Coming of age of Smart Helmet, more focus on safety: Studds MD

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In India, the domestic company Studds has made a prominent place in the helmet industry and every year the focus is on the production and sale of millions of helmets as well as exports. Recently, Studds Exclusive Brand Outlet (EBO) has opened in Karol Bagh, Delhi, where all kinds of helmets are available and soon the riding gear of studs will be launched in the market. We interviewed Siddharth Bhushan Khurana, MD of Studdes and tried to know the helmet industry in India as well as other important things including safety, business plans, which are very important for those who care about bike norms and safety norms while riding. See details.

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Question: What have you planned for the expansion of Studds this year?
answer: We have made a lot of plans this year, especially with the emphasis on increasing production. Earlier we used to make 6 million helmets every year, now our capacity is to make 12 million helmets. This year we will make 9 million helmets. The next year was our attempt for more expansion, next year we will do more in other phases.

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Question: Is there anything new coming in the Helmet Industry, can anything be done better, what would you say on this?
answer: A lot of new things are going to happen in the helmet industry, with emphasis on smart helmets. I think after 25 years, 25% of people would like to buy smart helmets, which will see Bluetooth and camera. All development is happening on the electronic site. On the safety side, the government has made some standard changes, due to which the helmets have become lighter, which is good for the customer.

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Q: Explain the importance of things like Certification and Ventilation in helmets?
answer: The certification is mainly that the government sets the minimum standard and companies take care of it, but those who are good and big companies are not limited to these only and take care of many safety majors. At the same time, in the country like India, if a person is riding a bike with a full face helmet, then he is swatting. Norms set by the government recently focus on ventilation as well as reducing the weight of the helmet, which is beneficial for the customer.

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Question: How is Studds supporting the government’s Make In India initiative? What have you thought about it?
answer: Before Kovid, we used to have 2% material import, now no material is being imported and if we say 2% it is now 0.1%. We are buying all the material in India and making it in India. Our example was also given by the government. Import of studs from China is zero.

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Question: Whatever impact has been caused by the slowdown in the auto industry due to Corona Crisis, we are all watching, I would like to know your opinion about how the year 2021 will be in terms of auto industry.
answer: One thing that was noticed due to the arrival of Corona, is that people have reduced the use of public mobility and due to fear, people are focusing on personal mobility, in such a situation, they are hoping that this year will be the automobile and especially Can prove to be quite good for two wheelers. The government has also focused heavily on the infrastructure in the budget.

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Question: How many people are Studds Directly or indirectly employing and what are you going to do for the Job Creattion in further expansion plans?
answer: The studs are employing 2500 people directly and the figure is expected to be 3000 by the end of this year. On the other hand, about 10 thousand people are associated with us.

Question: Would you like to tell about STUDDS’s 2020 growth report?
answer: Despite Kovid, our growth report in 2020 was good and we grew by about 10%. Studs is one of the few companies that has also grown into Covid Crisis.

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Question: Demand days of Riding Gear and Helmet have increased by more companies including Royal Enfield, so competition has definitely increased in front of you. What do you think about this and any specific plan to take it?
answer: I think our focus is to focus on new products, listening to, understanding market needs and providing products to people accordingly. With this the export market has become quite large. This year we will export about 1 million helmets. We will export our helmets to about 10 companies.

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Question: People want to know how is your product better than helmets of companies like Steelbird, Vega, Royal Enfield, Wrangler, MT, Axor, Gliders?
answer: The most important part in the helmet is thermocol, which is the safety equipment. We ourselves are developing thermocol and stressing on safety, which is a plus point for us. Along with this, we are focusing a lot on research and development. Along with this, people are trying to get helmets according to their needs, which are equipped with the latest technology.

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Question: You will tell the range of studs helmets and riding gear?
answer: We have two brands – one is Studds and the other is SMK. The range of studs helmets starts at Rs 800 and goes up to Rs 2200. SMK has a starting range of 3000 and goes up to 15,000. SMK is a premium brand.