REHAU Edge bands in India make us an undisputed leader
1. The Indian polymer market is diverse and complex, what have been your learnings so far and how would you rate the long-term potential of this market?
A: The key to success for REHAU has always been constant innovation, consistent quality supported with state-of-the-art German Technology followed by the long-term relationships that we share with our suppliers and customers.
As per recent studies, India’s per capita consumption of polymers stands at only 11 kg, which is one-tenth of the USA that shows with economic development consumption can increase manifold in long term. Indian Polymer market is expected to grow at a rate of 8% in the next 10-20 years owing to rapid changes in consumer behavior, technology advancement, and shift in Global supply change. And with REHAU’s promise for innovation, we look forward to leveraging this potential with a wider range of offerings to our customers.
2. What is REHAU’s take on Sustainable Polymers?
A: Sustainability is a global subject of importance for REHAU, as a brand it believes and supports the Planet First concept and it’s the fundamental belief of the company that actions are taken today will serve the planet for many years to come. The Sustainability 4.0 Awards bestowed the polymer manufacturing giant REHAU South Asia with the prestigious Jury’s Special Mention Award on 12th January 2022 for its ‘UpCycle 95’ Project. REHAU as a brand has been constantly driving towards a more sustainable future across all possible facets of its business.
This award is a recognition of the continuous efforts that the team in REHAU SOA (South Asia) has put to ensure its commitment to the environment. We are motivated and inspired by our global promise of Planet First, strengthening our commitments to the planet and its resources as a whole.
3. Do REHAU have plans of catering to the retail demand considering the huge scope of growth in the sector?
A: REHAU has started to produce various ranges of products to portray itself as a one-stop- solution for all furniture needs. The company has come up with this initiative with the single thought of entering the retail market. From inception, the company has always catered to the B2B segment but in the last few years, we have started focusing on dealer/retailer expansion as well which brings us from B2B to B2C industry player. REHAU has categorized sales team as per various customer segments, separate team for Retail & OEM to cater carpenter / OEMs segment. Additionally, we have created a unique package “REHAU RETAIL” for retailers and the carpenter segment. Another key focus area will be enhancing our distribution network to tier-II & III cities.
4. REHAU is celebrating its 25 years of establishment in India. What is your message to trade people?
A: REHAU is the most preferred choice for Edge bands in India making us the undisputed leader in this category. In these last two decades, we have seen immense acceptability among our customers, which motivated us to expand our horizon from being an edge band supplier to a complete furniture solutions company. REHAU started its India journey in the year 1997 and today REHAU has three plants, a size warehouse & four offices with 300+direct dealers associated with us who supported us in this journey throughout. REHAU has been a preferred solution for quality-conscious OEMs, distributors, retailers, and specifiers. In this journey of success, our trade partners have played a very vital role and the entire team at REHAU is pleased to receive such immense support and reliability from the industry.
5. When it comes to manufacturing, are you looking at scaling current capacities to enhance your production facilities in India?
A: REHAU has doubled its capacity in the last three years, our new lines are high-speed lines giving us higher productivity. We are also adding production lines to meet the increasing demand while simultaneously enhancing the efficiency of the existing lines. The future also demands us to adapt well to the new technology and process and we are productively moving forward towards it,
6. How has been the growth story in India for REHAU?
A: REHAU’s growth journey has been very promising, being the first Edgeband Company to manufacture in India and provide much-needed edging solutions to the furniture industry. Over a period REHAU has introduced multiple products (Roller Shutter / Laminates / Boards / Solid Surface / Flooring / Adhesive/hardware & Wall Cladding) goes into furniture and Interiors of the house. Presently we are catering to more than 600 OEMs directly, 350+ dealers, and 2500 retailers across India.
Additionally REHAU is rapidly expanding in the Industrial solution category through our fully dedicated production facility in Pune that caters to the needs of the Industrial customer. REHAU is one the biggest supplier of Third Rail that caters to rapidly expanding Metro Rail Projects across India. We are in process of localizing production by bringing German Technology to India and contributing towards the “Make in India” growth story and serving the citizen of this vibrant country.
