The Indian woodworking industry is witnessing a surge in furniture consumption, driven by rising disposable incomes and evolving lifestyles. The Indian market, traditionally dominated by small local firms, is witnessing increased presence from organized players and multinational companies. E-commerce has also played a significant role, making furniture shopping more convenient and accessible globally. H.S. Manikandan, Chief of Sales and Marketing (Joinery Business) at Pidilite, tells us more…

Pidilite offers a comprehensive range of white glue and hot-melt adhesives with superior water resistance and additional benefits.

How are Pidilite products making the woodworking industry more efficient?

Pidilite is not just a provider of adhesives; it is a team of professionals offering technical expertise to address the varied challenges faced by joinery owners. We believe we are essential partners for architects and interior designers, enabling them to explore unique furniture designs and substrate combinations. They can come up with all sorts of creative ideas, and we’re here to make sure those ideas stick.

Additionally, our product range is compatible with woodworking machinery, enhancing the overall efficiency of the process. We’re also proud to be the only Indian makers of EVA hot-melts, which were traditionally imported. We managed to do this by bringing Jowat’s technology to India and indigenising it by manufacturing it under the brand Fevicol Jowat.

How vast is the product range from Pidilite?

Pidilite offers a comprehensive range of white glue and hot-melt adhesives. It includes EVA (ethylene vinyl acetate), HMPUR (hot-melt polyurethane) and PSHMA (pressure-sensitive hot-melt adhesives).

Additionally, our white glue range includes D2 to D4 adhesives. A few of our flagship products in the D3 range are Fevicol SWR Maxx and Fevicol SWR+, which offer superior water resistance and various additional benefits.

Recently we have launched Fevicol Professional series, which offers a basket of products to the customers which are compatible with variety of machines and are user friendly.

Can you share examples of customising solutions for customers?

Over the six decades in the industry, Fevicol’s laboratories have played a pivotal role in developing highly successful and disruptive products. We are launching a D4 adhesive with a unique dispensing system to address the issues pertaining to manual mixing of hardener along with an adhesive.

This will certainly address the issues encountered by the operators daily, while adding the accurate dosage of the hardener in the adhesive. This dispenser will also reduce the material wastage considerably which will enable the customer in cost savings.

Similarly, Nail-Free Ultra, Fevicol Plastilok and Fevicol LF 101 stand out in our array of innovative offerings.

What about Pidilite’s digital initiatives?

Pidilite has launched a new user-friendly app, Pidilite Genie, a digital assistant exclusively for Pidilite dealers. It enables them in placing an order, tracking live schemes, loyalty points.

Pidilite Genie keeps the dealers informed about all the latest developments with the notifications specifically designed for them. There are several other exciting initiatives on which our team is working and which will be launched very soon.

What is Pidilite’s go-to-market strategy?

Along with the product quality, it is our team that makes us very strong. We have a best-in-class team of experts spread across India who work round the year to service the customers.

With the increase in number of joineries that are being set up every year, we have also set up a dedicated vertical to cater to these units. This enables us to work in a very focussed manner and provide prompt service to the joineries located in any part of the country.

What customer engagements has Pidilite undertaken recently?

We have launched an industrial loyalty programme, Pidilite Premier Circle, with a curated content where the customers will be taken to various conventions/ exhibitions across the globe, among them Interzum (Germany) and Dubai Wood Show. We are excited to have our customers on board for this programme.

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