, EVs, hybrids and the existence of many systems together.