ES. WIKA Group has a long history in industrial measurement technology. Can you share how the company has evolved since its founding in 1946?
Prashant Sinha. A family-owned business for over 75 years, WIKA Group has evolved to become a global leader in measurement technology and instrumentation, manufacturing pressure, temperature, force, flow, and level measuring instruments. Over the decades, the company has continuously embraced innovation and integrated digital solutions to meet the demands of various industries like oil & gas, petrochemicals, food & beverages, chemical industry, etc.
Ever since its establishment, the company has adopted various technological advancements and innovations, helping it attain remarkable milestones over the decades. From beginning its journey in Germany, the group has now expanded to around 47 countries and making a hold in the international markets with its broad and diverse product range.
This, in turn, has also helped us how WIKA Group has built its reputation for quality and reliability in industrial measurement technology.
THE EXHIBITIONS ARE ANTHE EXHIBITIONS ARE ANEXCELLENT PLATFORM TO PLAN AND ORGANIZE FACE-TO-FACE INTERACTIONS WITH CUSTOMERS.
The company’s evolution includes expanding its global footprint through strategic acquisitions and the establishment of subsidiaries and production facilities worldwide. In India, the company started its operations in 1997 with its first plant setup in Pune, Maharashtra. Apart from this, we also have state-of-the-art manufacturing plants in Chennai, Ghaziabad & Faridabad, drawing upon the global experience of WIKA Germany.
WIKA India operates a quality and environment management system according to international standards (ISO 9001, ISO 14001). We also have a calibration laboratory that has received NABL accreditation and is equipped with high-level primary standard equipment. Our facilities in four different regions help us provide localized support and solutions tailored to regional markets.
WIKA has also emphasized sustainability and efficiency in its operations, developing products that have efficient energy conservation mechanisms and minimizes impact on the environment. The company has been consistent in its commitment to invest heavily on research and development, hence, it has remained a leader in the measurement technology market. The company provides a touch of specialized products and services in the industry with better quality instruments and systems in industrial requirement.
ES. What is your role at WIKA Group, and how does it contribute to the company’s success in exhibitions and overall business strategy?
Prashant Sinha. As a Head of Marketing, WIKA India, I have been leading the complete marketing gamut that is helping me transform our market reputation and accelerate business growth. From leveraging market research, conducting industry analysis, and sharing customer insights to anticipate and counter competitive actions, I focus on planning ways to build customer loyalty, and position WIKA for market share leadership.
As a marketing team that includes multiple experts in different domains, we make the best use of our price positioning, brand management, business development, and channel management skills. For any corporate event or exhibition we have participated in, we ensure to conduct thorough market research, utilize the opportunity for product promotion, engage with customers, and coordinate with sales teams to align marketing efforts with business objectives. Talking specifically about exhibitions, our team ensures that WIKA India’s participation in any trade show or exhibition is fruitful and promising. From planning to executing all the aspects of trade show participation like booth design, promotional materials, and live demonstrations of products, we are focused at attracting maximum number of potential customers during the trade show. We also utilize exhibitions as an opportunity to highlight our innovations in measurement technology and demonstrate our commitment to quality and customer service. While attracting new clients is our focus, we also ensure to maintain sustainability standards and high level of commitment to it. For this, WIKA India has also been honored with the Sustainability Excellence Award at the 8th Edition of the Exhibition Excellence Awards & Summit (EEA) 2024.
ES. What role do exhibitions play in WIKA Group’s overall marketing and business strategy?
Prashant Sinha. Industry events and exhibitions have always played a crucial role in building WIKA’s brand reputation. From improving a brand’s visibility in the market by displaying industry-related products or inviting industry experts to share their views about the particular segment, product, or WIKA as a brand, participating in exhibitions help enhance brand visibility.
The exhibitions are also an excellent platform to plan and organize face-to-face interactions with customers. This not only helps in lead generation for the brand but also provides an opportunity to stay updated with market trends and competitor activities.
ES. What challenges do you face when showcasing its products and services at exhibitions, and how do you overcome them?
Prashant Sinha. In a corporate setting, there is no activity that can be planned and executed easily. Same is the situation with the exhibitions in which WIKA participates.
Some of the common challenges that we face are logistical issues such as transportation of logistics; standing out from the competitors in the competitive environment; technological challenges; staff training; and strategies for engaging with attendees, to name a few. One of the most
important and crucial challenges that I missed mentioning in the above list is sustainability. There are a large number of sustainability-related challenges in the real-world today, from carbon emission, solar energy and plants to deforestation.
To handle such hurdles, it is extremely important to stay calm and make sure that the challenges are handled in a way that does not impact the execution of any exhibition. Collecting feedback is one of the most simplest and effective ways to deal with these challenges as this would help in gaining an understanding about the problem areas and how you can deal with them. Talking about sustainability, as we know that the issues related to it are increasing every day. To meet these challenges, we have eliminated the use of non-recyclable products at any exhibition we participate in.
This includes discontinuing the use of plastic wraps and non-degradable disposable cups, minimized paper catalogues by implementing the use of digital QR codes for getting the samples of catalogues, using non-woven bags instead of paper bags, and replacing plastic pens with biodegradable rubber pens. This is not all! We also employ the use of pulp packing for all the products that are originated from different plants. Some measures have also been taken to save energy. This includes switching to energy efficient lighting at our booth, which also helps in contributing less to the carbon footprints and lessens the generation of heat beneficial for our cooling system.
ES. Sustainability is increasingly important in today’s world. How do you incorporate sustainable practices into its products and operations, and how is this showcased at exhibitions?
Prashant Sinha. As we all know, sustainability challenges are increasing with each passing day. From a rapid increase in greenhouse emission leading to global warming to environmental degradation and increasing pollution, the challenges have become a major matter of concern for all. Since sustainability is extremely important for long-term survival and success, WIKA has been following the best possible practices to meet the needs of the changing environment. WIKA India has been exemplifying this with impressive achievements in water conservation and carbon emission reduction. Some of the recent sustainability projects undertaken by WIKA India include pulp packaging, zero wastewater initiatives, LPG genset implementation, urban forest development, and solar energy adoption. These efforts significantly reduced their carbon footprint and enhanced energy sustainability. Notably, the shift from diesel generators to LPG gensets and the planting of 1,600 trees on urban barren lands are pioneering efforts. One standout achievement that I would like to mention here is WIKA India’s advanced water management system. Over the past two years, the company has reduced water consumption by 26% at its Faridabad plant. They recharge 6 million liters of rainwater annually and operate a sewage treatment plant generating 300,000 liters of recycled water daily. Their high-performance cooling system for laser systems has achieved an 85% reduction in water usage.
Observing WIKA India’s commitment to sustainability, the company was recently honored with the Sustainability Excellence Award at the 8th Edition of the Exhibition Excellence Awards & Summit (EEA) 2024 and received a “Certificate of Appreciation” from Mr. Alexander Wiegand, Chairman of WIKA Group.
For more details about our sustainability efforts, please check our recently published Sustainability Report.
In the past few years, WIKA India has participated in several exhibitions. But while we participated in all these exhibitions to stay updated with the latest market trends and attract new clients, we made sure that we remain stick to all the environmental regulations and standards. Our commitment to sustainability and green environment was in no way compromised at any of the exhibitions.
