DAKO-CZ WANTS TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE RAILWAY BOOM IN INDIA.

DAKO-CZ WANTS TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE RAILWAY BOOM IN INDIA. Last year, DAKO-CZ, a manufacturer of brake systems and components for rolling stocks, established  two joint ventures with leading domestic manufacturers in India. The company from Třemošnice in East Bohemia has been very active on the local market in recent years and wants to make full use of its potential.

This is one of the reasons why the business manager of DAKO-CZ went on a business mission organized by the Confederation of Industry CZ, which accompanied the Minister of Foreign Affairs Jan Lipavský on a recent trip to India. The aim of the trip was to present the company and establish new contacts.

DAKO-CZ started operating on the Indian market in 2006, gradually developed its business activities and has been actively supplying India since 2015. Gradually, the percentage of sales that the company generated in India increased. Following the growing demand, DAKO-CZ Machinery was established in Ostrava focused on serial production for  India and finally last year two joint ventures with Indian manufacturers were established: MEDHA DAKO-CZ Pvt. Ltd. and JWL DAKO-CZ India Ltd.

„We see a lot of other potential opportunities in the Indian market, so we will soon establish another subsidiary there. In India, of course, we have built quality relationships over the years we  have been supplying our products there. Still, when the opportunity arose to send our employee on a business mission, we did not hesitate. Our sales manager Monika Jirušková has established new contacts that can help us to further business opportunities,“ said Lukáš Andrýsek, Chairman of the Board of Directors of DAKO-CZ.

The dynamically developing market in India and the opportunities on it are currently the focus of the interests of Czech economic diplomacy. The  local railway also offers considerable opportunities. The country has the fourth most extensive rail network after the US, Russia and China. Indian Railways is the largest employer in India and the eighth largest in the world, employing approximately 1.3 million people. Moreover, India has been investing heavily in its railway and its modernization for several years.

„The aim of the mission, in which I participated, was to introduce the DAKO-CZ brand to other potential customers as a manufacturer of brake systems and components for rolling stocks with its own development and testing laboratory, for which the aspect of railway safety is very important. Thanks to the fact that the mission was under the umbrella of Minister Jan Lipavský, we had the opportunity to meet with ministers, honorary consuls and other important representatives of the Republic of India, including representatives of local companies,“ said Monika Jirušková, business manager and participant of the mission in India.

During her three-day visit to India, she visited New Delhi and Mumbai. In addition tothe number of official meetings and lectures, the representative of DAKO-CZ attendedpersonal meetings, for example with honorary consuls of the Czech Republic from several regions. Monika Jirušková highlighted in particular the negotiations and  the relationship with the Honorary Consul of the Chennai region, where the ICF manufacturer is based. She had the opportunity to have a short conversation about DAKO-CZ’s activities in India directly by Minister of Industry and Trade Piyush Goyal.

In addition to a number of official meetings and participation in the conference, at which the Czech Foreign Minister spoke not only his Indian counterpart Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and also the Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen, the contacts gained through networking were also very valuable. In New Delhi and later in Mumbai, Monika Jirušková met with, for example, Indian representatives of Czech Trade, the local Chamber of Commerce and representatives ofcompanies that offer support in  managing the administration necessary to enter the Indian market.

„The whole three days in India were very intense. In addition to negotiations with Indian partners, we had the opportunity to spend time together with other Czech mission participants, representatives of the Confederation of Industry CZ and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. I believe that we will be able to gradually transform the newly acquired contacts into other opportunities, in any case, the fact that our company DAKO-CZ was actively represented at such an important event is very valuable,“ added Monika Jirušková.

In addition to participating in the business mission, representatives of DAKO-CZ also attended meetings at the Railway Board and also directly at the RDSO (Research Designs and Standards Organization) in the northern Indian city of Lucknow. RDSO is an organisation under the Railway Board that certifies all products destined for Indian Railways. (sfr)