We Have Started Our Marketing Efforts In The Western Region And We Will Grow Into The North And Eastern Part Of India As Well Over The Next 6-8 Months

We spoke to Apurba Chakraborty, CEO & Director, ID Overseas Pvt. Ltd., Exclusive Licensee of Williamson-Dickie Mfg. Co. to understand their journey in India so far and his views on OSH awareness over the years, the new and innovative products Dickies specializes in and has been proud to launch in the Indian market and the market strategy to increase awareness about their products in India.

Interviewed by Adeesh Sharma

1. Please tell us about your journey in India so far and your views on OSH awareness over the years.

Dickies is about 3 years old in India. While we applaud the growth of the safety industry in India and the evolving maturity that some of the industry leaders have brought in, our reading is that there is a level of compromise still noticed at times with some players in the industry using low-cost and less effective protection equipments, which obviously continues to be a huge risk.

2. What are some of the new and innovative products Dickies specializes in and has been proud to launch in the Indian market?

The brand Dickies is mainly Workwear oriented and is known for its tough, durable and performing products. Dickies are the largest Workwear label in the World. It engages in consistent innovation and improvements across a vast range of Workwear suited for various industries and services. So, simply put, we have been adapting to the location from the strength that Dickies brings with its Global presence. In India, we have been able to use top quality fabrics from domestic mills, strong safety footwear materials and hereby create a line with Dickies global quality at affordable prices.

3. What is your market strategy to increase awareness about your products in India?

While we grow Dickies as a brand across the India Market using brand promotion methodology, our B2B sales strategy makes us directly involved with end users, partners/agents etc in each part of the country to understand their needs and feedback, so that the product- line could be further improved as we go along. We have started our marketing efforts in the Western region and we will grow into the North and Eastern part of India as well over the next 6-8 months. We continue efforts in building the brand via different modes of social-media advertising, launch sessions, customer meets and small event-based sponsorships.

4. Please tell us about your views on OSH India and the work done by it in improving OSH awareness across South Asia.

To us, OSH India has been a rather matured event that has created a considerable awareness on critical areas of neglect (honestly speaking) by both Governmental bodies and Private Enterprise in India. The safety and environmental fields have really seen a boost in the both PPE equipment as well as safer practices being followed at various fields of today’s industry. The strong participation in OSH India of safety and other key management personnel from practically every known name across manufacturing, construction, services and other occupations, only proves that OSH India has been furthering the need to not only “MAKE IN INDIA”, but to “SAFELY” make in India, just like the Developed world.