Hengchang Machinery Factory India, a leading quilting machine manufacturing company, opened its India office and showroom in Coimbatore on May 20th. The India’s first showroom was inaugurated by Lai Zhongyao, International Marketing Manager of Hengchang Machinery Factory, China at Kulathottam near Uthupalayam of Arasur in the outskirts of Coimbatore in the presence of Sangeetha, India Manger, Hengchang Machinery Factory, India.
The China based company has its presence in India since 2013 and supplying quilting machines for mattress industries. The company has successfully installed more than 200 quilting machines across India by overcoming competitors after establishing as top brand through company’s easy installation process and better service. The Hengchang India is functioning with operating head office in Coimbatore and quilting machines are being assembled in India after spares imported from China.
Lai Zhongyao said that with years of enriched experience in quilting industry, Hengchang India have carved a niche in this industry both in domestic and international soils. He noted that with fine machineries crafted from advanced techniques, the company strives to provide quilting machinery of highest standards to customers spread across the world.
“While mattress industry is growing at rapid phase in India, there is prediction that about 200 mattress manufacturing and it’s allied industries to be launched across the country during 2018-19 financial year and there is need for high quality quilting machines,” he added.
He also said, “In order to cater the increasing demand, Hengchang offers range of quilting machines such as Multi Needle Quilting Machines, Single Needle Quilting Machines and Look Stitch Quilting Machine, which are priced between Rs. 26 lakh and Rs. 45 lakh. The machines are being used by mattress industries based on their quality requirements.”
While speaking about the same, Sangeetha, Indian Manager, Hengchang Machinery Factory, India said, “In the 1990s, the prices of quilting machines were ranging between Rs. 1cr to Rs. 3cr. Owing to the high prices, the Managing Director of our company desired to launch a model that will be available at affordable prices. He developed a machine so as to reduce its price from one crore to just twenty lakhs. Usually when we buy American machines, even for a one time service we have to spend so much lakhs, but we have designed machines, even for a one time service we have to spend so much lakhs, but we have designed a machine which in the brand new condition comes to the same cost. Initially, only large scale industries with high capital income were able to design quilts, but in order to enable smaller industries, with lesser investment to enter the quilting business, we have designed this machine at a low cost. We have also further fine turned these economics machines to produce quilt models such as the tack and jump and continuous quilting business, we have designed this machine at a low cost. We have also further fine-tuned these economics machines to produce quilt models such as the tack and jump and continuous quilt patterns. When a few American machines were unable to run the designs of memory foam mattresses, we have designed our machine to easily produce a memory foam mattress, even to a thickness of about 80mm.”
Sangeetha also said, “Initially our market was very slow, but now seeing our design and quality we have attracted the attention of a lot of customers. Slowly many smaller mattress industries started buying our machines owing to its quality and stability and we have established ourselves well in the market. Further when these industries which bought our machines were able to run them without much maintenance issues, the name and quality of our machines grew to a height of competing with the high cost, American machines. After that, even bigger industries purchased our machines.”
“As the mattress industry is one of high competition, buying high cost machines and producing goods of high prices is not a good idea to run the business successfully. When we buy American machines, we not only have to invest `2-3cr but we also spend Rs. 10-15 lakh per annum for their maintenance. But our machines, being of lower cost as well as of higher quality and stability; it has reached the mattress manufactures to a greater extent. In addition to our quality of where our machines do not develop any problems even if run continuously for 24 hours, we also make a lot of new innovations to include new designs, etc… After we proved the efficiency of our machine to the customers, we have started receiving a lot of positive feedback,” she said.
“In India, even today the mattress industry hasn’t matured much. Here, the numbers of coir mattress users are higher than the users of spring mattresses. Not only spring mattresses, but even coir and foam mattresses require quilting as a step in the manufacturing. Quilting is done in order to attach the foam layer with the fabric layer. With usage, the foam layer generally becomes soft and the top fabric layer tends to become loose, but when we quilt the fabric and foam layers together, the shape of the mattress can be held intact for years together. When we quilt the mattresses, the hole made by the needle and the thread help in air circulation, hence preserving the quality of the mattress for a longer duration and also helps in the reduction of body heat,” said Sangeetha.
“There are around 250 quilt pattern designs in the machine that we manufacture, out of which a few are continuous patterns and a few are tackand- jump pattern. When we quilt in the continuous patterns, it is very quick and helps in enhancing the rate of production. In our basic model HC2500, in 24 hrs, we can run a minimum of 2,000 mtr. A few of our models are even capable of running upto 80 mtr per hour,” she concluded.
