Last year while writing the business plan for AIS Glass Solutions, I came across an interesting incident that had a deep impact on how AIS Glass Solutions decided to approach its business model: A close friend of mine & I were playing golf. I had recently joined Asahi India and in my enthusiasm was talking glass and only glass. My friend remarked, “ look, I don’t care about glass, I care about what glass can do for me……now shut up and hit the ball”. In this statement
lies one of the founding pillars of AIS Glass Solutions.
Glass usage in India is growing at a rapid pace. However, with a mere 0.54 kg per capita, the use of glass in the country is even less than that in Bangladesh. At these levels comparisons with other countries are meaningless. We believe this low usage is due to 3 main factors:
1. A very fragmented and inefficient supply chain. Due to the fragmented nature of the industry; glass processors, traders, installers, and almost all other participants are very short term driven. No effort has been put into customer service, reducing costs, or systematically developing markets.
2. Low consumer awareness on glass. Like my golfing friend, consumers in the country do not know glass has choice. Glass companies have promoted this category aggressively; however they have been very ‘clarity’ centric. It does not take a rocket scientist to figure out that clear glass is supposed to be clear! We believe there needs to be a shift in how glass is communicated
to people.
3. Lack of knowledge on Glass among the specified community. While people are learning, information dissemination has been haphazard and many myths abound in the market place. For example, most architects believe insulated glass protects people against noise and solar heat. Many examples like the one above, collectively have a very direct and immediate effect on glass
consumption.
|
This training manual aspires to start a process that systematically disseminates information (internal & external) so that specifiers in the country have easy access to information that helps them design better & bolder structures, and build safer & more energy efficient buildings. The initial response to this training program among architects, builders, and interior decorators has been nothing short of spectacular. I hope this initiative helps people better use glass and in
the process hopefully use more of it.
|
