“The journey so far has been very inspirational and educational; however, I do believe the journey is not over yet,” emphasises M.V. Pai, Managing Director, Avigiri Urethene and Rubber Industries Pvt. Ltd.
Since AviGiri started its journey 25 years back in Dubai, it has redefined the rubber gaskets market. In an interview with B2B Purchase, Giridhar Pai shares how they have maintained their commitment to quality and service.
Having over 25 years of experience in the rubber industry, AviGiri has established itself in the rubber gaskets market. How do you look at the journey?Looking back, I would say that I was very fortunate in how things turned out. There was definitely a supernatural helping hand, but I would also credit it to hardwork and persistence.
We began this journey in Dubai, where I had set up a small unit for re-rubberisation of rollers, and our main raw material was polyurethane. However, with an increasing demand for rubber products in the off-shore oil and gas industry, we began diversifying our product range.
This was our first stepping stone toward where we are now. We branched out into SBR, NR, neoprene, nitrile and other forms of rubber and slowly established ourselves in the market as a reputed industry. This expansion led to a realisation of EPDM requirements in India. This was our driving force of setting up a unit in South India.
From all those years, we have still maintained our commitment to quality and service. What we sincerely believe is that there will always be competition in the market; however, the only way to distinguish yourself from the competitor is in the kind of service you are able to provide. Customers appreciate a manufacturer’s commitment to his product such that any complaint is immediately appraised and rectified.
Another aspect is maintaining quality. In India, especially, you see a very profitable market in the low-quality sector, but we refuse to lower our quality to capitalise on this market. In the long run, people will only trust your product, if you are able to consistently provide the quality you promise. Changing your quality to suit the customers’ needs makes you seem fickle, and people will lose respect for your product.
The journey so far has been very inspirational and educational; however, I do believe the journey is not over yet. We still have a long way to go. With a capable management and production team, we are sure to be in the market for at least another 25 years.
How do you view the technological innovation in rubber gaskets segment?I can answer this with an example: our factory in Dubai has over 75 employees. However, our factory in Tumkur, India, was set up in 2012 with only 10 employees. How is this possible if not for technological innovations?
A visit to our factory will impress any potential client. We have a state-of-the-art German design Continuous Vulcanisation line. This is the first of its kind in South India. We have a quality laboratory with a Universal tensile machine, oscillating disc rheometer, muffle furnace, specific gravity tester and profile projectors. This ensures that we are able to test our products in-house without relying on outside sources. This would not have been possible a few years, which would have made in-house testing more expensive.
Technological innovations have made it possible for us to develop everything in-house, from dies to moulds, from tools to CNC wire-cutting machines. The rubber industry has been continuously evolving for the past 300 years, and with this ever-evolving need for rubber, it doesn’t seem like this will stop. We are quite excited to see future innovations that we can invest in to further increase our product range.
What are the products you offer for construction sector?We manufacture EPDM sealing solutions for the construction sector. Our primary focus is on gaskets for windows and doors. This could be either uPVC or aluminium windows and sliding doors. Gasket quality plays an integral part in the window’s properties. For example, only with accurate fitment of quality gaskets can window manufacturers guarantee sound proofing, temperature control and energy efficiency.
We are currently in the process of trying to educate window manufacturers to not compromise on quality of gaskets during purchase. Often, gaskets are seen as the least visible part; therefore, many window manufacturers assume that they can save costs in that area. However, we are trying to emphasise that using gaskets of high quality can actually complement the guarantee that window/door manufacturers offer. This is essential because if there is not proper sealing, consumers will blame the entire window, not just the gaskets. Therefore to maintain their name, it is essential to support quality.
Could you discuss the advantages of microwave-cured EPDM gaskets over conventional cured gaskets?Microwave-cured gaskets offer a suite advantages. These gaskets are produced and cured in continuous lengths; therefore, they are straight with no dimensional variations. Microwave-cured gaskets imply quality because no additional fillers are used to reduce the compound cost, which results in a superior extruded product. The curing is done at very high temperatures; therefore, the properties are better.
It is an automated process, with no human interferences, which yields a very high output with no dimensional variations. This method is also highly effective for producing high-quality sponge and silicon profiles. All of our product dispatches come with a material test certificate and a 10-year guarantee against cracks, discolouration, and loss in tensile strength.
What is your present manufacturing capability?Our current manufacturing capability is 100 tonnes per month. Our state-of-the-art continuous vulcanisation line ensures that no matter what is the quantity, we are able to produce it without any profile variations. This ensures that from the first metre till the last, the gaskets properties and dimensions are exactly as requested by the customer.
Please brief us on your expansion plans.We have several plans in the works for expansion. We are currently thinking of importing some new machines such as a co-extruder to ensure that we are able to supply to the entire range of gaskets required by window/door manufacturers both locally and internationally. In addition, we are in talks with some foreign firms to set up joint venture in foreign markets. We would also like to more actively dive into the auto sector. Physical expansion has already been anticipated, and we are already in the process of purchasing new land to accommodate all the new machines we plan to install. AviGiri has shown tremendous growth, where in 1 year our daily production has increased from 100 kgs to 2.5 tonnes per day. In order to cater to the continuous demand, it is essential that we step up our game and seriously focus on planned expansions.