Originating in the year 1981, Nirmal Wires (P) Ltd. is one of well-renowned names in the industry which is fulfilling the requirements of high-quality industrial products. Nirmal Wires’ product range consists of GI wires, welding electrodes, aluminum conductors, galvanized stranded wires, galvanized steel wires, high carbon steel wire, deformed steel bars, and others. By exceeding customers’ expectations with their products and services, Nirmal Wires has maintained healthy relations with its wide range of customers. In a recent conversation with Mr. Nirmal Saraf, Managing Director, Nirmal Wires Private Limited, spoke about the company’s history and journey, specialized product portfolio, recent developments, views on the Indian and global stainless steel wire industry, ongoing challenges in the Indian stainless steel wire industry and solutions to the challenges.
Wire & Cable India: Could you please take us through the business journey, milestones and achievements of your company?
Nirmal Saraf: Our journey began in 1971 with Shri Ramautar Saraf at the helm. Fueled by the spark to create the best quality steel products in West Bengal he established a small wire drawing unit under the corporate entity Central Store Supplies (P) Limited incorporated in 1942. After many years of hard labor and facing multifarious challenges, he kept the flame alive, and in 1985 put up a steel wire galvanizing plant under the corporate entity Nirmal Wires Private Limited incorporated in 1981. He handed over the torch, kindled by him, to his sons Mr. Nirmal Saraf, Mr. Raman Saraf and Mr. Piyush Saraf. In a few years, we had established a flourishing business in the steel products industry mainly steel wires and rolled products. The torch burning brighter than ever before was handed over to the third generation of leaders: Mr. Varun Saraf, Mr. Prateek Saraf, Mr. Vidyut Saraf and Mr. Parag Saraf. They have carried the torch far and wide and are now meeting customer needs in over 40 countries around the globe.
Moving from one milestone to another, we have now expanded our product range to over 100 SKUs of different products including galvanized and black steel wires, aluminum conductors, ribbed wires, welding electrodes and hot rolled steel products. Some of our wires and their vast applications include- wires for producing umbrella ribs, various types of springs, wires for earthing, wires of staying, armoring of cables, and concrete re-enforcement wires. These wires are used in transmission, distribution and generation of power, security and protection, fencing, general engineering, automotive, amongst others.
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WCI: Brief us about your specialized products along with their USPs.
NS: We have an expansive product range of over 100 SKUs of different products including galvanized and black steel wires, ribbed steel wires, welding electrodes, aluminum conductors and hot rolled steel products. Some of our wires and their vast applications include- wires for producing umbrella ribs, various types of springs, wires for earthing, staying, armoring of cables, and concrete re-enforcement.
One of our newest products is Niznal™, a zinc aluminium alloy coated wire, that redefines strength, durability, and reliability. Niznal™ is a high-performance wire made from a special alloy of zinc and aluminum, which gives it superior corrosion resistance and durability compared to a traditional galvanized wire. It provides up to 6 times longer life (as compared to a standard GI wire) and therefore lower product lifecycle cost.
We have also launched ASTM class B and class C zinc coated wires. These provide a heavy coating of 850 gms, with maximum durability and enhanced corrosion protection. These heavy coated wires are designed for use in harsh and corrosive environmental conditions (eg: salty and moist atmosphere near seashores.) We stand out in the wire and cable industry as a holistic solutions provider. We don’t just guarantee product quality; we guarantee extensive after-sales service, and a robust customer feedback collection system to further our customer-first commitment.
WCI: What have been the recent developments at your organization and what are your future growth plans?
NS: Some of our recent developments have been the production line that was designed, installed, and commissioned in house for our newest product NiznalTM. We are immensely proud of all the work put in by our technical team to successfully launch this product. Along with this we have also developed ASTM class B and class C zinc coated wires as well as high-speed wire drawing processes. Future product offerings include zinc wires, zinc aluminum wires, low relaxation prestressed concrete wires and patented steel wires. Along with this we are constantly working in R&D on ways to make our production process more sustainable, galvanizing without the use of acids and flux, and ways to increase efficiency and thus capacity.
“ With the growth of the steel industry, there’s a huge push towards value addition and enhanced quality which matches internationally acceptable quality standards. This enables the manufacture of international quality steel wire and wire products which throws open a wide market nationally and internationally for us. ”
WCI: Please share your views on the Indian vis-a-vis the global stainless steel wire industry. What is the role of the Indian government in the growth of this sector?
NS: With the growth of the steel industry, there’s a huge push towards value addition and enhanced quality which matches internationally acceptable quality standards. This enables the manufacture of international quality steel wire and wire products which throws open a wide market nationally and internationally for us. Such opportunities were so far not accessible to the steel wire and wire products industry due to paucity of raw materials of proper quality. Consequently, the growth in the steel wire and wire products industry will be greater than the growth in the steel industry itself. However, the downstream industry will have to meet the challenge of producing world class products and more importantly providing world class services along with them. The Indian government needs to encourage the production of value-added products by various measures. Primarily, the availability of world class raw materials at international FOB prices so that the downstream industry can compete in global markets.
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WCI: What are the major ongoing challenges in the Indian stainless steel wire industry?
NS: Some of the major ongoing challenges in the Indian steel wire industry are unsteady availability of steel wire rods of proper quality, less to no awareness of potential products and its potential uses in different infrastructure projects and agriculture, housing, horticulture, non-availability of state-of-the-art process technology to ensure quality of finished products and cost economics, as well as the fragmented nature of the industry, with a major chunk of the players are small and scattered, making it difficult to come together.
WCI: How can these challenges of the industry be addressed? How is your company contributing towards this transition?
NS: The biggest challenge faced by the steel wire industry at large is the availability of steel wire rods, and for this to change primary producers need to increase production, moderate prices, and focus on quality production. Along with this the steel wire industry needs to modernize process technology and work on gathering the best skilled labor and machinery to produce top quality products. This supplemented by ample marketing and awareness of products can help push the industry to greater heights. We, as a company, are working towards accessing raw material from the best in the country and we have made ourselves present on all public forums to make sure we are accessing the best quality of raw material. We also prioritize accessing top technology from the best in the world supplemented with in-house development. Building a strong technical team with the best training and knowledge has been crucial for enhancing capacity for us.
