Karolina Matracka, Global Sales and Marketing Director, Enbio Group AG in an interaction with Express Healthcare talks about the role of sterilisation and autoclaves in the healthcare sector and shares her company’s expansion plans for the Indian market
Can you provide more details about your company’s current footprint in various regions across India? Are there any specific expansion strategies or target regions you can discuss?
Absolutely, we introduced our product in March last year, specifically targeting the ophthalmology sector. Our autoclave, known for its compact and sleek design, has met the stringent requirements of the medical field. Now, our expansion plans are quite ambitious. We aim to penetrate the dental sector and operate in OT rooms, which we believe is unique in the world of sterilization.
Our vision for India is to be more accessible to a wider audience. Enbio offers affordable solutions, and we are committed to reaching not only the well-off clinics but also the rural areas of India. Our focus extends beyond major cities; we’re eyeing other urban centers too.
What’s different from last year is our newest team member, Prashant, who has been a tremendous asset. We’ve inked several contracts spanning different sectors, covering the northern, eastern, western, and southern regions of India. The foundation is strong, but our goal is to grow even further.
Looking ahead, we have comprehensive plans. We see significant potential in this market, and we’re considering the establishment of not only offices but also logistics hubs and service centers. Furthermore, we are exploring the possibility of manufacturing in India, although it may not be our initial priority. Joint ventures with local partners are also on our radar as part of our expansion strategy.
What will be your revenue model for the Indian market. Can you outline your investment plans for your operations in India?
Our plans for India are quite comprehensive. First, we intend to establish an office, and we are currently exploring potential locations, with Mumbai being a likely choice for logistical reasons, although it hasn’t been finalised yet.
Subsequently, we are focused on expanding our team in India. We aim to bring more talented individuals on board. Our commitment to providing exceptional post-sale service is a priority for both us and the Indian market. It’s a standard we aim to set as Enbio, ensuring that our customers receive excellent post-sale support.
Additionally, we are in the process of identifying a suitable location for a logistics hub and a service center. This will further enhance our ability to serve our customers efficiently. Furthermore, in line with our long-term strategy, we are considering the possibility of manufacturing some of our products in India. Currently, we have two products in our portfolio, but we have plans to expand our offerings. While I can’t specify a timeline, we are working towards introducing approximately three more products over the next few years to better cater to the needs of the market.
Have you encountered any challenges when you initially planned to launch your products in the Indian market, especially in the post-COVID scenario?
Challenges are an inherent part of our global journey, especially when dealing with sales and marketing on a worldwide scale. We’ve successfully implemented our product in the United States, where we hold FDA approval. Additionally, we’ve obtained MDSAP certification, enabling us to sell in Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. We’ve also initiated the product registration process in Japan and launched the product in Korea. So, you could say that we’ve established a presence on each continent.
Each country comes with its own set of challenges, and India is no exception. One of the notable challenges in the Indian market relates to regulatory standards for Class B autoclaves. Currently, there are no mandatory regulations for Class B autoclaves, and this is a point I’d like to emphasise. I believe this is an area that requires change for the benefit of people in India.
As it stands, the requirement for dental clinics, for instance, is only N class autoclaves. However, in our view, N class does not offer sterilisation to the same level as a Class B autoclave, which achieves a 99.9 per cent sterilisation rate. With Enbio autoclaves, we incorporate a three-fold pre-vacuum stage, which means air is removed three times before the introduction of steam, ensuring better penetration, especially for complex-shaped instruments. Therefore, our view is that Class B autoclaves should be mandatory in certain scenarios.
Another challenge we’ve encountered pertains to the regulation not aligning with our perspective. However, we firmly believe that this should change. Furthermore, what sets us apart is our competitive pricing. We are significantly more affordable compared to foreign competitors, and we intend to maintain this affordability because we want our products to be accessible to everyone, not just a select few.
Additionally, our autoclaves feature a unique magic filter that recycles water. This is particularly valuable in India, where water scarcity can be a concern. With our magic filter, just one liter of water can last up to six months or through 1000 sterilisation cycles. Of course, this depends on water quality and usage patterns, as we offer three different cycle types. Nonetheless, we believe we have a solution to address water-related challenges in the Indian market.
The main challenges we face in India primarily revolve around regulations that don’t fully align with our perspective but should be reconsidered, and water scarcity concerns, which we address with our innovative magic filter. We believe our autoclaves are essential not only in ophthalmology but also in various other sectors where infection risk is a factor, including beauty and piercing services and any situations involving skin contact.
Do you have any particular best practices or recommendations you’d like to offer to healthcare professionals and facilities when it comes to selecting and maintaining autoclaves for achieving optimal sterilisation outcomes?
Enbio offers sleek and lightning-fast autoclaves that complete the sterilisation process in just four minutes, with a full cycle taking only seven or 15 minutes, depending on your preference. We call this category “Compact Speeds,” or in a sense, the “Speed Master.”
This innovation provides numerous advantages. Firstly, it’s incredibly portable, essentially like having a handy autoclave at your side whenever you need it. In emergency situations or when an instrument drops during a procedure, you can simply place it in the autoclave for a quick seven-minute sterilisation, enabling you to swiftly resume the operation.
Moreover, this technology allows healthcare professionals to accommodate more patients in their practice and it is cost-effectiveness.