Husky expands in India; providing local support with global expertise

Global injection moulding technologies industry leader, Husky Technologies, recently commemorated the next phase of expansion to the company’s India facilities with ceremonies at its new offices and existing Chennai campus.

We spoke to company officials to find out more about the expansion plans for Husky in the country and localisation of products/services.

PRA: Please provide us an update on your expansion plans in India, such as increased capacity and capability for producing hot runners as well as increased local OEM parts team and inventory.

Husky: Our expansion plans in India aim to increase both our capacity and capabilities to better meet the growing demands in the region. We are witnessing many of our key customers investing and expanding in this part of the world, and we are dedicated to ensuring that we are aligned with their growth strategies

Our expansion will focus on bolstering the technical engineering and manufacturing capacity of our hot runner and controller product lines. This will enable us to offer more efficient local support, ensuring that we can respond effectively to our customers’ needs.

To enhance customer satisfaction and improve service responsiveness, we have implemented a strategic plan by expanding our local OEM parts inventory and establishing a dedicated team of highly skilled service technicians positioned across the country. This expansion enables us to better support our local customers by enabling the availability of OEM parts closer to them. With a comprehensive inventory on hand, we can swiftly address customer service needs, minimising downtime and maximising operational efficiency. Our team of expert technicians, stationed strategically throughout the region, possess the knowledge and expertise required to quickly troubleshoot and resolve issues, enabling a prompt and effective resolution.

This expansion will also reinforce our local after sales support for Husky integrated systems, providing our customers with comprehensive and efficient service. In essence, these initiatives underline our commitment to supporting the regional growth of our customers in India and throughout South Asia.

PRA: Is this new expansion in India to cater only to the Indian or South Asian markets?

Husky: While our capacity expansion in India will certainly enhance our ability to serve the local market, the growth in our capacity and capabilities is intended to bolster our global footprint and enable us to respond efficiently to other rapidly evolving South Asian markets.

PRA: Please expand on “the first ICHOR integrated medical injection moulding system that produces blood collection tubes locally.” What is this system and what does it entail?

Husky: Husky’s ICHOR integrated injection moulding system is specifically designed to manufacture blood collection tubes (BCT). The recent start-up of this system at CML Biotech in India, one of the largest BCT manufacturers in the country, marks its debut in the Indian market.

The ICHOR system will enable CML to improve their process efficiency, part quality, weight variations, and cycle times. Based on Husky’s proven PET technology, with integrated robot and auxiliaries, one HMI and advanced hot runner, this system offers unmatched levels of productivity, precision, efficiency and provides end-to-end visibility on the BCT manufacturing process.

The ICHOR system is also equipped with Advantage+Elite, Husky’s proactive, predictive, and transparent monitoring solution. This realtime monitoring capability ensures that system performance is fully optimised and allows for potential issues to be identified and addressed before production is impacted.

PRA: With regards to the the Advantage+Elite technology, what advantages will it provide for customers in India?

Husky: The newest addition of our Advantage+Elite, proactive, predictive and transparent, remote monitoring centre in India offers several advantages. We are situated in closer proximity to customers, enabling us to serve the Indian region more effectively. We are equipped to support our regional customers in their local language.

Advantage+Elite offers Indian customers local support with global expertise and an optimised remote monitoring solution, with the goal of delivering increased convenience, accuracy and satisfaction.

PRA: Is Husky planning on collaborating with or developing technologies specifically for the ASEAN markets?

Husky: Husky is indeed actively exploring collaborations and investing in technology development to meet the specific needs of the ASEAN markets. Our approach is rooted in gaining insights directly from our customers, including those across South Asia, such as India, Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, and Vietnam. This invaluable feedback shapes our innovation and product development, ensuring that our technologies are designed to address our customers’ evolving requirements

For instance, in the hot runner space, we are currently collaborating with customers in India to advance Side Gate product development. This collaboration is just one example of how we are tailoring our solution offerings to meet the unique needs of specific regional markets.

In the medical space, we aim to bring our integrated system to ASEAN countries. This system, which is a result of our comprehensive understanding of the global medical manufacturing sector, could prove extremely beneficial to the region.

Additionally, our advanced medical tooling technologies have already won us numerous customers in various countries. We are enthusiastic about the prospect of introducing these technologies to other markets within the ASEAN region, thus helping local medical manufacturers enhance their capabilities and competitiveness.

In essence, Husky’s strategy for the ASEAN market is centered on continuous innovation, collaboration, and localisation of our technology offerings, all aimed at meeting the specific needs of our customers in the region.

PRA: What challenges do you see arising in the medical manufacturing sector in India, in particular, and in Asia in general, in the near term, and how will Husky be able to address them?

Husky: The medical manufacturing sector in India and across Asia is encountering an increasingly complex landscape of challenges, set to shape the industry in the near term.

– Competitive Pricing and Market Rivalry: The Indian market is highly price-sensitive, with intense competition from many local manufacturers and importers offering similar products, which adds to the pressure to keep costs low. Furthermore, India is striving to increase its share in the global market.

– Localisation and Low Volume Requirements: A significant shift towards localisation in Asian countries means that medical manufacturers often face demand for lower volume runs, especially in Southeast Asia. This change is moving away from the approach of engaging larger, often exportoriented companies.

– Quality Consistency: The increased need for competitive pricing has created a significant challenge for some producers to maintain consistent quality.

– Time to Market: Bringing products to market swiftly, while maintaining high quality and cost efficiency, remains crucial.

– Equipment Uptime, Parts Quality, and Service Availability: As our customers’ products are vital to healthcare, there is a high priority placed on these factors.

At Husky, we are strategically positioned to help our customers navigate these challenges. Our innovative medical technologies can support manufacturers in producing high-quality parts cost-effectively, while also maintaining optimal equipment uptime. Our deep experience in various medical parts production aids our customers in their time-to-market strategies, minimising risk and accelerating their speed of execution.

Through our strong service availability, we were able to support several of our Indian customers during the pandemic, helping them bring their products to market quickly and effectively to combat the health crisis.

As the landscape of the industry evolves towards increased localisation, we remain committed to delivering solutions that meet these changing demands, ensuring our customers remain competitive, while delivering high-quality medical products.

To stay connected and continue to get updates on Husky’s India expansion progress, follow us on social media, or visit www.husky.co

Subscribe to Get the Latest Updates from IMA  Please click here