Wavin Vectus is one of India’s leading & fastest-growing manufacturers of pipes & fittings systems; water storage tanks for distribution and storage of drinking water; soil and waste discharge, rainwater and stormwater management for domestic, industrial, agricultural and commercial purposes. Backed by decades of stellar experience in the global and domestic markets, Wavin Vectus aims to bring unmatched expertise to India’s customers.
In an interaction with Tube & Pipe India, Mr. Manish Khandelwal, Commercial Director, Wavin Vectus, talks in detail about its joint venture with Vectus and the solutions provided by the Company.
Tube & Pipe India: Please give us an outline of the business journey of Wavin Vectus along with its crucial milestone.
Manish Khandelwal: Wavin Vectus is a joint venture formed in 2020. Wavin is a global company, which is in the market for the last six decades. In India, we entered in the 1960s with plastic pipes. Those were the times when cement pipes were there in the market and plastic was very new in India; hence, the market couldn’t get accustomed to plastic pipes. The company had to wrap up the operations back then. In 2020, the market was mature for plastic pipes. The plastic pipe market was valued at around USD 7 billion and Indian players like Astral and Ashirvad were already the major players in this segment. Wavin reentered the Indian market with its entire product portfolio of aboveground and below-ground drainage and plumbing solutions. That’s when it formed a joint venture with Vectus, a three-decade-old company that is into the manufacturing of plastic storage tanks in blow mold and roto mold technologies.
TPI: Could you brief us on this strategic partnership? What will be the future plans?
MK: Synergizing the strengths of both, Wavin and Vectus want to create an Indian market powerhouse. Wavin’s global legacy spans numerous patents attained over decades with innovative solutions for water management, gas supply, heating and cooling, installed across continents. By leveraging these and Vectus’ pan-India footprint in retail and distribution and their cutting-edge technologies for polymer-based piping systems and water storage solutions, Wavin Vectus is the one-stop solution provider for aboveground and below-ground pipes & fittings and water storage in India.
We want to bring the combined experience and expertise of two of the biggest names in the segment. With our joint venture, we’ll try to provide all the major technology and innovation to the Indian market on a mass level. Any product which is new in terms of technology and innovation is always placed in the premium segment. Our purpose is to bring those products to the masses so that it is fruitful for every part of society.
TPI: Please take us through some of the innovation-driven products of your company.
MK: In piping solutions, Wavin has low noise drainage solutions, which is first in its category and currently booming in the Indian market, especially in five-star hotels or hospitals where there is a need for silent spaces. Wavin has other innovative products such as Tigris K5/M5 which comes with an ‘acoustic leak alert’. At the time of installation, while performing a pressure test with air, a whistling sound of 80 decibels can be heard loud and clear if there is any leakage. So these are some unique products that we are delivering in the Indian market.
TPI: Shed some light on the footprint of Wavin Vectus.
MK: Wavin Vectus has around 19 manufacturing units across India, starting from Jammu in the north to Trichy in the south and from Dahej in the west to Guwahati in the east. We have a presence in almost 26 states which is itself a sign of our production capabilities and the kind of market we serve.
Currently, we have around 35,000 retail counters, 5,000 distribution points, and a sales team of more than 400 people in all our verticals including project, government, and trade. We also have a design team for providing support to the architect and consultant through our product BIM Revit, which is software that helps enhance the accuracy of the design and planning of projects besides cost savings of around 15-20 percent.
Also Read: Steel Pipe Makers: Huge Stock Gainers as Govt. Encourages Infra Projects
“Wavin Vectus is the one-stop solution provider for above-ground and below-ground pipes & fittings and water storage… With our joint venture, we’ll try to provide all the major technology and innovation to the Indian market on a mass level.”
TPI: How do you see the tube & pipe market evolving in the future?
MK: Around a decade back, CPVC was a new segment but today, there is a need in the market for more innovative solutions. All the leading players have entered into the flexible plumbing solutions and that is the future of the pipe market in India. Plastic holds several advantages and is more economical and userfriendly than GI pipes.
Wavin is a leading company in terms of technology and innovation. The first PVC pipe was invented by Wavin in the Netherlands back in the 1950s. More R&D is required for the Indian market. We will put together our learning & experience and try to provide solutions according to the need of the country. As India is a developing country, it will face the worst climate change challenges, in the next few years or in a decade. Hence, there is a need for a more robust infrastructure of plumbing and drain solutions. We are driving the industry to become more future-ready.
