Aparna Enterprises brings Italy’s faucet brand Paffoni to India

Aparna Enterprises Limited, a leading player in manufacturing and trading of a range of building materials, today announced their partnership with Paffoni, a renowned faucet manufacturing brand from Italy.

Established in 1953, Paffoni is a leading Italian brand primarily involved in manufacturing of extensive range of bathroom products. Through this association, Aparna Enterprises will be bringing Paffoni to India for the first time, as their Master Distributor.

The products will be marketed under the brand’s retail division Aparna Unispace. The Association is expected to grow Aparna Unispace division’s revenues by 20% in FY 2021-2022

Commenting on the venture,Ashwin Reddy, Managing Director, Aparna Enterprises, said, “Powered by strong R&D, advanced technology, superior quality and continuous process innovation; Paffoni has created a niche for itself in the European & Asian markets. We are delighted to partner with the brand and offer Indian customers an opportunity to own the state-of-the-art faucet systems. The branded faucet market is witnessing a steady y-o-y growth and we are hopeful that this association will help us to leverage the growth potential in the market. While initially we will be selling Paffoni product through our retail division Aparna Unispace, we plan to spread distribution of these products across India through retail partners.”

Under the new Paffoni range, Aparna Unispace will be introducing range of several products across categories like Diverters, Thermostats, Shower mixers, Sink Mixers, Basin Mixers, Health Faucets, Spouts and Body Jets. Selected products will be available for display at Aparna Unispace showroom in Hyderabad.

“Paffoni is one of the key players in the European & Asian markets, in fact, it is the leading faucet brand in Italy. As an extension of Aparna Enterprises’ vision to provide customers with high quality value driven products, we are optimistic that our partnership with Paffoni will further augment Aparna Unispace’s portfolio. We are currently launching few products under the Paffoni segment and we plan to add more products to this category in 2021”, added Mr Satish Bhargav, Chief Executive Officer, Aparna Unispace.

Launched in 2012, Aparna Unispace offers innovative and technologically advanced products for luxury Bath Spaces and elegant Kitchens, from leading European brands like – Nolte, Catalano, Fantini, Stern Hagen, Armani Roca, Tece, Effegibi, Grohe, Paffoni, StiebelEltron, Giacomini, Roca, Duravit and Schell.

Aparna Enterprises brings Italy’s faucet

Aparna Enterprises Ltd. is conferred with the Most Preferred Brand award

Aparna Enterprises Ltd., one of India’s most innovative and respected building materials manufacturers, was awarded the “Most preferred brand by Construction & Real Estate Sector (Building Material)” in the Telangana Building & Construction Material Leadership Awards 2020. This award is another feather in the cap for the company, which prides itself on quality, integrity, and trust, from its very inception over 30 years ago.

These awards recognize Leaders of Industry who have contributed immense value in their respective sectors, and have created impactful change – Leaders who believe that there is a MAD approach to their work (Make A Difference). This approach is driven by a passion & commitment towards positive social change.

Aparna Enterprises Ltd. recognized as the Dream Employer of the Year

A happy workplace is a productive workplace. Aparna Enterprises Ltd., an organization that has put employee happiness at the forefront from their very inception, have been awarded the “Dream employer of the year” award in the Telangana Best Employer Brand Awards 2020.

Aparna Enterprises Ltd. recognized as the Dream Employer of the Year 2

How the frame you choose impacts energy efficiency – Ashwin Reddy, MD, Aparna Enterprises Ltd. in conversation with ACE Magazine

Aparna Enterprises wins mandate to supply tiles for Airports Authority of India project

One of the leading players in the building materials segment, Aparna Enterprises Limited has been awarded a prestigious contract to provide Double Charged Tiles for Airports Authority of India residential quarters being constructed at Trichy and Coimbatore. The contract is received through Teemage Builders Pvt. Ltd. The approximate tender value for this project is INR 60.38 Lakhs.

Through this partnership, Aparna Enterprises will be delivering tiles for area spreading over 1.48 lakh square feet over the course of the next three months. This contract was awarded post excellent performance of Vitero Double Charged tiles in International arrival terminal of Chennai airport. Earlier this year Vitero Double Charged tiles were used in Chennai airport International Terminal (T3). These tiles passed all quality tests and their performance was well appreciated. Based on this performance, Vitero tiles was chosen for the AAI residential quarters in Trichy and Coimbatore.

