How big is the focus of Nilkamal on the MHE space?
Material Handling and Storage Solutions have been an integral part of Nilkamal’s value proposition across a wide range of segments like food, pharmaceuticals, textiles, FMCG, e-commerce, logistics, electrical-electronics, automotive, and hospitality. These solutions comprising more than 50 per cent of Nilkamal’s revenues help customers operating factories and warehouses protect their products, increase storage, and improve labour productivity – all while improving safety and ergonomics. Material Handling Equipment (MHE) like pallet trucks, stackers, reach trucks, forklift trucks, order pickers, goods lifts, dock levellers, mobile docks and conveyers continue to be integral parts of this value proposition.

What’s your reading of the MHE market in India?
The Indian MHE market is still at its infancy compared to other developing and developed regions in the world. While we see breadth in the variety of equipment used, depth in terms of quantities of each equipment type has yet to be realised. Demand for MHE will continue increasing in direct correlation to throughputs of materials in factories and warehouses; labour costs and availability; labour reforms; and awareness about safety and ergonomics in operations.

Which are the main verticals for you in terms of growth and expansion?
While year-over-year sales in the 2017-18 fiscal have been flat, we are continuing to add more products to our crates, pallets, storage systems and of course our MHE businesses.

How do you see the impact of digitisation within your market space?
Digitisation helps our customers make quicker and more accurate decisions and forms the foundation of automating the storage, movement, retrieval, and shipment of incoming, work-in-process, and finished-goods inventory. Ergo, digitisation in an operation typically translates to higher and quicker throughputs, which directly correlate with higher end material movement and storage solutions.

Did you launch any specific solution in the recent past?
Nilkamal recently launched new jali bottom crates for grapes, ice-cream, fisheries and meat industry and new roto moulded processing trolley crate for textile industry. We have also introduced new 4-compartment one-day chick crates for poultry industry. In pallets, our newly launched chequered top roto moulded pallets and export range injection moulded pallets are serving food industry, pharmaceuticals, chemicals and export houses.

In our storage solutions business, we have recently introduced higher load-bearing uprights to store palletised loads in taller racks in automated warehouses. In MHE, we have introduced a variety of affordable stackers, reach-trucks and conveyers.

What could we expect from Nilkamal in the coming months?
In our material handling business, customers can expect more of what Nilkamal has provided over the past 3 decades: The largest one-stop-shop for a variety of material handling, movement and storage solutions. We would continue to offer best-in-class products and quick service through our direct presence across India.