Interview with diamond dies producer Mikrotek: "Our orders rose by 25%"

Mikrotek is a modern company located in Bangalore, India, known to international customers in the wire and cable world for its wire drawing dies and equipment. The company has just participated in the most important event for industry professionals in the U.S., namely Wire Expo 2022, and is preparing to take part with a booth at the Düsseldorf wire 2022 exhibition. 

On the sidelines of these events, we interviewed Managing Director Kamal Babu to take stock of the situation for his company, the wire and cable industry in India, and more. 

How did your business perform in the first part of 2022?
Since November 2021, the business started picking up from all directions. We did pretty well in the first half of 2022 with a rise of 25% in our orders. As we moved into the next phase, we sought out and seized the most promising opportunities.
We have seen continuous orders from all sectors, both soft and hard wire segments.

How is the situation related to Covid-19 in your country, and what impact is it having on your operations?
At present, the pandemic is under control in India, and there are very few reported cases. At the moment, it has no impact on our operations.
Which is your flagship product, and why do you think it is so successful?
Our flagship products are diamond dies for high-speed multi-wire drawing machines and different hard wire drawing applications. First of all, our success is mainly due to the fact that we use high-quality natural diamond, polycrystalline diamond (PCD), and synthetic single crystal diamond in our products. In addition, our very well-controlled manufacturing process built around our proprietary “Solid rock technology” for mounting diamonds contributes significantly to our success.

How high is your export share, and what are the countries where Mikrotek has the most customers?
60% of our business comes from exports. We ship our products to Europe, the USA, Canada, the U.K., Turkey, Russia, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and African countries.


From a drawing dies manufacturer's perspective, what are the most in-demand materials right now, and what trends do you envision for the future?
With the introduction of fine grain and sub-micron PCD blanks by most of the suppliers, the majority of the wire drawers use PCD blanks followed by SSCD/MONO diamonds and natural diamonds.
The future is for synthetic diamonds. A lot of R&D work is going on to bring in new types of super hard materials which will not only substitute natural diamonds but also give multiple advantages to the customer.
You are investing heavily in education and training. Which strategical choice lies behind this decision, and how does it translate into practice?
At Mikrotek, we firmly believe in the constant need to upskill our employees' theoretical and practical knowledge. To achieve this, we have created the necessary infrastructure in the form of MCX - Mikrotek Centre of Excellence complementing our production facility. We use MCX’s infrastructure for training technicians in the wire and cable industries. Since we created MCX, several batches have passed out, establishing MIKROTEK as the preferred choice among our customers.
The last two to three years have been a watershed for many companies. How has your internal and external organization changed - if at all?
Fortunately, we did well compared to many industries, as with our products we also cater to medical segments. The pandemic has also forced us to bring in changes for in-situ working, thanks to which we were able to supply dies to our customers without any interruption. We installed state-of-the-art Work From Home infrastructure in our sales teams. As a result, we did not face any hardship during the last two pandemic years. With the pandemic receding, and the measures we had taken, we are now well positioned to meet the rising demands from our customers.
Are the inflationary tensions being experienced in many countries, including those related to the Russia-Ukraine conflict, impacting the wire and cable industry in India? 
As of now, there is not much impact of the Russia – Ukraine conflict on Indian wire and cable industries.
What trade shows, conferences, and events will you be attending next?
We are participating in Wire Expo 2022 USA, wire Düsseldorf 2022 in Germany, wire India 2022, and wire South East Asia 2022. And also, we have planned to conduct two technical symposiums this financial year.
What are your expectations for the wire fair in Düsseldorf? 
The wire show in Düsseldorf is the most important platform to meet the customers in person every two years. Due to the pandemic, this is happening after four years and we are eagerly waiting to meet the professionals and investors from the industry. We expect a strong traction for our products from the international market from our participation in the wire Fair in Düsseldorf.

Mikrotek staff will be pleased to meet you at the Düsseldorf wire fair from June 20-24 in Hall 9, Booth B66.