Torsa Machines: Promoting Sales through Value Addition

The notion behind Torsa Machines’ selling its products is through value addition as greatly exhibited in the equipment itself. Aimed with this the Company strongly made its presence felt at the mega construction equipment show, Excon 2005 recently at Bangalore, not to mention also through its opulent pavilion as well, acting as a crowd puller. The show was an important platform for Torsa to disseminate information about the utility of its crushing and sand plants and identify prospective buyers as well. In between this, Partha Pratim Basistha, from NBM&CW spoke in details to Mr. Manish Bhartia, Joint Managing Director, Torsa Machines Ltd. and Mr. Iain Walker, Export Development & Marketing Manager, CDE, Ireland, collaborating partners of Torsa Machines, to learn about the utility of the products and how both the companies would be promoting their value added products in the country in the long run.

The crushers manufactured by Torsa, added with the compact sand plant represents a complete unit, depicting value-added equipment in itself having multi utility applications. This is an innovative product (compact sand plant)that has been launched in India. How do you ensure that the product finds acceptance in the long run?
Ian Walker: In order to find that the products find acceptance in the long run, we are educating the prospective users highlighting about the utility of the product. The users have also been educated owing to the fact that the working of the product both the crushers and the sand plant is complex.

In order to disseminate the information, we are extensively interacting with prospective Indian dealers to pass on the information to customers. Torsa has been one of the identified dealers. Besides this, we are making point-to-point and face-to-face interaction with the prospective users, educating them about the utility of the products. For this we are identifying potential local representatives for which we had been travelling to important Indian cities. Besides this, we are increasingly participating in industry shows to impart information about our products. To promote the products we have contacted the British High Commission as well, which has prepared a project report for us. Though this is a first step for us in educating the customers and promoting the products with myself coming to India for the second time but with initiatives taken, we would soon streamline the process. As of now, particular in reference to the Excon show we have got three definite responses from prospective customers whom we have invited to UK to see our plants and the actual sites where the sand plants are working.

Since, there is a competition in the crushers market in India, what would be the USP on which you would bank upon selling the products?
Ian Walker: The essential USP on which we would bank upon to promote the products would be through highlighting the utility and enhanced characteristics of the products. This would be in terms of disseminating information to the customers highlighting the enhanced operational characteristics of the product comprising, capability to increase productivity along with capability to reduce environmental impact, user friendly characteristics, and enhanced product quality owing to advanced components, and genuine low cost of operation in terms of extended running time.

Which are the potential sectors in India for using your plant?
According to Walker and Bhartia the potential sectors comprises of iron ore sectors. This is because the machines which they are using as of now are not complete in terms of efficiency. The machines they are using has characteristics of gravity separator but what we are offering has characteristics of density separator for iron ore washing. This can increase the value of the iron ore significantly. But beyond this, there is other potential market available in the country that is for processing crushed rocks to make sand for concrete and building purposes.

What are your plans for indigenisation?
Say Walker and Bhartia: The indigenisation would take place once the demand in business matures to satisfactory levels. But as of now the components would be imported. However, it would be worth mentioning that till 2006–07 we would make the products indigenised as much as possible. In the process of indigenisation, Torsa would be much assisted by CDE through providing drawing support and other specifications—all to maintain the quality of the product.

Now in order to promote both the crushing and the sand washing plants among users through making finance option available, what has been the initiatives taken?
Bhartia: In order to make finance available for promoting the products we are in talks with SREI, Gremac. In tune with this in immediate future as we go into rentals it would be on the same category as Quipo has been doing.

Having identified the target segment, what would be the USP of your selling strategy.
The USP of our sales strategy would be that we would offer a total integrated rock and mineral processing solution which would comprise of crushing, screening and washing both to the construction sector or any mineral processing industry. Besides our USP would be our extensive dealer network spread across the country consisting both businessmen and consultants, people who are capable of undertaking turnkey projects from concept to commissioning of the crushers and sand washing plants, explains Manish Bhartia.