Matex is a company that deals in a wide array of textile and machinery solutions for clients. The company acts as a bridge between international resources and Indian clients. In this interview, Raghav Agarwalla, Managing Director, Matex, talks about the philosophy behind the formation of the company, his plans, and more
A business journey can at times be a fascinating one, as has been in the case of Matex which was established 40 years ago by Raghav Agarwalla’s father Anand Agarwalla and his uncle Brij Bindal. When Matex started its operations in the Eighties, the primary focus of the founders was to provide the best in machinery from all over the world to their clients all over India. Japan and Europe were a few of the countries with whom Matex started working during the initial stage. The company managed to bring in esteemed principals such as Toyota, Nissan and Marubeni. In that sense, Matex has dealt in a variety of plant projects and textile machineries right from its early days.
According to Raghav Agarwalla, Managing Director, Matex, during that time all that the foreign industries were looking for was potential long-term partners in India. The wish of the foreign giants was to collaborate with trustworthy Indian partners who were capable enough to represent their brand in the country. Moreover, the foreign clients wanted partners who would not only understand their products but their philosophy too. For example, when it is dealing with a company such as Toyota, Matex makes sure that the Indian partner speaks in a local language that the people here understand. However, the concept of selling, backup and more should maintain the Japanese touch.
In this context, Agarwalla says that there are times when the philosophies of the principal and Matex do not match. In that case, they refrain from going into any type of tie-up with such organisations. ‘It is essential to mention that there is no fault of the country in these cases because it is just a clash of philosophies. Matex has always kept its primary focus on the quality of products irrespective of whether they are from Japan, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Spain or others,” he says.
Right Leadership
Presently, Agarwalla is taking the legacy of his predecessors forward. He has already been in the business for a decade and hopes to see Matex at the top shortly. Agarwalla is 35-years old with a clear focus and excellent understanding of the industry. He is a mechanical engineer and an MBA in Marketing. Moreover, his work experience with Curtiss Wright (USA) helps him identify new opportunities in the textile and machinery field with a more nuanced eye.
Brilliant Portfolio
For the past four decades, Matex has only become better at what it does. The primary focus of Matex right now is the textile industry, especially the weaving, spinning and processing segments. However, now the spinning wing of the company has become smaller with India becoming more independent in the manufacturing department. Due to the increasing demand of the market, Matex is now also focusing on air-jet technology and machinery. It is a comparatively large sector in India. Moreover, there is a lot of scope in this industry to evolve, modify and change. Besides, for all the principal companies, Matex has never had a focus on sales only. Instead, it is a healthy combination of sales along with all the after-sales services.
Moreover, Matex believes in maintaining a long-term relationship with all its clients. In this context, Agarwalla says, “The textile industry is a sector where there is no one-time order. You have to connect with the customer for long periods because they would come back to you for service.” And the fact that some machines run all the time makes them prone to technical issues at times. These are times when the customer requires a certain level of expertise and providing after-sales service is, therefore, a primary part of the portfolio of Matex. Toyota’s air-jet looms are manufactured 100% in Japan, which is also one of the primary long-term associates of Matex.
A few of the other principals of the company include Todo Seisakusho (Japan) that deals in knotting machine, leasing machine and material handling equipment. Another Japan-based giant that has a tie-up with Matex is Zuiko. This company is into manufacturing machines for producing sanitary napkins, baby and adult diapers and face masks. Last but not least, there is Shima Sheiki (Japan) for the fantastic Apex-T design system to support the customers’ fabric designing department as well as the weaving department in tandem. In Europe, the company’s principals include Cubotex for hank, yarn, fibre, tow, top and pantyhose dyeing; Alea for hot air dryers suitable for fibre, tow and hanks; Testa for packing automation and inspection; and Macchine Caru for textile finishing systems.
These are all Italian brands along with which there is a Turkish partner, Ides Makina, another contributor in the soft flow dyeing sector. The top Indian clients of Matex in India include Shahi Exports, Vardhaman Group, Siyaram Silk Mills, Trident Textiles, LNJ Group, Pee Vee Textiles, Nahar and Oswal, Alok Industries and Himatsingka Seide Ltd., amongst several others. Altogether, including the accessories, 25-30 companies are part of the business portfolio of Matex. In the course of the interview, Agarwalla mentions that dealing in yarns or garments is still not a part of their portfolio. However, there are plans to diversify in the future.
Achievements and Future Goals
As Agarwalla puts it, “For us more than getting an award is when a principal wants to stick with you for four decades. It means that there is something right about the company and the philosophy which we follow. Along with that, customers rewarding us with repeat orders what we strive for.” According to him, happy clients and goodwill is the reward that Matex works for. When it comes to plans, apart from participating in the ITME exhibition in December 2021, Matex is planning to expand its base across different regions of India. Agarwalla is proud that Matex is a part of the ‘Make in India’ movement and is setting examples for several other organisations. His vision for the company is to be the first choice of clients in the field of textile machinery and technology in the coming five years. Besides, diversifying in the existing sectors is, of course, a priority, and Agarwalla believes that there is a lot of potential in the country for growth and development.