HARTING : Embracing innovation with technology expertise
Mr. Girish Rao – CEO, HARTING India
Q. HARTING has specialization in the fields of electrical, electronic and optical connection and has performed consistently in the last few years. How do you foresee the future of the manufacturing industry?
In the last 5 years the global trend has been that manufacturing footprint is shifting to Asian countries to support OEM/EMS Assembly. HARTING has been very proactive in this area and has built up its strategy in Asian Competition. The company has manufacturing set up in Zhuhai, South China since 1998. The group owns 20,000 sqm with facilities of Supply Chain, Logistics, Training, Research & Development Centre for Asia. We have already made some investments in Chennai for manufacturing & logistics facility & are already looking to expand it now. Industry is already gearing up to version 4.0. Products are getting smaller, smarter & modular in nature. HARTING as a company is ready for this challenge & we have an exciting range of products that meets Industry 4.0 standards
Q. Please brief us about company’s global reach & what are the global alliances that have been made in order to out-front the competition?
The HARTING Technology Group is global market leader in the field of electrical and electronic connection technology. We have used our skills to develop customized solutions and products such as connector for energy and data transmission applications for e.g. mechanical engineering, transportation technology, wind energy plants or factory automation. HARTING also produces electromagnetic components for automobile industry and offers solutions in the field of enclosures and Shop Systems. Our greatest strength has been our willingness to embrace new ideas combined with expertise in transforming ideas into reality. We have 37 wholly owned subsidiaries in the world & have an active presence in all major countries. Our corporate tag line is ‘People. Power. Partnership’ we religiously follow this. Our main partners are our customers & all our innovations / solutions are a result of our partnership with our customers.
Q. What are the market prospects for the HARTING products in India and how do you plan to position these products?
Solutions form HARTING triad –Installation Technology, Device Connectivity and Automation IT – focus on harsh and demanding industrial applications where quality and reliability plays a very important role The electric connectors are used for power and control applications with currents and voltage from 4A – 650A, 24V – 5kV and up to 216 contacts. The electronic range covers D-Sub, Micro TCA, DIN 41612 and hard metric connectors. Network components comprise cable assemblies and Ethernet Switches includes eCon & mCon. Backplane applications for telecom, medical, military and transportation can be designed and manufactured according to customer requirements. HARTING has been successful in securing business from railways in rolling stock / signaling applications. In renewable sector we have played a major role in providing complete solutions to large wind turbines. You will also find our products in machinery & robotics.
Q. How do you asses the performance of Indian manufacturing industry against other sectors of the economy?
If we see the last 3 years, indeed there was a slowdown in manufacturing sector. But with the coming of a new Government and enhancing its policy of Make in India, I am sure there will be a tremendous growth opportunity for Corporate MNC giants to invest in India in the Infrastructure related projects which will fuel growth in manufacturing sector.
Q. What are the key factors that are driving the growth of connection & transmission industry in India?
The key factors that are driving the connectivity market are the growth of power, transportation, automation, and capital goods sectors. The success of these factors also depends upon availability of finance and policies by the Government.
Mr. Girish Rao Showing HARTING Product
Q. However the Indian market is competitive, what are the strategies that have been implemented by HARTING in terms of marketing & product development to counter the competition?
HARTING India is very strong with a range of heavy duty rectangular connectors, DIN 41612 Euro range, interface connectors such as D-Sub or SEKs. In addition to this we are getting very aggressive in Ethernet based components and RFIDs. Furthermore we expect high volumes from HIS (HARTING Integrated Solutions) and value added business. The Group basically plans to keep focus on target markets and specialized market segments including Transportation, Energy, Automation, and Machinery. Therefore it is necessary for us to keep improving our performance and stay close to our customers and understand their requirements. As we claim that we provide best solutions to our customers, it is very important for our sales force to be fully trained with the technical knowhow of the products.
Q. What are the opportunities &challenges for Indian products in the global market?
Indian industry has the capability to become manufacturing hub for the world market. Our strength lies in medium volume production, high degree of customization, great capacity to absorb new technology and an open culture. We need to move away from ‘Jugaad Culture’ of India. The Indian industry can focus on high technology, medium volume products and build world class base for industrial products. The industry should secure a consistent high level of quality of their products for domestic and global markets. We need to bring high level of automation in our manufacturing sector in order to get high level of consistent quality. We should accept the fact that good products come with a cost.
Q. What are HARTING’s future plans & are there any new products that will be introduced in near future to compete with other manufacturers?
The goal of HARTING Technology Group is to achieve even better performance, make processes and workflows even more efficient and deliver added value for the benefit of our customers.
Our vision is:
- We want to shape the future with technologies for people
- We want to become a global company
- We want to create values for people
Q. Please highlight the Indian &Global perspective of connection & transmission industry?
The markets worldwide are looking forward to increasing capacity of power connections and transmission using less material over long distances with reduced losses,. These requirements will create demand for a new generation of products based on those parameters. Also it will be continuous challenge for Indian industry to invest in R&D for high performance products to be on par with global standards.
Q. What are the key technological trends that are driving connection & transmission industry?
I feel that Miniaturization, Modularization, Decentralization, and Hybridization are the key technological trends that are driving the industry. Miniaturization trend has been obvious for a long time. Modularization gives customer an opportunity to create products according to their needs. Decentralization of controls and function improves efficiency of system. Hybridization involves utilization of different media in one product to save on multiple connections. HARTING is developing products on these lines.
Q. According to you what are the factors affecting the connection & transmission product manufacturing business?
Change in trends of business creates new demands. Environmental protection has become a global concern and this has led to driving demand for renewable energy – water management, solar energy, wind energy applications, recycling plants. This will require new types of electrical and electronic systems. On the other hand prices of metals and type of metals which are eco-friendly will change the materials that can be used in manufacturing bases due to demands and cost of manufacturing.
Q. In Your opinion what are the initiatives that all manufacturers needs to take up to equip for the future?
Manufacturers need to ensure that they are supplied with high quality material to ensure that their customers get high quality products. In general we are good; however companies need to set up global standards to secure high level quality based on customer needs. They have to watch market trends and technological advances and upgrade themselves. HARTING Technology Group has been using this approach for the last seven decades.
