LEADERSHIP in MODERN WAREHOUSING
The Bengaluru-based Maini Group has its presence in Material Handling Equipment since nearly three decades and in the Warehousing segment for nearly a decade. The market in India for these products is still evolving, promising a vast potential and an exponential growth. Maini Materials Movement enjoys leadership position in certain product segments, while it is aiming to be among the top 3-5 players in the remaining ones. The company is in a unique position of being able to cater to almost every product required by the Warehouse segment for Material Storage & Movement.
An innovator all through, Maini Materials Movement designs and manufactures complete range of Materials Handling Equipment and Electric Buggies used for In-Campus Transportation. Maini has a strategic alliance with Nacco Material Handling Group, USA for manufacture of Forklifts and High Reach Trucks in India co-branded as Yale-Maini. On the other hand, Armes Maini Storage Systems is a JV between Maini and Ferretto Group, Italy. The latter manufactures Storage Racking & Shelving Systems designed as per European standards and codes. Maini is in the news for being the first materials handling company to have launched a customer engagement program by kick-starting the so called Maini Express which goes places and to customers across the length and breadth of the country. Mr. P.K. Balasubbramaniian converses with Mr. S.A. Mohan, CEO, Maini Materials Movement to fathom the spirit of innovation of this trailblazer and map its journey forward in the fascinating materials handling space. Excerpts:
Q. Maini is known for its pioneering efforts and innovations in materials handling. The launch of Maini Express is one such. Could you elaborate on this unique initiative?
Maini Express is a mobile experience centre showcasing comprehensive materials handling and warehousing solutions. It is a first-in-the-industry campaign, primarily to help customers choose the right materials handling equipment & storage products for increased efficiency and productivity of their manufacturing facility and warehouse. Maini Express was formally launched and flagged-off on 24th August 2015 from Hero MotoCorp, Gurgaon Plant by Mr. Vikram Kasbekar – Head of Operations & Supply Chain. Mr. Sandeep Maini – Chairman, Maini Group, Rajesh Wazarkar – MD, NACCO Materials Handling Group (NMHG) India, Senior Management Team from Hero MotoCorp Ltd. and Maini Materials Movement were present during the launch event. This initiative is expected to strengthen Yale Maini brand in the Material Handling & Warehousing segment. The objective is to reach out to companies located in Industrial hubs in secondary and tertiary cities and towns across the country. The route plan will cover 50 cities/towns and over 200 Industrial hubs.
Q. How is the campaign picking up and what‘s the element of excitement seen in the prospects?
At present, Maini Express has travelled to 33 cities in North India and Gujarat covering more than 100 industrial hubs. The response has been very positive and encouraging.
Q. What are the products demonstrated?
The highlight of this initiative is display of our complete range of Materials Handling & Warehousing Equipment – Electric Stacker, Battery Operated Pallet Truck, Tow Truck, Hydraulic Hand Pallet Truck and Yale Electric Forklift Truck. The display of products will increase awareness of our offerings and allow decision makers, users, etc. to understand our products better. Visitors are encouraged to avail special spot booking deals.
Q. This is a thoughtful move by you to engage not only the customer but also your regional offices and channel partners! Right?
Absolutely. One of the major objectives of Maini Express campaign is to strengthen our ‘Customer First’ approach and instigate trust in our prospective customers. Product demonstrations are a regular expectation by the customer. This campaign facilitates the same with participation of all the stake holders including our channel partners and sales team.
Q. You seem to be offering virtually everything for in-plant materials handling. What next?
We continue to offer appropriate solutions with lowest total cost of ownership to the market. As the volume of sku’s to be handled within very short periods of time increase significantly, newer solutions will evolve around automation. Maini along with its partners have access to latest technology products to meet upcoming demand for such products. Maini is looking at expanding into different market segments and geographies over the next 2-3 years to grow inorganically. Investments in modernizing Airports, Sea-Ports etc., are interesting areas for us to provide suitable products.
Q. What’s the success rate and penetration of in-campus electric buggies in the manufacturing sector?
Zero emission, Zero wastage and Zero Pollution are the buzz words when it comes to environment sustainability. Enterprises with very large campuses are increasingly adopting eco-friendly initiatives. This forms part of social responsibility. Going green has been on the agenda for most companies. We observe this as one of the fastest growing trends wherein Electric Buggies are being deployed within their premises. There is a very large latent demand, which can be tapped into through increased awareness among the different users. We, as a leading brand in this space for over 12 yrs, are focused on positioning electric vehicles as perfect enhancement to hotels, resorts, zoos, public parks, corporate campuses, railway stations, government premises and many such unconventional spaces.
