Multinational flight case hardware and 19 inch racking manufacturer Penn Elcom announces the launch of a new distribution centre in Mumbai, India.
This will be based in the Vasai area and will be headed by Rodney D’Monte. Rodney will initially be working with six staff which will increase as the operation ramps up.
Penn Elcom Chairman Roger Willems stated, “Mumbai is a major commercial and cultural hub and a great strategic location with a very positive future … and we enjoy its vibrancy and energy! That’s exactly where we want to be”.
This follows other recent major investments in Penn Elcom’s global manufacturing and sales network – in Canada, the UK and China – and is also in response to growing demand for their ranges of premium quality products in key market sectors like professional audio, AV and IT.
Roger – known for his lateral thinking and commercial wisdom – also comments they see India and the whole sub-continent as a huge growth market and a powerhouse of the future. “Although it is very different, the rawness and the sheer potential remind me of how I felt about China 15 years ago,” he says.
With this in mind, he also expects – as a highly industrialised nation – to increase Penn’s market share of domestic sales there.
Penn’s Indian enterprise is also about responsible business and finding a balance. Their highly successful approach in China has included integrating and building sustainable commerce and opportunities that can economically and socially impact the immediate community.
There is the chance to enhance working practices and ideas – including administration and production – via information and experiences shared between all Penn’s facilities around the world. This maintains worldwide consistency and offers skills / learnership opportunities via active training programmes and staff interchange between Penn in the USA, Canada, Mexico, the UK and Asia.
This is an initiative that benefits all the company’s resources and the model will be enthusiastically embraced in India.
The Indian operation will first focus on the racking and hardware elements of Penn’s business, and will also manufacture and distribute products utilizing well known quality brands like Amphenol cables and Neutrik connectors.
It will also work closely with the Chinese operation – based near Beijing – sourcing its basic hardware from there and the two manufacturing bases in the UK.
“It’s a long term investment with a lot of work and detail involved in setting up the infrastructure, but all signs are that India will become another star performer,” concludes Roger.
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