The Focus India delegation left bright and early in the morning to visit PRS Permacel.
After a two hours drive, we were warmly welcomed and had a brief photo session; PRS Permacel served a delicious local Indian breakfast, which is typical of the state of Maharastra, providing us with an explanation of the local dishes. The official part started with a short company presentation, which was followed by a safety and security instruction.
Actually, PRS Permacel produces different types of electrical and thermal insolating tapes. Furthermore, they develop and print labels for several fields of application. The company was founded in 1958 and today, with 300 employees, they serve more than 3000 key customers such as ABB, Bombardier, Skoda and Tata. During the facility tour we were guided by motivated employees who explained the whole production line to us as well as the research centre.
Our Focus India delegation was impressed by the high level of implemented security standards which were all initiated and financed by themselves. For example, for 25 years PRS Permacel has had underground tanks with double walls.
Before the afternoon session started we were invited to eat lunch at their management canteen. One of the managers explained the opportunities and challenges faced by Indian companies. The main challenges are:
- Labour law
- Financial
- Regulatory
To mention only two of the many opportunities, the strong legal system and the huge domestic market, affect PRS Permacel in a positive way.
Finally, we had an interactive question and answer session with the whole management team. They were very interested in our suggestions to improve their business. Before we left, everybody received a souvenir photo which had been shot earlier that morning. In their spare time, the delegation explored Mumbai and its tasty cuisine.
Silvia Frunz / Roman Zimmermann
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