Speaking on the recently awarded projects, Mr. Ashwin Reddy, Managing Director, Aparna Enterprises Ltd. said “At Aparna Enterprises, we have always been dedicated towards providing quality products and services to our clients and partners. We take pride in being recognized as a trusted building material provider for important government projects. Over the years, we have been successfully delivering to various government undertakings and this partnership is testament to our commitment & hard work. In the past we have catered to many projects by reputed builders and government departments in several cities and we look forward to servicing more entities across the country.”

“Government sector is key focus area for us. The increased focus by the government towards infrastructure development is a positive move and we are confident that it will help us to further strengthen our business in the sector.” added Mr. Ashwin Reddy.

The company has been associated with key government projects for enterprises like Karnataka Railways, Kempegowda International Airport and the DRDO. More demand is expected for various building materials in the recently awarded projects in the coming months as well.

Fast-tracking infrastructure projects will boost the demand for building materials

Having said that, timely clearances and approvals especially environment clearances and necessary funding and support from the banks and financial institutions is necessary says Ashwin Reddy, Managing Director, Aparna Enterprises.

How do you see Atmanirbhar Bharat to impact your sector?
It is a very good initiative by the Central Government to promote domestic goods. There will be an increased demand for domestic goods. However, the key is the scale and quality of goods which can be visible only over a while.

What kind of disruption, if any, did you witness in your supply chain owing to the pandemic?
The demand had reduced owing to the lockdown, however, construction activities are resuming gradually. We did not face much obstruction in our supply chain as we manufacture most of the raw materials for our products in house.

In terms of current market dynamics, what will be the new normal for the use of RMC after 2020?
Considering the monsoon would be over and labourers would have returned from their native places, we expect normal demand to resume from October 2020.

As an industry stakeholder do you feel the impact of digitization, if yes, to what degree?
The industry is slowly moving towards digitization and started using technologies such as Google Maps, vehicle tracking devices. But the significant progress is yet to be made in this regard as the industry is predominantly dominated by the small players.

What kind of infrastructure building initiatives should the government focus on to reinvigorate the construction sector?
The government during its 2020-21 union budget had proposed infrastructure projects worth Rs 105 lakh crore for the next five years. Fast-tracking the projects will boost the demand for raw materials, thus assisting the growth of building materials industry. However, there are certain concerns which need to be addressed to ensure the revival of the building material industry

The primary ones are

Timely clearances and approvals especially environment clearances.
Necessary funding and support from the banks and financial institutions, especially long term funding support in case of long gestation projects and adherence to the contracts (i.e. once it is awarded it shall not be cancelled unless the default is from the developer).

The government had recently announced a six-month ‘no-cost-extension’ for government-affiliated contractors dealing with railways and roadways. While this is a welcome move, it would be far more impactful if this is also extended to all aspects of infrastructural development. Greater investment by both state and central governments towards infrastructural development is another aspect that will boost the demand for raw materials like ready-mix concrete, cement, tiles, uPVC etc.

In their recent proposal, the government opened six more airports for auction under the PPP model and also announced more investments for creating world class facilities in twelve airports across the country. More sanctions like these for roadways, railways, airports, smart cities, community developments etc. is what is needed right now for a stronger revival. The government should also quickly take up stalled residential projects, ensure availability of adequate funds and resolve the interstate logistics issue.

What steps can be taken to utilise an RMC plant especially on sites surrounded by residential areas so that air pollution is minimized?
Measures such as covering the entire plant with GI sheets and a frequent sprinkling of water on the aggregates and laying of proper approach roads, Use of latest BS compliant vehicles for the transportation of both raw materials and Ready Mix Concrete, maintaining of greenery in plant surroundings will help in minimizing the air pollution.

Is remote working and social distancing possible in manufacturing? India’s factories find out

Synopsis
The new normal with its changed terminologies upended the work model for the manufacturing space. How well equipped is this sector to cope with the shake-up?

Remote working and social distancing weren’t exactly a part of the common parlance before the virus outbreak descended all across the globe. That was then-a time which seems far off in the distance. Because now, in the new normal, these words practically dominate every conversation, discussion, meeting et al.

Not just that. They encompassed a complete overhaul of systems and functions that proved no less than daunting for a sector which contributes over 16% to India’s GDP-manufacturing.

