What are the products and services offered by WAGO?
We classify our range of more than 25,000 stock keeping units (SKUs) in three product lines – electrical interconnections, automation technology and interface electronics. Our electronic interconnection product line ranges from Rail-Mount Terminal Block systems, installation and field-wiring terminal blocks, through pluggable connectors and feedthrough components, up to PCB connections and marking solutions.
Versatile and future-ready automation technology from WAGO includes I/O systems for decentralised automation, controllers, switches, sensor or actuator boxes, displays and panels.
WAGO interface electronics range offers interface modules, signal conditioners, relay and optocoupler modules, voltage converters and power supplies and system wiring.
What is the USP of your products?
We are the inventor of CAGE CLAMP and world-leader in gas tight spring pressure connection technology. This technology eliminates time-consuming screw tightening and requires no maintenance as well as any speciality tool to make a safe wiring connection. Rigorous mechanical, electrical and environmental tests, as well as additional industry-specific tests for connection strength, safety and reliability, ensure that no interruption of the electrical connection occur even in the harshest of operating conditions as against screw-type connection.
What are the growth drivers of your business?
As I described earlier, WAGO products are best-suited to harsh operating environments such as vibration, heat or moisture. Industries that operate in these environments are the growth drivers such as railways, metros, elevators, escalators, marine and machine automation among others.
Since our products are proven for easy, safe and reliable connections in variety of applications, it opens up a wide market for us to serve. To cater to this large set of industries and growing demand for our products, we have our market fulfilment plans ready. Upcoming WAGO production facility in Vadodara and ever growing partner network are a few steps towards the goal.
How would you differentiate the German market from Indian market in context to your business?
While the requirements of the applications are same yet there is a difference between how buyers approach fulfilling these requirements. While in European market quality of the product supersedes all other evaluation criteria, whereas in India it’s a tough battleground when it comes to top quality at a premium price. We have seen scenarios in India where the need of connection safety and reliability gets compromised due to budget constraints and availability of below par quality products at cheaper rates, even in critical applications. However it will be wrong to say that the customer orientation towards quality consideration is not changing. With growing incidents of accidents and huge associated costs of shutdowns due to improper wiring connections, more and more buyers are now becoming conscious about products’ reliability aspects and are now willing to pay premium for quality. Slowly and steadily market dynamics are slated to change.
We understand that WAGO started with an innovation in connection technology. How is WAGO continuing its legacy of innovation?
It is relatively easy to innovate for the first time than spotting newer challenges and replicate the practice of innovation to overcome these. WAGO launches about 30 new products every year globally and gets four to five patents. With a sizeable investment in Research and Development, we are currently working on over 170 patents. That shows the organisation’s commitment to empower its customers with the best available technology.
How do you maintain the quality aspect while manufacturing in India?
Good you asked. It is a widely accepted belief that German quality is the best one can get when it comes to machine technology. It is not very difficult for us to maintain that quality levels in India as the practices and standards of quality are well documented and enforceable by our Germany headquarter. We have replicated the material, processes and equipment set-up to match that standard including rigorous German Quality Assurance practices. Moreover, major components of raw material are imported from Germany so that we have same product quality across the global manufacturing facilities.
Another component of quality is the manpower that runs these equipment, system and processes. Since we are a manpower centric facility, a lot of attention is given to hiring and retaining skilled workers and continuously developing their functional knowledge and skill to keep pace with the new products’ requirement.
