As the name suggests TeFoc focused heavily on technology and ensure they enable various industries through technical advancements. TeFoc had identified leading textile machinery and accessories manufacturers and partnered with them for marketing their products to various textile spinning mills. In an exclusive chat with Textile Value Chain, P.Samuel Ravichandran from TeFoc speaks on his expansion plans.
Being a leading agency, how well you bridge the end-customer and the machine manufacturer?
Most of our suppliers/manufacturers are in foreign countries like Germany/Japan/Sweden/China. If the supplies are accessories/consumables/parts, we understand our customer’s requirement and import the critical items that is needed by our customers well in advance and make it easily available to them when the demand arises. This eliminates the difficult process for the customers to undergo the import process for urgent requirements.
If we have to club your products as per functions, what are the key categories you have your product portfolios? What are the key focus areas in the coming year?
Our current key Portfolios are in handling Doffing Robots / contamination remover- Machineries for spinning mills, travelers, waxes, cots, aprons, Cutters and Bearings -Accessories and consumables for spinning mills and finally we also focus majorly with hand tools, lifting Systems, power tools, v –belts.
Our focus are in the coming year would be consolidating the market for doffing robots, establishing a strong all – India market for lifting systems.
As a local face of the machine companies how you ensure the availability of products and it is delivered in the right time?
We uunderstand the requirement of customers thoroughly and plan well in advance for stocking. Another important aspect is the long term relationship we have with logistics firms. Shorter transporting times of products, even if it is supplied from as long as Sweden.
While technology is your key bread and butter, how you ensure training of the human resource operating the machines are conveyed?
We have technically qualified engineers of about 20 persons who are all trained by the manufacturers. The knowledge transferred from manufacturers reaches our customers through our on field engineers. This knowledge makes our customer to use the products precisely as it needs to be used and get the best benefits.
Post sale is a key function as a business is critical in many organizations. How well you ensure the basic aspects like turn-around-time are taken care in a proper way?
The close relationship that we have with our manufacturers and principals helps us to overcome, at short notice, to come out with solutions on any product related issues. This is one of the main reasons for our longevity of 11 years and our relationship with customers and principals.
Your organization being in the engineering industry also, how do you compare the relevance of the latest technology and its uses with the textile industry?
Hand tools, bearings and belts are as common in Textile spinning and weaving mills as in other industries. Our engineers who find new ideas in other industries exchange the idea and technology to our textile customer who update their maintenance systems to a higher level.
While the textile industry is going through a tough phase, what are the trends you notice in terms of investing in machines?
There are enough spinning capacities in India and because of over competitiveness the spinning sector has taken a hit and the movement of the yarn is slow. The mills with updated technology and without big dependence on banks will continue to be the strong players and will make investment in consolidating their position by purchasing machines for automation and reduce their dependence on scarcely available labour.
By- Swaminathan Balasubramanian
