Kumar Karandikar, National Sales Head, KRYFS Power Components Ltd, talks about the products and services of Slingset – the Material Handling Division of the company.

What are the products that you offer, and what range?

We have a wide range of synthetic slings, like webbing slings, round slings, polyester slings, etc. Our “Slingset” is a trusted brand in Indian market. With a technical collaboration with Slingmax USA, we do have license to produce their Twin Path K Spec Synthetic slings in India. K-Spec is the patented product of Slingmax USA, and is the toughest fibre and offers very specific superior qualities, making heavy lifting very reliable and easy.

Are these manufactured products or just a trading and service activity? Are you representing any other manufacturer of equipment?

Apart from our own production of “Slingset” range of synthetic slings, we do have a wide range of rigging accessories, which we trade under the name of Qureishi Enterprises. We also have the Indian distributorship for global players like Crosby, Camlok, Codipro, Slingmax and CMCO products – together making the company a ‘one stop solution provider; for material handling accessories and equipment, tools and tackles along the entire material handling value chain.

Where does the company stand in terms and size and scale, as this is a very wide segment in terms of products and volumes?

Our company, KRYFS, as a group company, has total six business verticals: Lamination and Core; 24x7 KRYFS Transformers, Slingset – Material Handling Division, Power-In – Stringing Tools Division; an EPC – Stringing Division; and the latest is KRYFS Solar Rooftop – EPC Division. Over the past 25 years, KRYFS and Qureishi Enterprises have won a very good trust and reputation in not only in the Indian, but also the global market. We are top rankers for the production of core and lamination, which makes us one of the biggest importers and exporters for CRGO steel since many years.

There is a vast rental market evolving now in this area. Is the company looking at this opportunity?

Certainly there is an increasing trend in the rental market. However, unlike foreign countries, where safety is treated as first priority, Indian market still runs with the orthodox concepts of rigging, and need based lifting techniques, which makes the rental business not so promising. We are rather focusing on converting the users from traditional wire ropes to synthetic slings, and from local rigging products, to safety approved rigging accessories.

Who are your main customers? Individual companies or bulk users like rental aggregators?

We cater to almost all industrial segments. Our prominence is obviously in the heavy industry – marine and offshore, defence and navy, oil and gas, coal and mining and automobile segments.

What about the sales and service network? how strong and effective it is?

Over the past 25 years, we are able to build our own representations at Delhi, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Bangalore and Bhubaneswar. Apart from this we do have more than 40 channel partners across India, which makes our network well spread pan India. We do have further vigorous plans to expand the existing network and also spread in the exports market. For the record, we are an ISO 9001: 2008, 14001: 2004, and OHSAS 18001: 2007 certified organisation.

With Make in India now attracting global attention, are there any major alliances in the offing for manufacturing more products or ranges?

With the changing scenario in China, there are many more opportunities coming up with foreign investments in India. Our Indian market has very wide opportunities for business. In the material handling segment, there are already plenty of opportunities and applications to cater to.

How is present business environment?

The business environment in material handling or rigging areas for India is still in the orthodox phase as I said before. Lot of new techniques and safety awareness needs to be bought in. We have a plan to shortly offer our services as a rigging consultant. Already we are conducting various safety lifting techniques training, to which we are getting very positive response from our customers.