Maxmech: Industrial Sector on the Right Track

"We're confident that the industrial sector will be the key driver of economic growth in the country. Government initiatives like Make in India, Ease of doing business, Start up India, Digital India and Smart Cities, will provide further impetus to industries," avers B.R Gururaj, CEO, Maxmech in an interview with Maria R.

What factors, in your view, will drive growth of the industrial sector?
Riding high on the performance of manufacturing sector, the industrial sector in India has registered higher growth during 2015-16. The year witnessed a frenzied global economic environment with major economies showing signs of slowdown in growth. There has been similar scenario for Maxmech during this period; we were able to meet the assigned targets but with a lot of challenges conquered. Many policy measures taken by the government for creating an enabling environment for industrial growth have started showing their impact with increased FDI inflows, and better performance of the infrastructure sector. Landmark initiatives like Make in India, Ease of doing business, Start up India, Digital India and Smart Cities, etc will provide further impetus to industries, and the industrial sector is expected to be the key driver of economic growth in the country.

What are the competitive features of your product lines: Concrete and Road construction equipment?
The demand-supply scenario is always dynamic; customers buy our products because we are able to offer the right product or solution for a particular application and that is our USP. We believe in good engineered products backed by efficient after- sales service support. Buyers in the marketplace are being seen as far less sensitive to the price factor as was the case in the past. They are gradually becoming more value conscious, and demanding better technical attributes and assured comprehensive back-up technical support for the products and services acquired.

How has Maxmech promoted its brand? Are you providing customized solutions?
Maxmech is one of the leading construction equipment manufac- turing companies in India. Today, Maxmech serves a wide range of customers worldwide by providing unique range of premium products along with a network of excellent service providers. Maxmech's strong base is its product know–how, proven technology and engineering skills, which contribute towards delivering world-class equipment that are technically superior and cost-wise most economical. The company is actively involved in manufacturing of Concrete Batching Plant, Mobile concrete batching plant, transit mixers, Wet mix macadam plant, and Concrete line paver. Maxmech always seeks to develop the best technical solutions and market-oriented innovations convenient to customers. As a company, it is always proud of two things: delivering Innovative products and providing technical solutions to discerning customers. Over the years we have invested in our design team which stands out as the backbone of our company. Another unique feature is the confidence with which Maxmech offers after-sales-service. Customers can call 24 X 7 for any related query.

Many policy measures taken by the Government have started showing their impact with increased FDI inflows and better performance of the infrastructure sector.

How do you meet the cost competitiveness in the highly price-sensitive Indian market?
Based on your question, imagine that you're talking about mid-to-lower end consumer as they're very price-sensitive. You need to be cognizant of the fact that most of these consumers are focused on value. They may think your prices are high because they don't believe they're getting enough product/features for the cost. Before you slash prices, I would recommend first trying to offer additional value. Instead of selling one item, try selling two items as a bundled offering with a slight discount. This approach can be very helpful as the consumer is happy that they're getting more for their money. In addition, I would also gain an understanding as to what your competitors are offering this same customer. It's very difficult for the consumer to become comfortable with a product when they don't understand the company brand and the different price points. Remember, you always want to try to make the sales process as easy as possible.

What kind of training do you extend to your operators and other support service providers?
Well-trained and knowledgeable teams of plant operators are essential for a plant to run at maximum performance, to make longer the life of equipment, to minimize costly unscheduled maintenance resulting from operator error, and to maximize the profitability of the plant for years to come.

To help improve plant efficiency and reliability, Maxmech Service Support training Team offers total plant operations and maintenance assistance. Periodic repeat and refresher training is given to help ensure operators and other personnel maintain an acceptable level and depth of knowledge. Periodic training is also an effective means to keep personnel engaged and proactive. We have constructed an all-inclusive listing of courses to meet the training needs for both Operations and Maintenance staff. There is also an annual training program with a mix of On-Site Instructor Support and off-site advanced operations training. It is the employer's responsibility to ensure that the person operating is suitable in all respects.

What are your strategies to increase sales and strengthen product support?
Enterprise growth today is about more than making a sales number. It depends on providing a differentiated and consistent customer experience across sales, marketing and service, as well as taking advantage of all channels and routes to market to interact with customers. A little competition can be a healthy thing. It can also be both costly and disastrous if you aren't up to par with others in your particular business or industry. How you handle competition can be a direct link to the success or the failure of your company.

A closer look usually reveals that most have sized up their target markets and zeroed in on a unique approach to meet their customers' needs, values and expectations. Through important considerations like location, product, services and product features, we need to have a fresh spin, a new way to offer buying incentives that similar companies either can't or don't offer.

Strengthening after-sales support, we are leveraging our support to customers located in remote areas and also across the country. We constantly strive to Enhance Integration of Marketing, Sales and Service, Improve the interconnection between sales, marketing and service to provide a customer-centric and unified experience that maintains and grows the customer base.

Integrate internal processes and handoff points among the three functions. Improve the Customer Experience at Each Touch Point. Leverage each touch point to increase consistency across the customer experience. For example, enable marketing to turn information collected from social media monitoring into sales opportunities. If a customer posts negative feedback about the company on a social media site, alert customer service to proactively contact the customer. If that same person posts negative feedback about a competitor, pass along a potential lead for sales.