‘Make in India’ will bolster growth for Indian manufacturers

The present crisis has increased the consciousness of the people on safety issues in general, said Saurabh Goel, President, Havells India. Expressing his optimism, he said, the government’s ‘Make in India’ initiative will bolster growth and create further opportunities for Indian manufacturers like Havells.

What will drive the growth of your Switchgear business beyond 2020?
With electrification reaching near 100 percent in the country and also given the fact that the prevalence of conventional fuses to the tune of nearly 40 percent even now, we are confident of the ever increasing need for quality switchgears in the country for the foreseeable future. The present crisis has also increased the consciousness of the people on safety issues in general; this too should lead to increased demand for safety gadgets like MCB and RCCBs amongst the general populace.

Despite challenges, how is your company turning the tide in its favour?
COVID-19 pandemic has ravaged the socio-economic developments globally. The pandemic has in many ways changed the way we work, the way we interact or even the way we go about our everyday lives. With this new normal around us, Havells being a responsible corporate citizen adhered to the government guidelines during the lockdown. We resumed operations in a calibrated manner to fulfil the demand for both – domestic essential sector, as well as exports sector. We ensured that our manufacturing units and offices complied with all necessary social distancing precautions. We were the first ones in our industry to come out with a detailed work-from-home policy which benefitted our employees tremendously.

Realising that lockdown would have an adverse impact on the spirits of a highly charged work force, we utilised their time with almost 10,000 man-hours of technical training sessions on MS Teams for our sales force and also for our channel partners. Havells, being a highly partner-oriented company, we ensured that we were constantly in touch with our dealers, distributors and customers to check on their health and to allay their fears if any.

Since Havells has been investing in technology since decades, this proved to be a clear differentiator during the pandemic. Be it technology for connecting with employees, sales management, supply chain or for manufacturing management, Havells has always been a thought leader in the electrical or consumer industry. We also infused digital mode for addressing customer demand, by launching unique Online to Offline model, where consumers could place order on Havells web portal which gets serviced by nearest dealer on a real time basis.

We gather from industry sources that the penetration of ELCBs is very poor, even in metropolitan cities. What is your view and how can the situation be remedied?
One of the most overlooked devices in household is an Earth Leakage Circuit Breaker or ELCB. Despite being the only device which on detecting current leakage anywhere in the circuit, immediately switches off the circuit (or the device, as the case may be) and thus prevents electrical shock thereby saving precious human life, nearly 80-90 percent of homes today, do not have one. Many state governments or DISCOMs on their part have taken the right step and have made ELCB compulsory, before they provide electrical meter connectivity for either residential of commercial usage.

As our dependencies on electrical devices increases, the role of ELCBs in homes plays a critical role in ensuring safety from current leakage. Most households deploy MCB (Miniature Circuit Breakers) to ensure protection of electrical appliances or devices from short circuit and current overload. However, MCB alone does not ensure safety from leakage of current (or from electrical shock), for that ELCB is essential. Consumers spend time, effort and money to ensure loved ones are safe and secure but often ignore a very important aspect- protection against leakage current. This ignorance leads to frightening results, which in many cases can also lead to loss of human life.

Havells remain dedicated to long standing thought leadership and commitment towards electrical safety. In line with this, we have introduced downstream protection devices (residual current protector in adaption and plug orientation). These devices can be easily installed to safeguard user with appliances like washing machine, water cooler, microwave, laptop etc. It is important to take ‘collective responsibility’ by safeguarding circuitry, appliances and inhabitants with the adoption of protection devices like ELCB/RCCB.

What are the current trends and innovations impacting the Indian wire and cable industry?
India, being one of the fastest growing economies in the world, is also a witness to an immense change in infrastructure with more and more advanced vertical building concepts and newer technologies. The evolving infrastructural and technological growth is powered by electricity. Therefore, this will augment new trends in the wire and cable industry.

Wires and cables industry in India has been witnessing trends such as the increasing sales of HVDC power cables. The benefits of HVDC cables are reduced transmission losses, lightweight and dimensions. HVDC cables such as HVDC underground cables and HVDC light cables play an indispensable role in long-distance and high-voltage power transfer and in submarine power transmission. Rural electrification is another factor which has spurred the demand of electric wire and cables in India.

We are optimistic that the government’s ‘Make in India’ initiative will bolster growth and create further opportunities for Indian manufacturers like Havells.

Being a leading FMEG company, what steps is Havells taking in increasing awareness around electrical safety in the country?
Havells India always been a thought leader in espousing the cause of electrical safety and we have taken various steps to reinforce the need for the same. We have constantly provided training to electricians in order to promote electrical safety. We have also signed several MoUs with DISCOMs, widespread consumer interaction through RWA/IWA(s) etc, where our technical personnel explain the advantages of using right quality protective equipment, for the safety of both – their equipment and their precious lives.

Keeping the safety of consumers in India, Havells India and Tata Power-DDL signed a MoU to strengthen the distribution of electrical protection devices called Residual Current Circuit Breaker (RCCB) in North and North-Western regions of Delhi. The association helped us sensitize consumers on the need to incorporate best in class protection devices in their homes and together we ensured that consumers are aware of the use of Earth-Leakage or Residual Current Circuit Breaker (ELCB/RCCB) through Tata Power-DDL Customer Care Centers.

To reiterate the messaging around consumer safety we recently launched our campaign #ShockKaVaccination, in a bid to promote electrical safety through its RCCB product range, urging consumers to install circuit protection devices to protect themselves and their family from electrical shocks. The digital film visually emphasizes on the risk of an electric shock in the absence of RCCB a very simple yet vital device which should be a part of every home.

We resumed operations in a calibrated manner to fulfil the demand for both – domestic essential sector, as well as exports sector.
Saurabh Goel, President, Havells India