Armacell India believes in continuous innovation to bring out new solutions to serve our customers’ needs
Armacell India Pvt. Ltd. is the Indian arm of Armacell GmbH, the world leaders in HVAC insulation industry. Armacell has been present in India since 1999 and set up a state-of-the-art manufacturing plant in Pune, in the year 2005. Since then, Armacell India Pvt. Ltd. has been the leader and trend-setter in the Indian market. Armacell’s insulation materials are designed for both new and existing installations. The company develops products for use in a broad range of end-markets including construction, pharmaceuticals, process, residential, transportation ,automotive, sports and leisure. JAYANT RAJAN, GENERAL MANAGER- INDIA & SOUTH ASIA, ARMACELL spoke to CONSTRUCTION OPPORTUNITIES on the company’s product offerings and future strategy
Discuss briefly about the Indian insulation market in comparison to the global market.
The Indian Insulation market has traditionally considered the conventional insulation material like glass wool/mineral wool/PUF as the solution to insulation needs. With the opening up of economy and entry of global industry practices in the Indian market, the Indian market has started adapting global technologies which has resulted in many existing products and technologies going obsolete. However, the Indian insulation market is still developing as compared to the global market in some critical areas. For instance, fire regulations form a core building code in the western countries which is often overlooked in the current Indian building practices. With the recent government initiatives in place, the Indian market is looking to expand its outlook towards modern insulation practices and solutions, at which Armacell has been at forefront since past many years.
Tell us about your company’s range of insulation products on offer and their applications.
Armacell is the pioneer of nitrile rubber insulation technology that offers fibre free and dust free insulation with excellent fire insulation properties and condensation control. We make closed cell insulation "ArmaFlex" which is used for warm insulation applications – below as well as above ambient, from -200°C, which is really low up to +125°C. This helps us cater to most of insulation applications in air conditioning, refrigeration, industrial and process. Our core technology is flexible elastomeric foamed rubber for insulation applications, which was developed way back in 1954 and which has been improved and perfected by us over a period of time.
We offer a diverse range of thermal and acoustic insulation solutions under the brands of ArmaFlex®, Arma-Chek®, ArmaSound®, ArmaFix® and Accoflex®.
We also offer nitrile rubber based acoustic products, which are very efficient in terms of noise absorption and noise barriers and are used globally by various esteemed clients. Reliance studios, Big Cinemas and Terminal 3 at New Delhi Airport are some of the prestigious projects executed by us. ArmaSound® is also used by well-known personalities in their home theatres and by several celebrities from various fields.
Which are the areas which drive your business and what are the growth drivers and opportunity zones? Tell us of the important projects where your products have been used and the benefits accrued?
Increasing awareness about energy conservation, rapid urbanisation, growth in healthcare and hospitality industry are some of the key drivers for growth of insulation market in India. As far as our business growth is concerned, we attribute it to the trust shown in our products by the consultants, contractors and end clients. When someone buys an Armacell insulation product, he knows he is buying the best product available in the market, with unmatched performance. This trust is our strength that keeps us going with innovative solutions and quality products to the market.
Armacell India is the complete Solution Provider with State of the Art manufacturing facility in Pune. We have pan India presence through our own sales network and channel partners, which offers the best in class products and service at the doorstep of customers. The biggest differentiator for Armacell is its technical team based in Pune and application services team based at various strategic locations across India. Through this team, we offer 24x7 technical support as well as onsite support. The application team also conducts training for contractors’ teams on site as well as at the well-equipped application training center in Pune plant.
Dhirubhai Ambani International Convention and Exhibition Centre (DAICEC) in BKC, Mumbai,AdaniSolar project, Gujarat,Ford Engine Plant - Sanand, TCS Garima Park - Gandhinagar, Grand Hyatt – Mumbai, CISCO – Bengaluru, NVIDIA – Pune, Shapath V – Ahmedabad, JSW HQ – Mumbai are some of our important projects.
Tell us about the USP’s of your insulation products vis-à-vis your competitors.
The need from a good thermal insulation product is an extremely difficult combination of: "low thermal conductivity, good long term behaviour and high fire resistance". This Unique Technology exists with Armacell. As a result we are able to offer superior products and solutions "Reliably and Consistently" to our customers. We also understand the needs of our customers better and continuously innovate to bring out new solutions to serve our customers’ needs. This is also reflected in our post-sales support offered to our customers.
Our Application Support to our customers is unique in the industry as we believe that Application makes the difference. We have a PAN India Application team available for Onsite and Offsite Application Support offering Trainings and Supervision. Our easily accessible support tools, manuals and videos also contribute to the trust our customers have in Armacell, which sets us apart.
Tell us of the new products you intend to introduce and the geographical markets where you are planning to push them?
We have recently launched new product variants for enhanced aesthetics and better thermal protection under our Arma-Chek® brand viz. Arma-Chek® Silver and Class 0 ArmaFlex® with Arma-Chek® GC (in 5 color variants).
Arma-Chek Silver is a brilliant covering for ArmaFlex® insulation designed for fast installation, durability and easy cleaning. It saves installation time as compared to metal jacketing, has easy to clean aesthetic surface in metallic look, strong and resistant surface and is also available as a system with matching tape, elbow and t-parts.
Class 0 ArmaFlex® with Arma-Chek® GC is an economical pre-covered ArmaFlex® system for resistance to mechanical impact, now available in 5 color variants. I t has good resistance to mechanical impact and scratch, gives faster installation with pre-covered sheets and tubes, offers better aesthetics and ease in identification, has closed cell structure which prevents water vapor ingress and has no risk of galvanic corrosion.
We have some exciting products in pipeline which shall emphasize Armacell’s position in the market as the innovator in insulation products even further.
Tell us about your firm’s approach on technological innovations and R &D.
The Indian market has started adapting global technologies which has resulted in many existing products and technologies going obsolete. In the insulation industry, Armacell has always focused on R&D and innovation which has helped us stay updated with the customer and market needs. We strongly believe in Customer Driven Innovation.
The Indian Market is quite diverse showing different behavior in different cities/segments on account of diversity in the progress. Innovation is the need of the hour and that’s what will drive this sector ahead in the near future.
Could you offer information about your manufacturing units, current capacities, investments and planned upgrades?
Armacell India Pvt. Ltd. is a fully owned subsidiary of ArmacellGmBH based in Munster, Germany. Armacell India has its state-of-the-art manufacturing plant in Pune, Maharashtra which includes modern machinery, QA facility, production units and extensive warehousing capacity. The India plant has extensive investment put in for continuous upgrades to its production capabilities and we plan to expand it in the near future, to stay up-to-date with the demands of the growing Insulation market in India.
Please comment on your future strategy and plans to expand your market share.
Customer Driven Innovation and expansion of our reach are the foundation of our strategy. For Armacell, catering to the smaller cities’ needs would be a challenge. Here the balance between increased logistics costs and lower prices will challenge the existing business model. Also, with the focus on energy sustainability increasing day-on-day, innovating constantly to give out the best products in the market will also be a focus area.
So we are looking at upgrading our business acumen of the tier-II and tier-III cities along with securing our product portfolio with enhanced product solutions to cater to the changing building regulations in the Indian market.