Daniel Vanak, Managing Director, Vanjax Sales Private Limited. In an Interview with B2B Purchase

What were your business experiences in the year 2021, amid the pandemic?

Vanjax has done well in having achieved 2020 turnover by November 2021 and is now on a path to achieve a growth of 40 percent as compared to 2020. However, the main focus has been on infrastructural expansion with investment in the latest machineries to bolster in-house production. This has made our shloka of ‘Aatmanirbharta’ (self-reliance) not just a word but a reality.

What are the latest trends in the demand for aerial access platforms and hydraulic tools in Indian industries?

The demand is moving north in leaps and we are hopeful that the trend will continue to reflect the growth sentiments of the Indian industry. However, the major push is approaching from the need for AWPs in core sectors, mostly government controlled ones with highly competitive bidding. With the constant increase in the price of raw material input, it has become a real challenge to find ways to minimise wastage to stay relevant. The overall circumstance is looking good despite the pandemic intensifying with new variants around the world.

What kinds of R&D challenges do you face while creating and manufacturing special-purpose equipment and accessories?

Availability of imports of specialised valves, drives, and controls is a big challenge as the local sources don’t match up. However, since last year, our focus has shifted more towards localisation and reverse engineering of BOI/BOC, which previously solely depended on imports. Our efforts towards localisation have resulted in our self-propelled scissors lift being 85 percent and our aluminium telescopic aerial work platform being 95 percent indigenous, which is a huge achievement by itself.

Which industries primarily use your equipment? How do you maintain efficiency in your service and after-sales to your customers?

Construction, logistics, warehousing, hotels, corporations and municipal contractors, railways, airport contractors, agriculture, etc. are the main users of products in our range. Vanjax has a separate profit centre for service and maintenance with a staff of 12 members and is expanding to cater to both under warranty and post-warranty service support. We endeavour to ensure 96 percent uptime for all our machines from our standard product range.

What is the key and latest equipment offered by Vanjax? What are your expectations for the coming years for your businesses?

For mass production, Vanjax has developed a CE-certified Self- Propelled Scissors Lift and Hydraulic Telescopic Aluminum Work Platform as its main products. Besides that, Vanjax continues to manufacture custom-built scissors lifts and truck-mounted aerial work platforms. The market is certainly looking up, and we are gung-ho about the current upward trend and bullish about the future of business.