Currently, they are offering high density moisture resistance pre-laminated boards, and for the future, they are looking for partners and studying the market for more suitable products to introduce in the country. In a talk with the Ply Reporter, Ms Oana Bodea, General Director, Kronospan Romania SRL, said that there are lots of opportunities in India, so they are offering solutions for affordable houses but at the same time for healthy living. Here is a brief on the conversation.
Tell us about your company and the products you offer.
We are the world's largest producer of woodbased panels, with 45 factories in Europe and a few others in the United States. We have a wider range of products. We manufacture for the construction industry, furniture, interior design, the packaging industry, and so on. Especially for the Indian market now, we are coming up with a new collection on 4x8 boards as the format in India needs this size. The offerings are pre-laminated boards, high density, and moisture resistance. We want to offer these in the Indian market, and we are also offering Birch plywood.
If you compare the markets of Europe, China, the Middle East and India, how do you rate the Indian market?
I believe that the Indian market is developing a lot. Here there are lots of opportunities. I am pleased to see so many people, so many businesses, from architects to big OEM producers, carpenters, and everybody wants to do business. There is a big requirement in the market, so the market is developing and Kronospan should be here. It’s very important to us. So, compared with Europe or China, each market has its own culture and behaviour and so on. It's also worth noting that India has a long history with the wood industry and local producers. For us, we are from Europe, which has a different mentality and a different mindset.
We are offering very good products in quality and designs that come from Europe, like Italy. All our products have been made by Italian designers, which is important. We are coming to India, which has another mentality regarding the boards. There are healthy boards for a healthy environment in the house for healthy living, so there is a need for E0 boards—very important for sustainability. This is something, very important for us. So, we are offering solutions for affordable houses but at the same time for healthy living. This is something that we believe we have an advantage in the Indian market.
What would be your product dissemination mechanism and stock management?
In general, for the products, first of all, we have to look for partners in the market. This is very important because we are at the very beginning in India. Of course, there is a gap in the prices, but we have to find solutions through reading with our partners. Sleek Boards is our partner, and Mr. Vaze advises us all the time about how we should set the price and so on. But, for sure, we are trying to find the best solution possible. I say that our products need to be competitive in the market or else we won’t be able to sell them. In the long run, it would be developed stapes by stapes to find the right solution for the market.
What would be the business model for India, either looking for distributors or creating a warehouse for supply?
We are looking for distributors as we want to split India for many reasons. We have some already and want to expand the network. We want to have a network of strong partners. This is only one channel. The other channels are the OEMs and furniture producers. We have to discuss how we can offer them different solutions as an OEM is looking to produce efficiently. And third, we have to have showrooms, as for our products, the customers need to see them, as everything is about touching, looking, and seeing. So, it is very important to have showrooms in the market.
In 8x4 sheets of melamine boards, what are the designs you are bringing to the Indian market?
In our collection we have a lot of designs, but now we have a special collection for the Indian market that is 25! The total collection is about 156 pre-laminated plus another 100 specials. The special collection is only from Italy. So, we have different designs. What we do for a perfect offering of the segments of the market? We do listen to our customers and the market! If it is nice in India, it is not nice in China, and what is nice in China is not nice in Egypt. We have a lot of experience in exporting to many countries because we are exporting now to 150 countries. Imagine we are globally listening to our customers, which is very important. So, we bring in our collection from country to country. What do they like or envision as a future design in the country?
The offerings in India, with 25 designs, are wood décor and uni décor, which are pre-laminated textures. We have a separate collection for high gloss, along with acrylic, matt, and so on. This is a separate collection. Most of the design press plates are Feud Wood, which is similar to veneering. It is matt, but at the same time it is a Feud Wood finish, which is more or less wood veneer.