Nicola Da Riol (NDR), CEO, and Vikas Patil (VP), chief revenue officer, Montanari Group India, share insights with your author (SSP) on marking the company’s 15-year milestone and the qualities that set it apart.
SSP: What key developments and achievements, including technological advancements, has Montanari Lifts Components Pvt. Ltd. (Montanari Group India) realized since launching in India?
NDR and VP: The second-largest lift market after China, India has emerged as a major hub for the lift industry. Anchored by a workforce that has reached approximately 160 highly skilled employees, Montanari Group India has seen its parent company invest in the past 15 years immense effort and resources into developing and maintaining highly advanced and technologically upgraded infrastructure in Pune to provide direct service to the Indian market, which was previously served by products exported from Italy.
The “Make in India” initiative has driven advancement in a wide range of lift and escalator traction machines and also components production, and further expansion of the India facility has been approved by our headquarters to increase the production of traction machines, components and various testing equipment. This development follows a cost-effective and efficient manufacturing processes.
Montanari Group India is admired as a well-known traction machine producer and reliable partner by our customers. This is also confirmed by the more than 100,000 traction machines successfully delivered from the Pune facility and management at various prestigious sites across India.
SSP: How does Montanari Group India leverage the 50-plus years of legacy and reputation of Montanari Group? What are the advantages of associating with such a well-established brand?
NDR and VP: Leveraging the legacy and reputation of a traction machine manufacturer is crucial for maintaining a competitive edge in the industry. Our modest journey reflects our philosophy: Since 1970, we have delivered to customers all over the world the same distinguished quality of the Montanari brand. We have established a logistics and technical support network at the pan-India level. Montanari Academy is the backbone of our service support team. We prefer to connect with all stakeholders through seminars, webinars and technical training sessions.
SSP: How does Montanari Group India align with the values and standards of its parent company?
NDR and VP: All Montanari subsidiaries are strongly aligned with the values, standards and principles set by Montanari Giulio and Co., our parent company based in Modena, Italy, to ensure consistency, compliance and ethical conduct. Montanari Group India adopted the mission and vision set by the parent company to maintain the standards for quality control and product excellence while also ensuring that products fully comply or exceed industry standards and regulations. As a group, we are updated and comply with local, national and international standards and regulations relevant to the lift industry. Our parent company operates globally and ensures alignment with international standards and practices to maintain consistency across all regions. We embrace a culture of continuous improvement, encouraging innovation, R&D and the incorporation of cutting-edge technologies to align with the parent company’s commitment to advancement.
SSP: What challenges are involved in ensuring quality standards in the Indian elevator market, and how does the company address them?
NDR and VP: Cost versus quality is one of the big challenges because the Indian lift market is price sensitive, which leads to cost-cutting measures that may compromise quality. To overcome this, we focus strongly on process optimization and advanced manufacturing processes. We educate customers about the long-term benefits of quality products. The lift industry in India is competitive, with both domestic and international players. Here, we are bound to maintain quality while staying competitive and differentiating ourselves through better quality, reliability and excellent customer service. In the past 15 years, we have built a strong brand reputation in order to stand out in the market.
SSP: What products and services are offered to the vertical-transportation (VT) industry by Montanari Group India?
NDR and VP: Since 1970, Montanari Group has been involved in designing and manufacturing lift and escalator traction machines (gearless and gearbox), along with lift components such as diverter pulleys, safety gears, overspeed governors, etc. We offer pre-service through our product configurator for optimized selection of traction machine configuration according to installation data. Through Montanari Academy, we have trained more than 1,500 elevator technicians. We provide custom services for lift and escalator modernization.
SSP: What VT segment demand patterns and requirements for your products and services have been observed?
NDR and VP: India’s rapid urbanization and construction of high-rise buildings in major cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore and Chennai have led to growing demand and significant need. When we talk about high rise, the majority of installations falls into the gearless segment. Capacity and speed are determined by installation companies. There is also incremental requirements for car-parking elevators in high-rise buildings. The demand for elevator modernization services, upgrades to improve efficiency and safety, as well as meeting regulatory requirements, are increasing based on the age and condition of existing elevators. Also, demand for elevators with Internet of Things (IoT) capability is on the rise to provide real-time data and predictive maintenance.
SSP: How do you see market drivers like technology upgradation and safety influencing demand patterns in 2024 and beyond?
NDR and VP: In the near future, India can be a sourcing hub, with advantages including logistics, reliable partners and cost-effective solutions for the international market. Also, there will be a demand for advanced control systems, modernization, online monitoring systems and safety features. Public sector developments including metros, railways, infrastructure projects and affordable housing in smart cities where sustainability and energy efficiency are important will drive demand.
About Montanari Group
Montanari Group has a strong reputation for quality and innovation in designing and manufacturing lift and escalator components. The group traces its roots to Italy, where it was founded by Giulio Montanari in 1970. Starting with the production of parts, activity expanded to geared traction machines, with the early 2000 gearless machine being introduced. Along with products, Montanari has developed a rich offering of pre- and after-sales service, often playing a pioneering role: The product configurator Montanariapp for lift diagnostics and the latest offering, Butterfly IoT solution, launched at interlift 2023.
With the aim of a direct presence in each market, the group opened branches in 2008 and 2015 in India and China, respectively. Montanari products are distributed in more than 80 countries around the world and are used for both modernization and new-installation projects.
About Nicola Da Riol
Nicola Da Riol has been CEO of Montanari Lifts Components Pvt. Ltd. since 2020. He has significant international experience, with specific competences including technical operations, inter-functional team coordination, general management, manufacturing coordination, resource planning and logistics, finance and manufacturing/relocation/startup in countries outside of the European Union. Da Riol is strong in problem-solving and goal-oriented work. He is an expert in achieving continuous efficiency improvements in the general management and production/technical areas.
About Vikas Patil
Vikas Patil is a mechanical graduate having 22 years of industrial experience of manufacturing in Automobile sector, Application Engineering in Wind Energy sector and Sales in Elevator Industries. He joined Montanari group in year 2010 as Assistant Sales Manager and is currently holding the position of Chief Revenue Officer (CRO) and Director-Sales in Montanari Lifts Components.
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