Mr Rashmi Ranjan Mohapatra, National Sales Manager, Kemppi India, responded to the IPF questionnaire for this Special Section on Welding & Fabrication Technologies. Excerpts:

Welding is an important process for the engineering world. What are the products that you offer?

Kemppi is a specialist in 'Arc' welding. Our products are mainly MMA, MIG and TIG. At Kemppi it is not only selling of boxes - we offer a complete solution to the customer. Our offer is a mix of the equipment, software and services. Welding is a challenging process. This science changes into art with the welders. Kemppi addresses the challenges faced by welders. Our software takes care of the shortcomings of the welders making the welding a joyful one.

Our TIG machines are the best in their class. The next generation MIG machines are widely accepted in several industries. Our products are developed for specific needs of the customer, e.g., our SuperSnake is suitable for shipyards where the MIG gun can reach 30 metres from the power source and can be remote controlled at that point. "Human Touch" is the key word for us and it propels us for innovation. Our RDI is our main strength. We have been awarded for our designs. Our SuperSnake and FitWeld were conferred the Red Dot award in 2009. Our newly launched " Kemparc 253 R" was awarded the "If" design award in Europe in 2011.

The art and science of welding is constantly evolving. What are the latest developments?

The whole process of "welding' involves several activities. Each activity is important and goes on to make a proper weld. Kemppi is involved in each aspect of welding. Kemppi is a pioneer in inverter technology. We launched the inverter based Welding Machines way back in 1977.

From managing weld quality we have gone much forward to " Welding Quality Management". Our ArcQ system is a software for welding management. This is the first welding management system introduced in this field. Arc Q has several features: Web user interfaceNon conformance reporting Service reminder Comparison against WPS variable Weld related quality documentation, and Utilisation of welding fleet. It will be interesting to know that you can get these reports from any corner of the globe by connecting to the net.

What is the USP of Kemppi products? i. Suitable fit as per the welding need ii. Can be modified with the use of software for specific application iii. Uniform quality based on software iv. Upgradation of software/machine through data gun v. Welder friendly vi. Ergonomic, and vii. Power savings: our machines save 50% power in comparison with conventional machines.

What is the nature of Kemppi's operations in India? Any manufacturing activity or simply marketing?

Kemppi has been present in India for the last 40 years. It has a strong presence in most of the core sectors of the Indian economy. We had only one plant at Lahti, Finland, for almost 60 years. The second plant was built in Chennai, India to cater to the growing demands of Indian customers.

The plant in Chennai has been operational since April 2011. We started to manufacture our flagship brand "HiArc" Mig/Mag machine from the Chennai plant. We have added 30 products to our manufacturing line to provide the best to customers. This plant will also be the future manufacturing hub for South East Asia and Latin America.

Do you cater to the pan Indian market? How strong/effective is the after sales service?

We have been present across the Indian sub continent. Our products come with a global warranty of 2+ years. It goes on to prove the reliability of the equipment. All our dealers are capable of handling our equipment. It is backed up by a strong network of Sales and Service Engineers spread across the country.

Our products are suited for specific application and our strength has been our set of loyal customers.

How does the cost of ownership over the life cycle compare with competition?

As mentioned earlier, we do not merely sell the boxes - it is the total solution that sets us apart from the competition. A customer does not buy a Kemppi product - they actually acquiesce us. It means the customer acquiesce our competence on welding as a whole and not a part of it.

This goes on to prove that the cost of ownership is much lesser in comparison to the competition.

What is the company's history?

Kemppi started in Lahti, Finland, in 1949. We are the pioneers in "inverter technology". We have our own offices in 15 countries and are present in 90 countries. We have 700 people globally in Kemppi. We have introduced many new innovations to the market, pioneering the development of both the welding devices and productive welding solutions and services. Today, the company still relies on the same basic values that guided its operation for over 60 years. Entrepreneurship, innovation, honesty and respect for the individual are fundamental principles. Kemppi investment in research and product development place primary importance on the usability, technical quality and productivity of its products and comprehensive customer service.

What are the company's achievements?

Our product designs are well appreciated in the world. We have received the Red Dot design award in 2009 for our products FitWeld and SuperSnake. Our recently launched Kempact 253R was conferred the "IF Design Award" in 2012.

Any breakthrough product launch that made a difference?

Kemppi Research Development and Innovation team works very closely with the welders. Each aspect of welding is taken care of in our equipment and that is what makes the equipment a special one. The whole offering is quite different than the competition. Each offering from Kemppi has set a benchmark in the industry and we will keep continuing to do so.

The recent offering of ARC Q system is a completely new system in Welding Management. It is this spirit of Kemppi, which makes us strong in the market place.

How is the present business environment?

It has been very volatile during the last 12 months. The IIP has been through a lot of ups and downs. That makes the industry situation unpredictable. But with the latest change from RBI; the cash flow in the market is expected to ease up which will help the trading community. We also expect some policy changes in the Power Sector to put it back in the track. Welding is an allied industry - it is directly linked to infrastructure, power, shipyards etc.

However, at Kemppi India we had an excellent year in 2012. We have grown over 100% year on year and that is a huge bonus for the way we work and address our customer's concerns.

What are the future plans?

Kemppi India has grown very strongly in the last 2 years. This has prompted us to expand our product portfolio in India. We are adding at least 10 new offerings exclusively for the Indian sub-continent context. This will give us a bigger market to cater to. The future is exciting. The welding market and the industry is evolving. Kemppi will lead the change in welding.

(Rashmi Ranjan Mohapatra, Kemppi India, Chennai. Tel: 044-45671203. Email: rashmi.mohapatra@kemppi.com)