Given the good response received from the Indian textile industry, the company is all set to introduce some key products and innovations this year
Kinex Bearings is a name that needs no introduction to those in the textile industry. The company’s bearings have made rapid inroads into the Indian market. Kinex Bearings’ also caters to the requirement of other industries such as automotive, railway, aerospace and industrial application bearings in different parts of the world. The company’s stall at Texfair 2022 was a beehive of activity with visitors thronging to take a closer look at their solutions. We caught up with the company’s team of Sales Director Peter Schnelly, Sales and Marketing Manager (India and SE Asia) Alok Vatsraj and Sales Manager (Textile Segment) Pavol Barka.
Also present was R Earnest, President, Earnest India Trading Company, which is Kinex Bearings’ sole representative for the South India market. “This fair is very important for us. Our products enjoy great popularity in the Indian market. We want to further increase awareness about our products. We are also here to support our partners who are doing an excellent job,” Schnelly said. Taking it further, Vatsraj said, “Apart from bearings, the company is also coming up with various accessories for spinning box of open-end spinning machines. We have also come up with a specialised QR code in our products.”
“We want to stop the menace of counterfeit products passing off as Kinex Bearings. Such shows give us an opportunity to educate our customers about how to identify our genuine products. We have received excellent response. This year we are going to see the highest sales ever for Kinex Bearings’ products in India,” he added. Pointing out to the key reasons which give Kinex Bearings an edge over its competitors, Earnest commented: “Kinex Bearings has been very successful in high rotation bearings which operate in the range of 110,000 rpm. They are a key reason for the growth story of many open-end manufacturers.”
“This is so because they support the critical components. Secondly, Kinex Bearings’ manufacturing units are located only in Slovakia and they don’t have any other branch. This enables them to focus stringently on European quality standards. This consistency in quality has been one of the key reasons for the success of Kinex Bearings across industries over all these years. I have been a frequent visitor to the Czech and Slovak regions since the 1970s. This region is a pioneer in the open-ended spinning or rotor spinning technology. The technology was subsequently used by manufacturers in other parts of the world,” he added.
“Backed by this rich experience, Kinex Bearings is now going to come up with more spinning accessories which are designed to cut manufacturing costs of spinners by a significant percentage,” Earnest further said. Sharing similar sentiments, Barka stated, “Our products are known for their longevity. They operate with very little breakdown. We use special materials and technology to produce our bearings. While we virtually face no competition in the market, we still make sure that we come up with new innovations and provide the market with the best possible products that we can.”
Optimistic Outlook
According to Peter Schnelly, even though the pandemic and ongoing geopolitical issues have posed huge challenges, the company had a good FY 2021-22. “As is known, we cater to many other industries apart from textiles and each one of them is doing well. Our presence in the textile sector is strong and we want to further consolidate our presence in this industry across different parts of the world,” he said. Sounding positive about the impact of policy initiatives such as the PLI Scheme and Mega Textile Parks Scheme, R Earnest remarked: “One of the bottlenecks that South India’s spinners faced was the dearth of adequate number of processing units. These schemes will help garment manufacturers to go in for processing units. It will help the total value chain.”
“The mega textile parks will also help the industry in terms of sustainability as well as vertical integration,” he added. The company has definite growth plans for the India market. “We have some key products and innovations that will be launched soon. We introduce products based on market feedback and release them after a long and rigorous cycle of trials. The company will make some interesting announcements by December 2022,” Alok Vatsraj said. Adding to that, Schnelly said, “We have been in India for a long time now and our ties have become stronger now that Kinex Bearings is part of the C K Birla Group. This will provide new opportunities to improve our position in the market and open the path for fresh initiatives.”