Winterhalter, the specialist in commercial warewashing systems, deals in products like dishwashers, cleaning products, water treatment devices and racks. Winterhalter products are characterised by their innovation, efficiency, ease of use and the results delivered to professional kitchens for decades.
Winterhalter was founded in 1947 by Karl Winterhalter in Friedrichshafen, Southern Germany. Today, Jürgen and Ralph Winterhalter, the son and grandson of the founder, run the family company. With over 1500 employees worldwide, the owner-operated company is one of the global players in the commercial kitchen industry.
In an interaction with Indiaretailing Bureau, MD, Winterhalter, David Owen shared the future plans of the company along with how their journey has been in India. Here are the excerpts from the interview:-
Which are your top-of-the-line commercial kitchen appliances and equipment for the Indian market?
In India, Winterhalter has its largest success with our P50 hood model, our Single and Multi Tank machines, dishwashing detergents and water treatment units.
How do you see the market for your products in India with regard to growth in sales, revenue, prepared of the Indian market to accept your products?
In last 3 years, from 2014-2016, the dishwashing market in India grew by ca. 30 per cent, during the same time period sales of Winterhalter products grew by ca. 80 per cent. Therefore, I can see that our products are very well accepted within Indian market and our position in India is steadily improving.
What has been the response of your Indian clients using your appliances with regard to major concerns such as energy efficiency, functionality, environment-friendliness, storage and technology level?
Over the last few years, I have noted that our Indian clients are becoming more aware and increasingly concerned with environmental friendliness and energy efficiency which is very welcoming news for Winterhalter India as it is also a great concern for Winterhalter too.
Winterhalter products and factories are certified according to the Environmental Management System ISO 14001, the Occupational Health and Safety Management OHSAS 18001. The Winterhalter chemicals comply with DIN guidelines DIN10510-10512 and DIN10522 for commercial dishwashing. All Winterhalter chemicals are non-toxic, non-cancerogenic and are free of NTA and EDTA. Especially our Indian produced Detergent F2 is free of phosphates and active chlorine components.
Do your products offer any functional or other competitive advantages over similar products by other sellers in India?
Apart from the quality of our production, sturdiness and the long life of our machines, Winterhalter India specializes and focuses on the complete dishwashing solution i.e we focus on the sale of clean crockery, glasses and thalis etc. through long association with our customers through a supply of good service, detergents and water treatment rather than only selling a dishwashing machine.
Who are your top clients in India?
Our top clients are all the major names in the industrial, HORECA, educational and institutional market segments.
In terms of your sales contribution, what is the share from your different customer segments – hotels, quick serving restaurants, industrial & educational canteens, hospital canteens, caterers, etc.?
Winterhalter focuses on all different customer segments with equal seriousness and importance.
What are the incentives that you offer to your dealers and distributors?
Apart from the normal approved dealers’ commissions, Winterhalter offers it’s dealers an un-paralleled level of service and after sales support within the Indian market.
What are the challenges in the way of deeper penetration of your products?
The greatest challenge of the Indian market is logistics. India is such a large country with concentration of business mainly within the metropolitan areas of India. This leaves large areas of the country very difficult to service efficiently and economically. For this reason, I feel that it is impossible to successfully service and develop the market from only one or two locations, Delhi and Mumbai only for example, which currently is the industry norm.
What are your plans for the future?
Winterhalter is currently investing heavily into the Indian market by opening offices across the country. We currently have a new 17,000 sq.ft. office, warehouse, training and showrooms in Manesar and branches in Bangalore and Pune. The Chennai branch will open before the end of this year and within the next 2 years, we plan to open 7-8 branches across the country. Each of these branches have or will have a full stock of spare parts, detergents and technical staff.
We are looking forward to our long bright future in India.
In last 3 years, from 2014-2016, the dishwashing market in India grew by ca. 30 per cent, during the same time period sales of Winterhalter products grew by ca. 80 per cent
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