On Course For Growth

Since 2005 Viega has operated successfully in the Indian market. After several years with independent sales representatives, in 2015 the legal entity Viega India was founded in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, to foster the company’s local footprint in India. This includes investments in a production facility in Sanand to better serve local market needs.

Two years after the ground-breaking ceremony, Viega, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of plumbing and heating installation technology, has opened a manufacturing facility in India. The company has invested 20 million euros in the approximately 160,000-square-fee tfacility which also includes a logistics centre, research and development department, and a customer experience centre. The new facility is an important building block in the growth plans of the international group. At the new Viega location in Sanand, around 30 km from Ahmedabad, floor drains and toilet cisterns are currently being manufactured for the Indian market.

Manoj Maithani, Vice President Sales and Marketing at Viega India says, “Make in India’ is not only the eponymous Indian government initiative but also the mark of quality that will characterise ever more Viega products for the Indian market from now on.” Talking about Viega’s growth plan, Maithani says, “In the coming years, we want to locally manufacture products that we currently import into India. To this end, we have designed the plant so that it can always be adapted to changing production requirements and market needs.”

Additionally, the company’s own research and development at Sanand will also focus on local product requirements. In this way, Viega intends to become a driving force for the plumbing and heating industry in India.

Family business
“The opening of the plant in Sanand is a major highlight in our 119-year company history, which began in 1899 with three employees in a backyard in Attendorn, Germany,” says Anna Viegener, Chief Strategy Officer. Adding further she says, “We want to continue to invest in the future and reinvest the profits generated in our company. This cycle has proven itself over decades and has had a lasting impact on our success.”

With 4,300 employees, worldwide, Viega now sells piping systems for plumbing and heating, drainage technology and flushing systems for toilets and urinals.

“To Viega, Hygiene for sanitary facilities in general and drinking water in particular is one of the core competencies, to which we dedicate ourselves with passion and great commitment,” stresses Anna Viegener. Since 2016, the company has been supporting the ‘Team Swachh Bharat’ initiative, which is the official partner of the Indian government’s ‘Swachh Bharat Mission’. ‘Team Swachh Bharat’ has set itself the task of increasing the awareness of children at 3,500 schools in India on the topic of hygiene and the use of sanitary facilities.

Growth plans
The Viega Group has been active in India since 2005. Following the opening of the first sales offices in Gurgaon and Mumbai in 2009 and 2012 respectively, the subsidiary Viega India was founded in 2015 with headquarters in Ahmedabad and currently employs around 85 people. Moreover, a 30-strong sales team ensures proximity to the customer.