Poland-based Klimas Wkręt-met, a leading fastener manufacturer from East Europe, is building up its distribution network in India. The company has tied up with seven trade partners for setting up Klimas display centres, to provide real-time experience to customers and specifiers. In the coming year, the company will expand its network by appointing channel partners across India.
According to Sunil Gurtoo (s.gurtoo@wkret-met.com), managing director of Klimas Asia Region, the parent company is more than 30 years old and is among the largest fastener manufacturers in east and central Europe. The Indian subsidiary is being set up and will be operational by the first quarter of 2020. “We will be having our own sales consultants in all major cities, with one technical manager based in Mumbai to provide design and technical support.”
Gurtoo informs that the company has decided to build a network of display centres in various cities through its channel partners, to provide a real feel of fasteners to end-users, consultants and contractors. “We want our customers to see how the fastener behaves in various substrates and base materials for various applications. The influencers and end-users should be able to see for themselves the quality of Klimas fasteners and the value they provide.”
Cost is an important factor in construction, and fasteners play a critical role in ensuring the lifetime cost of any structure or fabrication. However, it is observed that the selection of fasteners is made at the end of the project and decisions are taken without sufficient knowledge and technical understanding. Gurtoo asserts that Klimas India aims to provide high-quality fasteners at optimised rates so that the contractor can pass on tangible benefits to end-user without compromising on the structure’s quality and integrity. “We have realised that though people know about anchor fasteners, they often do not comprehend how it will behave after it is installed.”
The Klimas display centres will be equipped to offer fixing solutions and fasteners for windows, door frames, ventilated facades, roofing and cladding sheets, window production, insulation fixing, façade brackets, elevator guide rails, railings and balustrades, wood building construction, flat roof applications, etc. Through audio/video set up, customers will be shown the various applications of fasteners and will be informed about their corrosion-resistant features. More importantly, the centres have a Pull Out Test Zone, to conduct live pull out tests for fasteners in various base materials. Other services will include design calculation software and technical training.
“Our approach is to conduct education programs for various trades. Contractors from doors/windows, carpentry, roofing industry, etc will impart training to workers who are the actual users, to make them understand about fasteners as well as the right tools for fixing these fasteners. We also intend to organise education programs across ITIs.”
Klimas is looking for proactive entrepreneurs who can invest Rs 50-60 lakh (Rs 20-30 lakh in tier-II and III cities). Gurtoo says that by March next year the company will have inventory in place in the Indian warehouse, to service its channel partner and customers.
