Dropwire, Healdwire, Healdframe and many more to be presented at the show
Schoch Reeds has its special role to play in the modern industrial world. Like every great project, this reed business also had a good start made by a Swiss reed maker, Mr. Alfredo Schoch. This visionary is the father of Mr. Matteo Schoch who is the current Director of the company. The aim of carrying out his family tradition led him to set up Schoch Reeds in 1907 in Italy. It focused on the production and distribution of weaving reeds in the post-Industrial Revolution markets of Europe.
For the past 112 years, this legacy has not only survived but also flourished by achieving different milestones, like manufacturing a new reed wire rolling line with Walter Bräcker, producing the first Duraflex Reeds (resin reeds) and the first Airjet Reeds in an era of high competition. One of the biggest milestones is the branching of the Schoch legacy on the Indian sub-continent in 2009.
Schoch Reeds’ Indian Division was founded in Kolhapur in 2009 to explore the ripe markets of the developing sub-continent. The past has been rich for Schoch Reeds, but the future is richer and one of the leaders responsible for this kind of ever-growing prosperity is Mr. Kuldeep Pareek, General Manager – Sales and Marketing. In accordance with his testimony, the growth index of the company has surpassed expectations. The fiscal year of 2017-18 witnessed a 15% growth, despite the downside in the industry due to the GST implementation, while the successive year witnessed a 20% growth. This growth can be partially attributed to the emergence of a new clientele from the decentralized sector like Ichalkaranji, Bhilwara, etc. “Whenever new technology and machinery are emerging, we are getting the market”, says Mr. Pareek.
Schoch Reeds has a 80-20% split between their domestic and export business, respectively. Countries like Mauritius, Bangladesh, Vietnam, etc., and more form the international market for Schoch Reeds India while its European headquarter provides for its older set of customers in Eurasia.
The company originally started as a weaving reed manufacturer, but over the years has expanded its portfolio to include reed relevant accessories too. The current portfolio includes reeds, reed repairing units, air saving kits, reed cleaning machines and other accessories. This variety has made Schoch Reeds one of the leading manufacturers of high quality weaving and warp preparation reeds. In fact, the company has recently received the ISO 9001:2015 Certificate. The company now employs more than 100 workers in its Indian Division.
The reed business, as Mr. Kuldeep would like to call it, is an ‘Yesterday’s Business’. This implies not the bygone nature of the trade but the briskness and timeliness of delivery that it requires to sustain in the market. Speedy delivery of a maximum of 3 working days and sometimes even the very next day for local customers marks one of the many USPs of the company. Another one of its exceptional aftersales services that offer repairing, recalibration, reconditioning and air-audit that in turn help the client in energy management and conservation.
Schoch Reeds is famed for playing the supplier for leading original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) across Eurasia, and this trend seems to be in progress in India as well.
ITMA is regarded as the Olympics of the textile world. With its 18th edition just around the corner, Mr. Kuldeep cannot contain his excitement. The company is all set to debut with its latest technology, viz., Dropwire, Healdwire and Healdframe. The former two innovations are products of in-house research and development, while the latter has been developed in collaboration with external consultants of Schroder.
India is currently the target market for these launches with several trials of these three products already up and running with customers. Schoch Reeds is also planning to provide a one-fits-all solution for its in-house products while for the healdframe, which has to be customized, it has plans of setting up an assembly plant and workshop in Kolhapur which will enable the assembling and delivering of products with customization.
Mr. Kuldeep Pareek has spent 18 fruitful years in the textile business wherein he has worked with both corporate clients and decentralized clients. He aspires to take Schoch Reeds the No.1 position as a reeds accessories manufacturer and supplier by further enhancing its timely delivery, aftersales services and customer relations. With market expansion plans in countries like Thailand and Turkey, Schoch Reeds is also looking to carry out geographical expansion.