Orient Bell Limited Betting Big on Technology

In an exclusive interaction with Realty Plus, Aditya Gupta, CEO, Orient Bell Limited talks about the recent trends in tiles and ceramic market and how they are using technology  to up the ante for customer experience. Excerpts…

• Please tell us about the inception of Orient Bell Limited and important landmarks it has achieved in its journey so far?  Orient Bell Limited was established in 1977, with its base in New Delhi. The company is one of the largest manufacturers ofceramic, wall, floor and vitrified tiles as well as the first to manufacture ultra-vitrified tiles in India. It has launched a chain of signature showrooms to display the complete product range by aiding retailers in concept selling and is privileged to be associated with the premier construction and consultancy agencies of the country. Its new product design and development is a continuous process, which aids in providing an extensive product range in tiles with various finishes and textures. With specialty tiles for different applications, Orient Bell has four varieties of patent tiles and counts some of the leading developers and government institutions as its customers. With their recently revamped logo and identity, this ushers in a new change and direction for one of India’s leading tile and ceramic companies.

• Tell us about the organized tiles and ceramic market in India and what is Orient Bell Limited’s share in it is. 

The tile and ceramic market is divided into organized and unorganized sector in India. Orient Bell has a successful market share within the organized market segment.

• Products and services Orient Bell Limited has for residential and commercial buildings.

We recently launched the following products that are well suited for both residential and commercial buildings: Kerinox tiles - add a metallic finish to any space, giving it an edgy and contemporary look, well suited for the current crop of homemakers. These tiles are produced through an intense process of pressing at high pressure, followed by the application of a special glaze imported from Spain, and lastly by running them through a digital printing machine. Gilimkar Series - It is a unique value added product from Orient Bell Ltd having a satin surface with glittering effects. On falling of lights on the surface, it starts shinning like stars in the sky. Super Gloss Tiles - is the most advanced technology available with a perfect blend of strength and appeal. The tiles are manufactured with a special glaze; it is polished to develop the high gloss (more than 95). Digital Glazed Vitrified Tiles -is a stain resistant, chemical-resistant and easy to install. Orient Bell is making DGVT with FT (Forever Tile our Patent Pending Technology), this is highest abrasion resistant tile available in India. Looking at how vitrified tiles technology has evolved, tiles are fast becoming obvious choice for flooring these days. Sugar Finished Tiles - A well-textured product, with a low water absorption body. The special effect on the surface gives unique appearance suitable for your home décor. The surface has a fine grained texture and creates a sugar dusted look. Polished Glazed Vitrified Tiles - Polished Glazed Vitrified tiles are glossy finish tiles produced by using vitrification process. It has a layer of glaze added to the tiles body that gives them natural looking textures and finishes. These are stain-resistant and strong tiles.

• What kind of product innovations you have done for different asset classes of real estate?

Orient Bell Limited offers an attractive blend of contemporary designs, patterns & shades. The emphasis is on Digital Tile Technology, which has helped in translating the beauty and elegance of natural products like stone, sand, wood, marble etc. on tiles. Orient Bell Limited offers a mix of Ceramic, Digital, Vitrified, Polished Vitrified, Double Charge and decorative tiles that cover the entire range of applications for your living and working spaces. Along with this, Orient Bell Limited offers four unique patent-pending technologies i.e. Forever Tile, Cool Tile, Life Tile and Germ-Free Tile, which add technical innovation & engineering excellence to the product portfolio. Other than this, Orient Bell Limited recently announced a Virtual Reality based mobile application wherein a customer can visualize all the OBL tiles through the VR Headset, available across all the company owned Orient Bell tile boutiques.The biggest advantage provided by the VR solution is the experience offered to the customer to get thoroughly immersed in the tile-selection process. The customer feels that he or she is standing in his or her actual bathroom/bedroom/Living room much before it is even furnished. This technology also aids architects by providing an ease of planning and designing. Architects can upload their floor plans prior to visiting the store, which enables them to show OBL tiles in a client's actual location through the Virtual Reality solution.

• Tell us about the latest tech innovations in tiles and ceramic sector. With their recently revamped logo and identity, this ushers in a new change and direction for one of India’s leading tile and ceramic companies. Orient Bell Limited has recently announced its newest endeavour and an industry first development – a Virtual Reality based mobile application wherein a customer can visualise all the OBL tiles through the VR Headset, available across all the company owned Orient Bell tile boutiques. This is a unique value added service from Orient Bell Limited. The biggest advantage provided by the VR solution is the experience afforded to the customer to get thoroughly immersed in the tile-selection process. The customer feels that he or she is standing in his or her actual bathroom/bedroom/Living room much before it is even furnished. OBL has also integrated QR Codes for each OBL tile, which helps in quicker selection at the stores.

• Please brief us about some of the trend forecast for tiles and ceramic segment?Booming real estate sector along with availability of housing loans on low interest rates has provided the much awaited thrust to Indian tiles market. During the last two years a phenomenal growth has been recorded in the field of ceramic tiles to meet the industry demand from every corner of the country. The industry has a positive outlook on the sidelines of governmental reforms in order to attract more foreign investment in real estate and retail section.
• How the market for ‘Eco-friendly tiles’ is performing in India?Since wood is a limited natural resource, ‘wood finish’ planks are an ode to the environment and their safety. At Orient Bell, we have taken an initiative in this regardto educate customers in the real estate market about the value of saving the environment. These wood finish planks are the new age green tiles as they are environment friendly while also appealing to the fashion conscious consumers. The wooden look is one of the largest selling categories in the tile industry right now as it looks more authentic than ever and offers unmatched durability. It's now a standard offering rather alongside some of our best-loved tile. The design and style of the wooden look go with everything - from rustic to the cleanest contemporary and it is the tile that binds different styles together as an eclectic whole. These planks have the identical features and aesthetics of wood yet retain the durable and stylish nature of tiles. These wooden planks fit an urban loft as easily as it they fit a traditional kitchen.  The emphasis with these new finishes is aimed at bringing out the rich grain and textures of the wood. You'll be amazed how well the tile industry replicates these finishes.
• How Orient Bell Limited is performing in current market conditions?Orient Bell Limited is set out to change the marketing game in the Tile industry across multiple platforms with their new brand campaign in the digital space. Led by sharp and witty communication, the campaign reflects the ethos of the brand and the real heroes of the company- their products. The campaign is led by an invitation for the customers to meet them at any of the thousands of Orient Bell Tile Boutique stores spread across India.
• Tell us about your future growth plan?The demand for the floor and wall tiles majorly comes from the residential & commercial real estate sector & large scale infra projects across the country. The company is expanding its production capacity, where GVT and PGVT tiles in big sizes that will be made in the new line of Sikandrabad (UP) Plant. Other than this, Corial Ceramic Pvt. ltd in a joint venture with Orient Bell Tiles will be producing wall tiles for us. As a retail expansion plan, we are constantly adding news Orient Bell Tile Boutiques (OBTBs) across the country to reach the different markets. We have recently come up with few channel partnered owned tile boutiques in Nepal as well.