Anil Sawhney, business head at EI DuPont India Pvt Ltd, believes that the polymers & coatings major has profound competency to respond to the urgency of creating pandemic-proof healthcare infra in the country. In an interview for Sourcing Hardware’s #BPHIHealthcare series, Sawhney discusses the outlook for the sector and the company’s vision and goals therein.
What is the outlook for the healthcare industry from the point of view of building products?
We feel that the healthcare industry has a very high chance to grow in the near future, not only in the country but across the world. The pandemic has exposed how fragile our healthcare infrastructure is. The government and private sectors have set out to build a robust ecosystem for healthcare infrastructure by setting up hospitals, diagnosis & testing centres, clean rooms, etc to better tackle future pandemics. We also think that infection control and prevention will be one of the key focus areas. This concern will push for the use of products that have functionality of retarding the spread of infection rather than just aesthetics.
What technologies or services that you offer are particularly targeted at the healthcare industry?
Our Corian solid surface has been used in numerous applications of healthcare. Our company’s solution has been installed in a variety of environments, including operation and emergency room walls, nurses stations, scrub stations, to mention a few. The Corian solid surface delivers design flexibility, ease of fabrication in combination with performance, durability and renewable work surface for today’s healthcare industry.
Do you have a presence in the healthcare industry in markets outside India? What have been your achievements there?
Yes, we have quite a vast footprint in the global healthcare industry. But, we do not have to go so far; in India we have been working with the industry for many years. Today, we feel content when we see our name associated with top hospitals of the country. I am sure that we are the only solid surface provider to cover the healthcare industry so efficiently with the right product and solutions. We have installed critical and complex applications by meeting our customers’ requirements, which makes us a preferred surfaces brand in the sector. We have a strong footprint in the healthcare sector across the country, and with our expertise we look forward to strengthening this further in times to come.
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How do you aim to support healthcare clients in terms of capacities, infrastructure, in-house expertise, R&D, etc?
We have been offering suitable solutions to the healthcare industry to match their requirements such as non-porosity, zero infection tolerance, easy-to-clean, bacteria-free surface, etc. Dupont Corian Design has always been a complete solutions brand and not a product selling one. So our expertise in managing complex applications is invaluable for our new customers. Our team is constantly working towards developing new product lines for healthcare and we have lots in the pipeline.
Who are the key influencers for the industry, and how are you going to address their knowledge and information needs?
There are multiple influencers for the industry. It starts from the people who plan the expansion of the industry, which can be central and state governments; moving to developers who undertake the project. Architects and designers have a large role to play in designing and selection of material, and then we have project management consultants that play an equally critical role.
To address their knowledge and information needs, we have content developed specifically for the healthcare segment, and from time to time we keep connecting with relevant organisations for sharing this information. In the past we have participated in relevant exhibitions and other platforms to showcase our products and solutions, and needless to say we are available for in-house meetings and presentations whenever our associates need any information.
What role could your channel partners play in addressing the demand from this segment? Do you envisage a new distribution channel to address this market segment? How are you preparing them to represent your company effectively?
Channel partners are key stakeholders for our segment. They enable us to cover a large territory and help create demand. We will continue to focus on maintaining and growing our channel partner footprint in the country. We provide necessary technical training and knowledge to empower them to service the end customers, and we will continue to do the same going ahead.
Education and training plays a very important role in preparing our partners to represent DuPont, and we conduct periodical training sessions with them and their teams.