With ‘work from home’ being alien and social distance in a manufacturing set up seeming unimaginable, the pandemic implied that an uphill journey was on the cards for this sector. And also for the economy.

Now, many months since the first lockdown was announced in the country, how well equipped have manufacturers really become in coping with these new (rude) realities? Have they been able to devise ways that keep the momentum going, while still adhering to all the protocols?

Rajeev Singh, Partner, Deloitte India says a lot of manufacturing entities have been able to discover innovative ways to cope with the current situation. “While the pandemic has a lot of negatives, one positive is that organisations realise that they can accomplish a lot of work with fewer people even in a manufacturing plant. For years, people thought virtual operations are possible only in corporate or sales offices. But that mindset is changing and people have identified a new operating model now,” he highlights.

The new order
In fact, nothing really will be the same anymore even for a sector like manufacturing which operated as per fixed schedules and a shift system at the helm. The mindset of being ‘physically present’ and punching in attendance as a daily log has seen a sea change. This works well for manufacturing units as more space is now freed up for production processes instead of support functions.

Singh says that by working in this manner, a lot of economic advantages accrue as overheads will expectedly reduce for these units. He also sees more talent coming to the fore, such as gig workers in support functions as the flexibility in the sector will act as a natural pull.

Incidentally, functions such as IT, finance, HR and procurement have been easier to move to remote working operations. And for those in production roles, technology is being used in a lucrative way to ensure social distancing and safety norms. “For example, there are wrist watches or bands which alert when people are near each other or when someone is approaching closer. Moreover, if someone is detected as Covid positive, they can do contact tracing,” he adds.

Singh’s views are reflected in the approach adopted by companies. Tata Steel, for instance, rolled out ‘Pod’, a system aimed at reducing the number of workers at a given time and place to counter the Covid risk. The idea was to divide the seating arrangement into small units or pods, thereby restricting inter-pod movement. Each pod has a maximum of 10 workers with skills that equip them to finish the task at hand within their own group. Besides this, a 30-minute air gap is maintained between two shifts to lessen the risk of contamination and enable easy contact tracing. Another practice is ‘Proximity Analysis’ in which alerts are sent out in case there are more than the requisite number of employees present in a small area.

Sameer Narang, Chief Economist & Head – Strategic Planning, Bank of Baroda says that the manufacturing sector globally and in India has changed its standard operating procedures (SOP) well enough. “There has been a shift in consumer behaviour – people are working from home, working out at home and eating at home. Thus consumers are buying electronic items and equipment, be it laptops, TVs and dishwashers to name a few which can enable them to seamlessly manage these activities efficiently. Manufacturing firms all over have responded well to this shift in consumer demand,” he states.

Technological advances
Industry experts say that changes are inevitable with the momentum gaining towards digital and technological advances in this space. A report by Deloitte India in June, ‘Industry 4.0: Smart operations – an imperative for the future of manufacturing,’ highlighted how technology adoption is expected to rise across manufacturing organisations. Because of the pandemic, it said, organisations may need to re-evaluate/re-prioritise their digital roadmap, and also consider working on those initiatives that can deliver great leap-forward benefits. “They could look towards leveraging Industry 4.0 solutions for redefining SOPs, redeploying manpower, multi-skilling resources, reconfiguring the workplace, and re-engineering business processes to create a safe work environment,” the report stated.

Ashwin Reddy, Managing Director at Aparna Enterprises, a construction and building material firm, offers a glimmer of hope. “By automating certain processes, rescheduling the work etc., the adverse impact would be gradually reduced in the future. Every company has learnt how to tackle the current pandemic situation in terms of protecting its employees, and minimising the impact on productivity. We feel things will come to normalcy by December this year,” he avers.

Not all, however, are as enthused. With fewer people at the plant and the rest of the functions still adjusting to the concept of work from home, this also meant that efficiency and productivity would come in question. “Regarding working dynamics, we feel it will take a few quarters for industries to optimise their working conditions and the situation to achieve normalcy. We are still recovering from the disruption caused because of the pandemic, but we do feel that we have pulled back well,” reveals Kishan Jain, Director at GoldmedalElectricals, a fast moving electrical goods (FMEG) company. The company, which had to limit the number of people working in each shift due to social distancing, says it could tide through due to the demand for electrical products continuing in this time.