Q. What’s the difference you have made to cold storage warehousing?
We have special products which are designed for Cold Storage Warehouses. We work with customers and their consultants very closely to understand business requirements, based on which we propose appropriate products. Modern Cold Store Warehouses prefer Double-deep stacking for both cold and room temperature based product storage which allows FILO (First in Last Out) methods of storage and retrieval. Yale Double Deep Reach Trucks are designed specifically for demanding applications with high travel speeds and higher lift heights. These products are offered with sit-on, lean-on or stand-on options. Double-deep reach trucks reach twice as deep and can handle two pallets from the same side of the aisle leading to improved accessibility, besides saving up to 30% floor space
Q. Any new development in Armes Maini Storage Systems?
Armes Maini Storage Systems is a JV between Maini Group and Ferretto Group, Italy. In this company, we offer end-to-end warehousing solutions comprising Standard/Heavy Duty Pallet Racks, Multitier Shelving Systems, Long Span Mezzanine Structures, Vertical Lean Lifts, Radio based Shuttle Systems and Automatic Storage & Retrieval Solutions. We have established ourselves as a preferred warehousing partner to leading e-commerce and automotive companies. In the past three years, the warehouse infrastructure build has grown from 2-3M sft to over 6M sft annually. Leading developers are entering this space with Modern Warehouses to cater to increasingly higher demands of various industry segments. The spaces are being built with better ventilation, lighting, fire protection and other safety systems, resulting in employee-friendly ambience. The external spaces are being planned with larger areas dedicated for easy and safe movement of trucks / containers with proper docking / parking facilities. With the growth in e-com space and need of robust supply chain process, optimum storage solution plays an important role in this customer driven industry. We have been successful in providing appropriate solutions to our customers across various segments.
Q. You are a thought leader in materials handling. What are the perceptible changes you have found in the mindset of the customers in recent times?
We have observed incremental changes in deployment of Materials Handling Equipment. Although the adoption rate can be much higher, the change itself has to be driven by a few important external factors. Size and scale play an important role in deployment of Materials Handling Equipment to justify the investment, besides improving people safety and productivity. We believe implementation of GST will drive size and scale of warehouse infrastructure. This in turn is expected to increase volumes for our industry. The other significant change observed is on labour arbitrage. With rapidly increasing costs of labour and decreased availability of right kind of labour, customers are open to review automation ideas. This is a positive change in the mindset which over next five years may gain significant momentum.
Q. Could you elaborate on your quality focus that permeates all your activities and functional areas?
We are committed to a policy of total quality in all aspects of our operations. We manufacture our products to deliver performance excellence through defect prevention and continuous improvement programmes to meet and exceed customer requirements. All employees are trained to understand the requirement of quality standards, regardless of their function as quality affects every aspect of the business. Every employee is mentored on the importance of quality in their role, to ensure that our customers receive ‘high quality’ products and services. We believe that achievement of an International Quality Standard is not a single event but an on-going commitment, which remains a continual obligation. Maini Materials Movement Pvt Ltd is accredited with ISO 9001-2008 by TUV Nord for our Integrated Quality Management System
Q. Strong values underpin successful businesses. What are your core values?
Our business strategy & brand philosophy is “Value delivered. Always.” We strive to offer the right solutions to our customers and ensure that they work always at the lowest total cost of ownership. Our commitment to after- market services are one of the best in the industry. This has helped us build very strong and long lasting relationships with our customers over the past 2 decades.
Q. Could you reflect on the trends in materials handling and its future prospects in India?
The present market size of MHE industry in India is estimated to be around Rs. 23 billion (approx.), growing annually at 10%. The current size is less than 5% of China’s annual market size by volume. This simply means very high growth potential over the next 5 to 10 years. The trend will be a combination of traditional equipment being deployed in larger numbers along with certain tasks in a warehouse being automated. Safety & Reliability of Materials Handling Equipment will become order of the day at most companies.
Q. What’s your roadmap for Maini to take it ahead as a trendsetter in this dynamic industry?
We are a well established player in the market with proven track record over the past 20 years. We will build on this strength to offer reliable products and services as the markets evolve with newer demands. Our endeavour will be to proactively understand customers’ changing requirements and fulfilling them on an on-going basis.
