Avanish Singh Visen is having more than a decade industrial experience from various industrial sectors like automotive, IT, home appliances, polymer & fenestration industry, primarily in supply chain operation & sourcing management. He has served different industry at various key positions in companies like Lenovo, Videocon, Mahindra, Tafe. He says that for him each customer is a person with diverse needs & requirements & is treated like a partner effectively, reliably & honestly. Even after 17 years in the business he wakes up & comes to work each morning with a smile & the motivation to do his best and give each client the highest level of service. He is a highly accomplished professional with nearly 16+ years of experience in operations, supply chain & business management. He holds nearly one decade of experience in the uPVC fenestration industry.
SR: Take us briefly through your journey in Encraft so far.
My journey started with DCJ group around 10 years back. I was responsible for the complete commercial operations and projects for the entire group in the initial days. During those days, I got an opportunity to set up our first glass processing unit and also got a chance to work closely with each manufacturing plant team. As a result, I implemented a lot of new technology software and ERPs as per business requirement. Then, I got additional responsibilities for new product development and launch as well as customer support for Encraft. From day one I was a part of a strategic team of DCJ Group & really thankful to DCJ management for their unconditional support and trust. As a result of which, I finally took over the complete charge of Encraft India in August 2018. I feel proud to share that Encraft has grown by almost 60% in the past 16 months.
SR: How has the uPVC fenestration market evolved in India?
The Indian real state sector has witnessed robust growth in the past one decade. There are some factors like smart cities development, housing for all scheme, more urbanisation, usage of green and eco-friendly products with less carbon footprints which have given a push to new building technologies and materials.
About a decade back, acceptability and awareness of uPVC was in a very nascent stage but in these years uPVC has become the preferred choice of most of the customers, because of the benefits it offers like thermal insulation, sound proof, energy saving, less carbon footprint, low maintenance, fire retardant, best aesthetic appearance, various colour options etc.
Even then uPVC contributes to only around 10% of the Indian market share but is expected to reach 25 to 30% in the coming 15 years as everyone is moving towards greener products.
SR: How has consumer preferences changed over the years? What are the major factors influencing this change?
Now windows are no longer just considered to be an object to fill the gap in the building envelope as most of the energy losses, approximately 25-30% occur due to windows. Now buyers' choices are changing from a traditional parameter to energy efficient & sound proof windows. Also, now buyers are moving towards green products which are closer to mother earth and having less carbon footprint. As a result, uPVC is gaining market share. Factors like thermal insulation, sound proofing, low maintenance, fire retardant, aesthetic appearance, colour options etc. are also making uPVC a popular choice among consumers.
SR: How is Encraft keeping up with the changing demands? What are the latest innovations?
We keep a close eye on the market & are always delivering products over and above the market expectations. Encraft systems are engineered with precision and are masterpieces of
art, they offer a lifetime of style, strength and security. With the help of a hardworking team of dedicated professionals, state-of-the-art technology and our associates, we maintain a perfect equilibrium between energy efficiency and an easy living. Encraft systems come in a range of customised designs and wooden finish to match with all décors. Our product range boasts a wide variety of casement doors and windows, sliding doors and windows and combined doors and windows.
SR: How much is your company inclined towards R & D? What are the latest steps in this direction?
We rely a lot on R&D and it’s the main pillar of our growth. It’s the function that helps us to stay one step ahead of the market expectation and competition. The management of R&D activities is a key factor allowing achievement of future growth as they eventually lead to an increase in company's knowledge, technical capacities and products and processes innovation. R&D is necessary in boosting the vision and objectives of a business, hence Encraft always comes forward to take action toward innovation & our strong dedicated R&D team is working hard to produce new, innovative and smart products to satisfy the building needs and improve the life of the end customer in any geographic region. High-performance Encraft uPVC windows and doors outperform any other competing alternative on the collective parameters of strength, quality, and aesthetics.
SR: What is the major challenge that you are facing currently and how will you overcome it?
The major challenge which is being faced by the whole industry is good quality installation and absence of common standards which have given opportunities to many local as well less quality companies to venture into this market. Since price is the main deciding factor in India, such companies offer attractive pricing by making compromises in quality. This results in creating a bad image & the whole industry is being blamed. We are working along with the industry to make this market organised by standardisation of quality and product specifications. This will help the market as a whole to protect the interests of the consumers and manufacturers. On one side, the consumer will get the quality product at a competitive price and on the other side, reputed manufacturers can practice their business in a good atmosphere as most of the companies who are compromising on quality will eventually have no place in the market.
SR: How do you see the fenestration market performing in the next 5 years?
The latest state of the art in fenestration is well advanced, proven and durable.
In future, all fenestration will have very less carbon footprint when processed and/or manufactured. They should be using renewable energy; should not be wasteful with raw material resources; should have a similar lifecycle as the whole building envelope; should be fully recyclable and should make a contribution towards energy savings.
In addition, the latest state of the art fenestration should be ergonomical in operation, especially for the ageing population; safe and secure in use; offer optionally traditional or modern appearance and should be, more importantly, cost effective! Complying with those desired attributes is a tall order for any
of the known fenestration materials. Industry has not found the ‘perfect’ frame material yet that ticks all those boxes. Choosing the appropriate or most suitable fenestration solution in terms of frame material and glass will always depend on the actual application. By having knowledge of some of the inherent material deficiencies, architects and fenestration designers can successfully overcome those by changing the design parameters to play on the strength of their chosen material combination.
SR: What is your leadership style?
Success Mantra of my life is “Speed and Quality.” Speed in every action whether its innovation, new product launch, delivery, customer service, anything we do in business, and quality is the backbone. My entire team focuses on these two points and I have also developed an entrepreneur thinking approach in my team which is helping us to grow even faster than the market. Leadership is an art, which involves motivating and protecting a group of people to achieve the company goal. I always empower my team & motivate them to work with ownership approach & let them take ownership and commitment for decisions which makes them feel like leaders. I always put our people first & protect them and make them safe to fail where everyone’s idea is being listened and considered. We do not believe in a traditional, boring working culture & always have fun with the team to get them motivated. In one line, “Any success is my team's success & any failure is mine.”
SR: What are the future plans for Encraft?
Encraft's plan is to be the first preferred choice of our customers by bringing new innovative products for them. We are known for our innovations.