The company has planned several new projects in technological spheres like Industry 4.0, electro-mobility and renewable energy.
In an exclusive interview given to Wire & Cable India, Mr. Sandesh Bhagwat, Managing Director, LEONI Cable Solutions (India) Private Limited, talks about the company, product range and future goals.
Excerpts.
Wire & Cable India: With limited permission for commercial operations, how was the Founder’s Day celebrated at LEONI this year?
Sandesh Bhagwat: LEONI India completed its 7 years of operations on 6th May 2020, amid this Covid-19 pandemic situation. Leoni’s plant was operational with 35 people, with approval received from the government official. The pandemic team and our senior management played an important role in preparing for the re-ramp of the factory. The occasion was celebrated with the rest of the world through social media. We also gave an internal message to our employees and thanked them and their families for being an invaluable part of this success.
WCI: Could you tell us about the milestones that your company has achieved in the past seven years?
LEONI has its R&D headquartered in different plants across Europe and there are several new projects in technological spheres like the Industry 4.0, electro-mobility and renewable energy.
SB: LEONI India has been operational since 2013 in Pune. The company started its production for industrial projects in 2014 and for automotive wire and cable in 2015. For solar and railway products, LEONI India was operational with products being sourced from LEONI Switzerland. By 2014, LEONI India was certified under ISO 9001: 2008 certification. Soon, the company achieved another milestone in 2017 starting its EBEAM (electron beam radiation) operation for its local production of solar and railway cables. The company has its bucket filled with a number of product approvals: EIL approval since 2017, EAC approval in 2019, RDSO approval since 2019, IS 694 in 2019, etc.
WCI: How are your customers and channel partners supporting you during this difficult time?
SB: LEONI India, in the COVID-19 situation, has been receiving orders from its customers. LEONI has started its operation with appropriate government approvals and is pleased to support its customers by starting its supplies to domestic and international customers. Our first step was to fulfil the demand for export markets, as they were ready to accept products. With raw material supplies beginning and ramping up, LEONI is now supporting the demand of the Indian customers in pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, speciality products and oil and gas. We are proud that our channel partners supported our customers to fulfil their immediate needs due to the existing stocks. Our tight bond with the channel partners helped us in these testing times.
WCI: Could you tell us a little bit about your product range with special reference to your industrial cables?
Our focus is on the Indian market, and we are in line with the agenda of India to be local and provide maximum products manufactured through our state-of-the-art manufacturing facility at Pune.
SB: LEONI India ensures that every cable is a promise. Our tag line is “The Quality Connection” and our goal is reliability, which means delivering the right product at the right time and to have payback over the life cycle of the product. Our product range includes instrumentation, control cables, thermocouple cables, bus cables, fire survival, flexible cables, single-core cables, hybrid cables, fibre optic and data cables. Our industrial projects have the following industries in their market range: oil and gas (onshore), petrochemicals, chemicals, iron and steel, paper industry, cement, pharmaceuticals, water/wastewater management, food and beverages, automotive, and automation and speciality chemicals.
WCI: What new technological developments have taken place at LEONI in the last couple of years?
SB: LEONI has its R&D headquartered in different plants across Europe and there are several new projects in techno-logical spheres like the Industry 4.0, electro-mobility and renewable energy.
WCI: Could you tell us a little bit about your markets? Are you making efforts to make your presence stronger on the domestic and global markets?
The company’s offering in the future will also include intelligent cables, cable systems and components – something that is gaining importance particularly in the wake of digitalization and the development of fail-safe systems with a high level of connectivity.
SB: LEONI is a global provider of products, solutions and services for energy and data transmission in building industry, transportation, healthcare, data communication and networks, machinery and sensors as well as marine. The value chain encompasses wires, optical fibres, standardized cables, special cables and assembled systems as well as intelligent products and smart services. As an innovative partner and solution provider, LEONI supports its customers with pronounced developments and system expertise. Our focus is on the Indian market, and we are in line with the agenda of India to be local and provide maximum products manufactured through our state-of-the-art manufacturing facility at Pune.
WCI: What are your goals for the future?
SB: As a global supplier of wires, optical fibres, cables and cable systems, we have kept up with changes in an increasingly networked world for decades. This has turned us into an attractive partner and development supplier for many global industrial companies. LEONI pursues the aim of becoming a leading solutions provider of intelligent systems for the megatrends of energy transmission and data management. To achieve this goal, the company’s offering in the future will also include intelligent cables, cable systems and components – something that is gaining importance particularly in the wake of digitalization and the development of fail-safe systems with a high level of connectivity.
WCI: Is there anything else you would like to add?
SB: LEONI India’s world-class team will meet the objective of being local. It will also meet the needs of the Indian market.
