Venus Wire Industries recently celebrated its 25th anniversary. On this occasion, the company’s managing director elaborates about the journey so far and what lies ahead.

Mumbai-based Venus Wire Industries is a manufacturer of stainless steel wires and bars with a manufacturing facility at Khopoli, Maharashtra. The company has been exporting its products for 25 years and has established a wide market presence with its superior quality and impeccable service levels. In this interview, Managing Director Ghevarchand Sanghvi elaborates about how the flexibility to match customers’ requirements has been the greatest selling point of the company:

Could you recount the history of the company?

Venus Wire Industries offers a fully integrated service for stainless steel wires and bars with all the production activities - right from melting, casting, hot rolling and cold processing - carried out under the direct supervision of experienced managers. A private limited company, it is jointly run by the Bohra and Sanghvi families since 1990. A total of six members from both families are directly involved in the business with Babulal Bohra as the chairman. It was in 1965 that Venus Wire was started as a trading company for stainless steel wires and wire rods. In 1990, it established its first production unit as an export-oriented house and within two years it started exporting its products to Europe, North America and parts of Asia. In 2002, the company set up a subsidiary precision metal unit with additional capacity for bright bars and in-house heat treatment facility.

What about your production infrastructure?

Our state-of-the-art manufacturing facility is situated at Atkargao, which is strategically located 40 km from India’s busiest sea port, Nhava Sheva, and 80 km from Mumbai. Infrastructure forms the backbone of any manufacturing business. As such, we have invested heavily in machinery, production technology and inspection equipment to meet customer and market needs.

What does the product portfolio consist of?

The company’s product portfolio comprises:

* Stainless steel fine wire; size 0.10 mm to 0.80 mm; applications for braiding, knitting and weaving.
* Stainless steel thick wire; size 0.90 mm to 22 mm; applications for wine yards, wool for automatic exhauster, shot wire, rope wire, roofing hook, balls, nails, brush wire, conveyor belts, pot handles, profiles, filter bag cages, wall ties, fasteners, etc.
* Stainless welding wires, including MIG wire, TIG wire, sub-arc wire, and core wire for electrodes. These are available in various package sizes and the applications cover welding for automotives, railways, nuclear power plants, boilers, etc., and
* Stainless steel bars; size 3 mm to 155 mm with such brands as Tru-Tuf, VSQ bars, FitMach and Solenoid quality bars; applications include propeller shafts, centrifugal pumps, pneumatic and hydraulics, valve stems, fuel injectors, and various other components for automotive, oil and gas, nuclear, food industries, etc.

The company offers almost all stainless steel grades possible in austenitic, martensitic, ferritic as well as duplex, super duplex and nickel alloy. It has approvals of ISO 9001:B5:B9 2008, PED AD 2000 Merkblatt W0, PED AD 2000-Merkblatt WO VdTUV Merkblatt 1153 ISO 14001:2004 +Cor.1:2009, BS OHSAS 18001:2007, ISO/TS 16949: 2009, ISO/IEC 17025 : 2005, AS 9100C: 2009, DB, CWB, CE marking (CPD) ASME Section III, NCA 3800, IBR, NPC, RDSO, and NABL.

What has helped you create a niche in exports?

Venus Wires exports products to over 50 countries with 95 per cent of its output shipped into North America and Europe. And we have never felt the need to establish a production facility in the US because although 8,000 miles away, we treat our customers as if they were down the street. We are not just a voice-operated, order-taking telephone system. We value humanity over business. Moreover, it is the ability to remain flexible at all times that has placed the company in this enviable position. We strive hard to be highly flexible in order to adapt to the specific needs of niche markets. Our engineers are always on hand, experimenting with special chemistries to match our customers’ desired specifications. To put it in short, we work with a global perspective.

How important is delivery on time?

One of our pillars of strength has been the company’s firm commitment to delivery on time. A primary concern for distributors, irrespective of the time difference, is prompt delivery. Aware of the long-distance trip its products must take, Venus Wires is always on high alert when it comes to packaging and delivery. The mill rigorously checks material quality to ensure order accuracy prior to shipment. Once a customer places the order with us, we take care of all other factors involved to complete the transaction. We deliver our goods right to their warehouse on flatbed trucks, exactly like a local supplier. Hence, for customers it’s as good as buying locally.

What is your growth expectation?

We have estimated growth of 10 per cent compared to the last financial year. India is predicted to be the fastest growing economy in 2016 and 2017. This growth will indeed help Venus Wire Industries grow as well. Further, in our opinion, the wire and cable industry in India will grow steadily in the forthcoming years. The country’s economy is growing rapidly, especially in the sectors of automotive, telecommunications and construction and all these together will be of immense advantage for the wire and cable industry.

– HUNED CONTRACTOR