This article was originally published in the Brand Finance India 100 2024 report.
Zetwerk, an emerging engineering brand, is a new entrant to our India 100 2024 report. In a recent interview with Brand Finance, we dive deeper into the company’s key milestones in building and strengthening the brand as shared by Zetwerk Manufacturing’s CEO & co-founder, Mr. Amrit Acharya.
Interview with Amrit Acharya
CEO & Co-Founder,
Zetwerk Manufacturing
What are Zetwerk’s biggest advantages in ensuring brand success?
Zetwerk is all about giving our customers control, saving them cash, and getting things done fast.
We try to keep things simple and stick to the basics. We tell our customers three things; one: see everything, know everything which means that our in-house operating system will offer complete visibility into every step, from the first design sketch to the final order. We take the mystery out of manufacturing.
Second, we offer them the bandwidth of more than 10,000 verified manufacturing partners around the world. Think of it as having a worldwide team of experts ready to jump in and help! This means our customers can find the perfect match for their requirements, no matter what they need, saving time and money.
Third, we support them with a very agile organisation structure at our end which is derived from a concept called Strategic Business Units. This structure allows us to keep things running smoothly and empowers our customers to make decisions quickly to get the best results possible.
What are the key trends you envisage as being the most important in the manufacturing industry over the next three years and how can brands navigate or capitalise on those?
Over the next few years, we see three strong themes emerging for the Indian manufacturing industry:
Trend 1 - We anticipate solid domestic demand driven by a revival in private capital into new factories, infrastructure and long-term assets, especially in the industrial sectors.
Trend 2 - We expect an increase in exports as countries increasingly opt for diversified sourcing in addition to US-led diversification into India and other Asian manufacturing destinations, especially in precision components, electric vehicles, medical devices, renewables and consumer electronics.
Trend 3 - We also foresee Indian companies looking to localise manufacturing and reduce dependency on imports, especially in Electronics and Aerospace.
Zetwerk has successfully laid out a robust growth plan across all these themes and the industries it operates in.
It will continue to bring strategic fillips to grow its consumer, aerospace and international businesses. In addition, it will continue to enhance its tech offerings under the Zetwerk Operating System umbrella to offer its customers complete visibility and transparency at every step of the manufacturing process.
What would you consider as the defining moments or milestones in building and strengthening the Zetwerk brand?
Zetwerk's story is one of continuous adaptation and innovation. We began with a promising software solution, but market realities – lengthy client decision cycles and complex IT policies – led us to pivot to a B2B marketplace model. This new approach connected manufacturers with a network of suppliers, but we identified challenges around supplier execution, including capacity limitations and logistical hurdles. This wasn't a setback, but a springboard for our next strategic move. We transitioned into a managed manufacturing marketplace. Here, Zetwerk receives orders and oversees fulfilment by qualified suppliers on our platform, ensuring on-time delivery and project completion. These pivots weren't just course corrections; they were defining moments for Zetwerk, allowing us to become a more comprehensive and reliable partner for our customers.
The global pandemic further fuelled our evolution. COVID-19 forced us to diversify beyond a single supply chain (general fabrication) and geographic focus (India). This resulted in a significant shift in our business mix over the next few years:
- Customer Segments: 100% industrial to 25% consumer electronics / 75% industrial
- Geographic Reach: 100% India to 85% India / 20% international
By embracing change and adapting to market needs, Zetwerk is fast emerging as a trusted brand for all the manufacturing needs. We're excited to continue innovating and delivering value to our customers across the globe.
