Tinplate Market in India

A fortnight back a large India steel company got in touch with us and wanted us to do a report on tinplate market in India. When we met, we realised that they were already in possession of a report on the Indian market for tinplate and wanted us to work out the details of sizes so they could finalise their tinning line. They briefly showed us the report and wanted our views. They were in real hurry. By the time we finished the third meeting with them we had finalised the scope of our work, the time frame and our fees.
So are we going to see another tinplate producer in India. Maybe. Will this be the fourth one ? I really dont know , the guys we met felt that someone else is also in hurry ---- just like them.
There may be many other players thinking of getting into this line. These fence sitters will be helped by this note.Today I will compare the current three producers on three broad parameters viz top management , product quality and their respective marketing teams.
The oldest tinplate producer remains the best. Their top management team is focussed and have shown great results in past. The current chief executive is a dynamic and hard working person. He is very result oriented . His record speaks for itself. He has good relationship with almost all customers. He is a highly respected figure in this trade. The marketing team is young and with lot of energy. The marketing team for domestic sales is ably led by a young guy with tremendous knowledge about the poduct. They have marketing offices located in all important consuming centres. Their product is of international quality. They are the only one among the three who understands both the product and the market.
The second manufacturer is a government owned organisation. They haven't been able to make the market feel their presence. The top management for some reason haven't looked at this division with seriousness it deserved. Their product is of inferior quality . The marketing team has to look after two other products other than tinplate as a result this product has lost focus. This giant of an organisation neither knows the product nor the market nor are they concerned about it.
The new entrant in this business has the best location i.e close to the consuming centers. Their poduct is good but the real test will come when they use their own produced CR. The top management has been too occupied with project implementation to really leave their mark in the market place. The marketing team doesn't have a settled look which really annoys the customers. But it is too early in the day for anyone to comment on their strengths . For them today is only about survival and not about understanding the market.
If you need any specific detail , you can get me at tinplate@vsnl.com.
My next writing will be on "The most eco friendly metal container in India"
Please do not hesitate to post your comments .