Demand creation and revival
The subject of economic recovery, though, has been linked inextricably to demand creation and revival initiatives. Experts rationalise that it would be wrong to assume that manufacturing has met its goals in the short term only since demand is lower at this point. Citing the example of two wheelers and the tractor industry, which saw a higher demand compared to last year, Singh says that this gives the confidence that manufacturing will support the demand that bounces back.

Deep Lalvani, Chairperson at AdorMultiproducts, a personal care manufacturer, predicts that certain sectors are going to see huge growth in the future from the realm of wellness, healthcare, FMCG and packaged food. “We truly believe that manufacturing is going to bounce back and in a big way for sectors like personal care and hygiene,” he asserts.

More so, with services still taking time to pick up and consumption undergoing a visible shift, manufacturing activity is expected to rev up in the times to come. This, despite the restrictions at play. “The manufacturing sector has still responded well. It is the services sector which has been hit harder. Some segments of the service sector will come back only once the pandemic is over whereas the performance of manufacturing continues to see improvement even in September. It wouldn’t be incorrect to say that manufacturing has been a mitigating factor in this crisis,” sums up Narang.

An expert opinion on window & door trends in the country

“We Expect That The Industry To Move Towards More Automation”– Mr.Ashwin Reddy, Managing Director, AEL

Our presence and scale along with our strong brand value are our strengths.
– Ashwin Reddy, Managing Director, Aparna Enterprises

From a humble beginning as ceramic tile distributors, AEL has carved a niche as one of the most innovative and respected building materials producer. What do you think the factors behind the success saga?

We attribute our success majorly to our customers. Customers were the factor which gave us motivation and inspiration to adapt and bring into existence products which were accepted and addressed the actual requirements. We are a quality driven organization and keep our quality standards to the highest. To ensure a good quality output and timely supplies, we did backward integration for many products like Ready Mix Concrete (RMC), tiles, uPVC windows and doors, aluminium window and door systems. Because of this, we are able to deliver the quality commitment and timely supplies at very competitive prices we offer to our customers.

What has been the impact of covid-19 on the building materials industry, and as a solution provider in this space, how your company’s performance has been impacted?
Covid-19 has created a huge dent for entire construction industry; the lock down halted our production processes across all product lines. The production was resumed after the lockdown was lifted, but still labour availability is not up to the required levels. Adequate labour availability is critical aspect for the industry to come back to normal operating levels given the fact that production processes in this industry are not fully automated and require lot of human intervention.

What new measures have you implemented to contain costs and optimize operations amid this pandemic?
We have scheduled our operations to increase productivity to maximum extent. Started working more closely with our customers to properly synchronize our productivity with their requirements so that the maximum output/value is achieved. We are trying to get back the workers by paying some mobilization advance and offering free transportation from their native places to the work place. Also, we have improved the facilities at their accommodations to make them feel safe and stay healthy.

Brief us on the measures taken to support your customers during this crisis and what innovative, value-added products / service support you have added / aim to add?
Covid 19 taught us a new way to live our lives and interact with other people. Being a manufacturing organization, our people are of utmost importance to us as they interact with various customers on daily basis. All of our premises across the nation are regularly sanitized. Especially the showrooms where customers visit, are sanitized multiple times during the day to ensure safety of our visitors. The manufacturing and sales teams have been made available with sanitization gear and products to maintain their hygiene. The sales teams are constantly working on connecting with our clients as virtually as possible. Marketing teams also are focusing more towards digital efforts. We have made special teams across geographies considering the travel restrictions (both time and distance) to attend to the customer’s requirements in a prompt manner. Also, we are working on the modifications required for our products to make it more compatible to the changed environment.

What are the major challenges that you face in today’s context as a solution provider?
Apart from the demand issues which entire construction industry is facing, we are struggling to bring our production capacity to its normal stage – due to labour shortage. Resuming the sales and product supply is also becoming challenging in current times. Inter-district and interstate logistics also has become a big issue to deal with.

How do you assess the business scenario post Covid-19 scenario? What sort of change do you expect and prepare to in terms of production, supply chain etc.?
Covid 19 has shaken the entire economy leave aside any sector or organization. The construction and building material industry also got severely hit as construction projects got halted and are struggling to resume the pace they were operating at earlier. This in turn has affected the demand cycle for building material products. The situation will take couple of months to improve and resume the demand supply cycle like before. We expect that the industry will move towards more automation as the customer preference will move towards quality and affordable products. The automation will help the industry to reduce cost while increasing the quality. Also, we are expecting a consolidation in the logistics industry.

