Our technology is atleast a decade ahead of competition.

– Dr. A.V. Mohan, Executive Director (Sales & Marketing), Messer Cutting Systems India Pvt. Ltd.

China – then and now!
Messer is providing cutting-edge cutting systems for more than 115 years.  In India, the company made a humble beginning in 1998. Considering the demand of high-quality, low-cost products in Indian market, Dr. A.V. Mohan decided to import machines from China and sell and service them. Though pricing was one major advantage, Messer had an edge because of high-quality equipment.

However, on those days, it was not an easy task to bring in any product from China and get an overnight acceptance in India. Chinese goods did not enjoy a good reputation then. “Nobody knew the potential of China and almost everyone advised me to drop the idea. However, my visit to China in 1998 was an eye opener for me. Today I feel proud to say that we sensed the potential on time and took the initiative,” Dr. Mohan recounts. “We have a full-fledged manufacturing facility in Coimbatore which we built in anticipation that goods imported from China will not remain cheap forever and we were right. Now it’s our turn – India is the present and future.”

His company sold Messer-make Chinese machines till 2008 -09 and scripted a success story which others followed post 2005. Today, Messer Cutting Systems India Pvt. Ltd. caters to over 1,000 Messer CNC machines in India.

Latest innovations in cutting systems
“High definition oxygen plasma as an economical, highly productive and high-quality process to cut carbon steel was the biggest innovation in the last decade,” believes Dr. Mohan.

Messer has worked on all the thermal cutting processes like oxyfuel, plasma and laser. The company has improved its application potential by innovating interactive CNC controllers, creating a powerful database which literally takes away skill requirement to operate such machines. Long life, low consumption gas equipment, in-built ignitors, in-built torch height controls are some of the unique features which are creating tremendous advantages to the customer today. “Our technology is atleast a decade ahead of competition,” Dr. Mohan claims.

Messer products and solutions
Messer offers a range of standard oxyfuel products like regulators, flash back arrestors, gas cutting – welding torches, heating solutions, CNC oxyfuel, plasma, laser machines, fume extraction and plate handling systems. The company produces almost all the products locally.

New launch
Messer has recently launched its Terrablade series of CNC machines, powder cutting solutions for cutting high thickness SS plates, air heating nozzles for facilitating pressure vessel fabrication, high-end welding and cutting accessories etc. “Each of our product categories requires a different strategy and we are on a mission to excel in all of them,” informs Dr. Mohan. “At present we have more than 60 per cent market share.”

Supply chain
Messer’s supply chain is managed through a team of dedicated professionals based in its factory and regional locations in Mumbai and Faridabad. “Customer orientation is the major factor that drives every department in our organisation,” says Dr. Mohan.

Procurement tips
There are few crucial factors a customer must consider while procuring cutting systems. According to Dr. Mohan, “The key points would be to evaluate the technology, value for money, past record of the supplier, performance reports of existing customers, after-sales service network, ready stock spares availability, general behaviour, and attitude of the supplier.”