Welspun pursues quality brand

Just like the athletes who strive to go "faster, higher and stronger", Indian conglomerate Welspun Group aims for the same excellence in reaching its growth potential every year.

Originally established as a small textile firm in Mumbai in 1985, Welspun Group has since grown into a huge group that produces a wide range of high-quality premium products.

Ranked by the Financial Times in Britain as the world's second-largest producer of large-diameter pipes and the third-largest producer of towels, Welspun Group is valued at $3 billion with more than 20,000 employees in 50 countries, including China.

The largest home textile exporter in Asia, Welspun caters to US and European markets and counts fashion chains and retail giants like Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger, Ralph Lauren and Wal-Mart as esteemed customers. It has set up world-class manufacturing facilities in India and Mexico to complement its highly talented design teams in India and New York.

To further consolidate its global presence, Welspun acquired British towel producer Christy - a major towel brand and a top supplier to the Wimbledon Championships - and high-end Portuguese bath accessory company Sorema.

Its domestic retail arm, Welspun Retail Ltd, plans to add 100 more stores across the country to its current 220 by the end of 2008, and by 2010 it hopes to become the largest retail chain in India with 800 stores.

Meanwhile, Welspun grabbed the attention of the oil and gas industry when it supplied pipes for the 3.2 km undersea pipeline in the Gulf of Mexico, the deepest pipeline in the world.

"Since then, inquiries for Welspun products have grown exponentially," said Vice-Chairman and Managing Director B. K. Goenka.

Welspun's outstanding performance has resulted in large and challenging orders from Exxon-Mobil, Chevron and British Petroleum, catapulting the Indian company into an elite circle dominated by

Japanese and European companies.

The company has recently commissioned a one-of-a-kind plate mill in India as part of its backward integration project, in addition to the new pipe mill being constructed in

Little Rock, Arkansas, in the United States.

"When you look at Welspun as a brand name, you can associate it with high performance. Whether it is textiles or steel pipes, it's just about one word - quality. When you're dealing with Welspun, you're ensuring the highest level of customer satisfaction," Goenka said.

Amid robust economic growth, Welspun hopes to collaborate with more Chinese companies.

"There are a lot of collaborations India and China can do. The combination of service and manufacturing can make this economic relationship the strongest in the world," Goenka said.

www.welspun.com

(China Daily 08/18/2008 page14)