FLUKE: DISTENDING GROWTH REALM
Q. FLUKE India has gained credible market share in test & measurement technology industry, how did FLUKE India manage this significant growth?
Fluke worldwide has been launching innovative products designed to solve customer problems. All Fluke products stress on Portability, Ruggedness, Reliability & safety. Our products are considered as a standard in the industry. Each of our highly experienced & well trained team members along with strengthened distribution network creates value based transactions depending on customer pain points, applications & various trouble shooting methods. Today’s smart customers often want Integrated Package Solutions rather than just stand-alone products & Fluke with its Industrial & Calibration solutions has been able to offer that quite successfully with consistent growth.
Q. Can you brief us about global network & activities of Fluke?
Fluke is basically in to electrical test and measurement tools. We provide solutions to all measurements in electrical systems. Professionals all over the globe reach for Fluke tools, confident in their rugged & reliable design and high performance. These are the tools they depend on to keep their world up and running. Fluke has manufacturing facilities in the USA, China and Europe and is directly present in more than 21 countries around the world and distributors in more than 100 countries.
Q. How about FLUKE India’s initiatives in test & measurement technology space? Which are your focus areas?
Delivering a smart product with latest technology is quite a challenge and Fluke takes pride for being extremely successful in bringing out cutting-edge innovative solutions all throughout. While the upcoming technologies like cloud, software-as-a-service, wireless technology, etc. are poised to play a key role in each segment, Fluke is making sure to embed suitable technology to make smart products that offer better solutions & higher productivity. The soon to be launched “Fluke Connect” backs that statement! Our focus segments in India are Energy, Manufacturing sector, Infrastructure, Government & Defense.
Q. What are the market opportunities for FLUKE products in India? How do you plan to position these products?
As such Fluke products can be used by every industry. However, we closely focus on some strong segments like “Energy” where a lot of educational work needs to be done. Shortage of power is a long time issue in India & with the Make in India initiative, the availability of power for urbanization of rural areas becomes a big question. Fluke has been consistently working towards identifying energy waste in the transmission & distribution network. Our “Energy” vertical team exclusively focuses on providing solutions that help customers to improve the power quality and use it more efficiently.
Despite current softness, with the “Make in India” initiative, manufacturing segment is destined to top the priority list in the coming days for most of the companies in India. For Fluke India, manufacturing will surely be a key focused segment, with solutions built around safety, preventive maintenance and energy efficiency serving as the key differentiator vis-à-vis competition.
Parallel to this, we also plan to penetrate in white space & geographies where we haven’t gone before with our well segmented “Low-Touch transactional” & “High-Touch” products. Low touch products are channeled through a national distributor while our expert business development team generates value based qualified funnel for the High touch products.
Q. What is your marketing strategy for Indian market?
Our Marketing strategy is to create awareness among the customer by educating them on various topics like essential tools, troubleshooting & safety parameters, etc. by enrolling them under our “Fluke Club” platform where they learn about suitable products under customized ongoing campaigns like Predictive Maintenance, Energy Efficiency, Tool Belt & Electrical Safety. Fluke Club has gained tremendous response & acceptance from the end customers & has a member base in thousands & counting.
Q. Can you please elucidate the contribution of R&D in the success of FLUKE India products?
Fluke has been very aggressive when it comes to Research and Development which is highly based on customer & market feedback. Most Fluke products are launched worldwide but there are few products customized exclusively for some Countries based on usage & application. The vision is to provide world class technology for precision measurement needs & soon to be launched innovative products like “Fluke Connect” will display customer centric R&D expertise of Fluke
Q. Brief us about the quality policy for the business?
Each Fluke product undergoes high level of international rugged & accuracy test before it is made available in the market & that’s what makes Fluke products known for being Rugged, Reliable & Accurate ! We often come across customers using same Fluke units for over 15 to 20 years
Q. Can you brief us more about FLUKE India’s top line product range?
Our top product lines are Digital Multimeters, Power Quality Analyzers, Process Calibration Tools and Thermal Imaging Cameras. We provide a variety of Digital Mutlimeters with high accuracy to cater to all segments of the customers. Fluke Power Quality Analyzers are designed to meet CLASS A accuracy standards and helps customers to measure and log all power quality parameters in a single portable tool. Fluke Process Tools feature a high level of accuracy required by the process technicians and calibration engineers and provide flexibility of all process parameters measurements and calibration. Fluke has been making significant investment in the Technology of Thermography which helps maintenance professionals to identify problems before a failure occurs. We have a wide range of products available to meet all customer needs. Fluke recently launched the highest resolution Thermal Imaging camera available globally.
Q. What do you think are the strengths of Indian test & measurement technology industry & how it is positioning itself against the global market?
Over the years, test and measurement (T&M) equipment has grown in significance, reflecting the critical role it plays in any industry, right from research and development (R&D) to production and services. Despite this, the T&M industry has somehow remained out of the spotlight in India. However, the growing emphasis on the quality of products and services delivered, as well as the need for accuracy and timely results, is driving the growth of the T&M equipment market in India. The increasing R&D activity across various industries is also expected to further augment the growth of the Indian T&M market
Q. Please highlight Global perspective of test & measurement technology industry and what is the differentiating factor?
The Engineering test and measurement equipment market is expected to witness a significant growth. Some of the major market drivers include the increasing demand for electronic products and the rising need for test and measurement equipment for use in semiconductor devices. The high cost of production and increasing competition among vendors are some of the major challenges faced by the market. One of the emerging trends in the Global Test and Measurement Equipment market is the wireless connectivity of test and measurement equipment. Fluke Connect, a technology that not only links handheld instruments to smartphones but also lets iOS 7 or Android 4.4 phones share measurement data anywhere in the world through an app.
Q. What are the key technological trends that are driving test & measurement technology industry?
The Indian industry is witnessing a key trend of increased quality-consciousness, lean processes and inclination towards energy savings. The realization that energy saved can be turned into profit is growing with time. Also, increased awareness to reduce environmental impact, for example, through controlled industrial emissions, is expected to have an impact on the test equipment market.
Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE), under the Ministry of Power, India recently introduced Perform Achieve Trade (PAT) scheme with an aim to reduce energy consumption in industries across India. BEE has notified every industry falling under this scheme about their energy efficiency targets. To implement this scheme, every industry has to appoint an energy audit cell to keep a track on its progress towards energy efficiency targets. Several industries are now achieving compliance to their industry-specific norms. This in-turn calls for the need of more accurate, precise and robust test & measuring technology. In other developed countries, several industry norms are already in place and industries comply with the same. However, in India, it is just the beginning.
Q. According to you what is the forecast for the test & measurement technology industry?
With IIP at 3 to 4 % & GDP at about 7%, the Test and measurement industry in India is expected to grow at an average rate of 10 to 12% per annum. Key factors for the growth will be increased investment in R&D, increased quality-consciousness, lean processes and inclination towards energy savings.
Q. According to you, what are the factors affecting your business?
The key factor affecting our growth over last 18 ~ 24 months is surely the overall macro-economic situation in the country. In general, the factors which remain integral to us at any up or downturns of the economy are:
- Heavy influx of imports, especially low-value products
- Misperception about the use of T&M instruments
- Lack of qualified, trained maintenance personal
- Price-sensitive customers and hence price constraints
- High initial investments
Q. What are the issues you need to address that are related to test & measurement industry?
Key issues related to Test and Measurement industry that need to be addressed include
- Regulations on the quality of power in industry
- Awareness and Implementation of electrical safety standards