What are your plans on leveraging the edge of using digital platforms?
We believe in adapting quickly as per customer requirements. We are incorporating digital platforms for client interactions. Virtual tour of our product showrooms and video sales discussions are few steps which are already incorporated to ensure customer’s convenience. We are focusing more towards digital platforms for product marketing through SEO, SEM& SMM.

Are there any plans for more diversification in product lines, also in expanding the geographies?
We are planning to make some of our products such as tiles, uPVC profiles to be available on PAN India basis. Also, we will be introducing new varieties in the existing product lines.

When do you expect a turnaround in the business?
We are expecting that the complete turnaround will happen by Sept’ 20.

Why a buyer should come to you? Brief us on the core strengths and competencies?
Our strength lies in the quality of our products and post sales service. Our customers have always realized and appreciated the range and quality of products which we offer. We have been at the forefront of adapting some of the best technologies available globally, in our manufacturing processes, to bring world class products to our customers. Our presence and scale along with our strong brand value are our strengths. Quality and customer service are our core competencies.

Technology adoption in building material industry

At an increasing rate, engineering and construction firms are actively seeking new technology solutions, while also using technology to more strategically managing organisational risks. Contractors are breaking out of their comfort zones and helping workers to embrace these changes.

Digitisation, advanced technology, technology adoption and so on have been the buzz words across industries for quite some time now. Today, the adoption of technology in building material industry has increased significantly. Companies realise the true potential of leveraging new age methods to improve their production capabilities, reduce operational costs and streamline the manufacturing and delivery processes.

Let us take a look at some of the critical areas where digitisation and automation have been strong and how it has helped the building material industry:

The production process in Ready Mix Concrete (RMC)

One of the crucial intervention of technology has been right at the foundation of any construction – creating ready mix concrete. Gone are the days when mixing of cement and transportation of this mix to higher floors in any construction was handled manually. Building material manufacturing companies have been using precise and automatic processes for producing concrete mix. The dynamic process facilitates the production of a customised mix as per unique requirements of the construction and ensures consistency in this concrete mix for any number of batches. Highly efficient pumping technology enables easy and fast transportation of this mix to higher floors.

Manufacturing and packing process of tiles

A lot of progress has happened in the tile segment, wherein application of technologies like artificial intelligence and robotic process automation has helped improve production capabilities. Many companies are completely automating the process of mixing raw materials, cutting & polishing tiles and segmenting & packing tile units. This has helped them ensure uniform quality across their products. Introduction of digital printing technology in tiles has expanded the range of designs that can be produced. This advancement enables tile manufacturers to print any design their customer wants, without disturbing other important features of the given tile. The use of nanotechnology in polishing has even given tiles more sheen, surface consistency and durability.

Implementing international standards

Gone are the days of wood and steel as a preferred choice for doors and windows. Today uPVC and aluminium are the most sought after materials. While windows and doors made of uPVC and aluminium are totally recyclable, they require very less maintenance and their average life is much more as compared to similar products made of wood. The industry has been using advanced German and Italian technologies to manufacture doors & windows with absolute precision and without much human intervention. And this has yielded many benefits for this segment, such as:

1) Increased scope for customisation

2) Uniform finish in look and feel

3) Enhanced durability and quality

4) Given the room for experimenting with designs & efficient locking systems.

Significantly improve the quality of raw materials

Just like any other industry, the core aspect of building material products is the quality of raw materials that goes into each of them. Adoption of technology has enabled companies to magnanimously improve the superiority of the raw materials that they use. New machines equipped with automation technology can produce Crushed Rock Fines and Manufactured Sand. While the manufactured sand is a highly cost-effective alternative to river sand which is used in bulk quantities in various construction projects, it also helps in saving the river beds and reduce the environmental impact of excavating river sand.

While the adoption of technology is gradually happening in the building material sector, there is still a long way to go. The past few months, driven by the ongoing pandemic, have reiterated the need for us to be technologically sound and adept. Thus building materials companies need to augment their technology, both for production and on-ground operations. This will not only help them to improve their overall business manoeuvres but also help to mitigate any workforce crisis like the one faced recently.

This article is contributed by T Chandrashekar, Director-Technical, Aparna Enterprises Limited, for 99 acres.