Schoch Reeds, a Swiss reed maker with its headquarters in Ranica, Italy, is a 100-year-old company involved in manufacturing reeds for weaving machines. The brand was established by Swissman Alfredo Schoch in 1907 to manufacture and supply weaving reeds to the local European market. This heritage was continued by Mr. Matteo Schoch, and the company is now recognized as one of the world leading manufacturers of high quality weaving and warp preparation reeds.
Ever since inception, Schoch Reeds has remained at the forefront of modern reed technology using only quality components in its manufacturing process. The special expertise and knowledge is passed on to the customer in terms of durable, sturdy and functional reeds from Italy.
The reed maker started the Indian production facility in collaboration with the Italian shirting giant, Tessitura Monti, in 2009. Schoch saw a huge potential for its products in this growing market, and thus came the decision of starting the manufacturing unit at Kolhapur, close to its group company.
The Kolhapur plant is equipped with the same European machines, but of course operated by Indians. It has nearly 35 trained employees executing various roles within the organization.
The raw materials used in reeds are still being imported from Italy in order to maintain quality standards. Schoch Reeds India is endeavoring to garner a sizable market share in the aftersales segment. Schoch is very clear about its objectives – providing best-in-class aftersales service and 24/7 support to its domestic customers. The highly-skilled company service team takes care of repairing, reconditioning, recalibration and ultrasonic cleaning of reeds.
“Fastest delivery and unconditional, aftersales service is the reason why customers keep coming back to us. And that’s the reason we were able to caputure a market share of 25-30% in the aftersales business”, said Mr. Dev Bamb, General Manager, Schoch Reeds India, in an exclusive interview to The Textile Magazine, at the Kolhapur plant.
The 100-year expertise allows Schoch Reeds to turn out an array of products for various weaving requirements. The Indian plant is already supplying reeds for shuttle looms, rapier, air-jet, water-jet and also speciality reeds for sizing machines to be used in technical textile applications.
Schoch Reeds is an OEM supplier for ITEMA weaving machines. The recently launched ‘Energy Saving Reeds’ is a major achievement from this reed maker, and is well received by customers globally. This new product, with its own nozzle and reed profile, saves approximately 20 per cent of air consumption, resulting in a marked reduction in the power bill for the customer.
Products from the Schoch Reeds stable are known for their quality and durability. Recently, the group added LGL feeders for sales and services to the product portfolio, giving the Italian reed maker a big entry into the knitting and weaving market.
“Schoch Reeds’ Indian unit performed exceptionally well for the year 2014 with a growth of 20% in sales figures. With the weaving market improving in our country, we are confident of achieving similar targets for 2015 as well,” said Mr. Dev.
Within a short span of time, Schoch Reeds has carved a niche for itself in the Indian market. The Kolhapur plant has a capacity of producing 13,000 reeds annually, and with demand growing, things look very exciting for the reed manufacturer.