Arttd'inox gives steel products the designer edge

Sulekha Nair

How often would you bring out your best stainless steel tableware when you have special guests dropping in? If I could give a penny for every 'not', you would be richer. Simply because there are easier, more appealing alternatives such as glassware and other eclectic options and brands to announce your status on the table. Also, steel is a metal that is seen in almost all households in India, across social strata. The perception of stainless steel as practical and mundane is difficult to demolish. It is this mindset that Deepikaa Jindal, Managing Director, JSL Lifestyle Ltd., a subsidiary of Jindal Stainless Ltd., is trying to knock off with her brand, Arttd'inox, with designer products.

Designer Ware

Arttd'inox was launched in 2003 and is the first brand from the JSL designer basket. The first product that Jindal introduced in the market was sets of ceramic cups with stainless steel saucers. The plain ceramic cups were matched with square steel saucers. "It was a rich combination and form too," says Jindal. However, it was a tad too expensive at Rs. 1,335 for a set of two cups and saucers. Jindal says that getting specially made to order square ceramic cups pushed the costs high.

Steel Is Family Business

Jindal's interest in steel as a medium to coax designs out for home and office décor is not surprising, considering she is married to Ratan Jindal, Vice Chairman and Managing Director of the $2 billion Jindal Stainless Ltd. She realized that the metal had the potential to become eclectic.

When the Jindals looked around to see if anything different was being done with steel, they saw nothing surprising. The duo felt there was a gap in the market for designer steel products. It was then that Ratan Jindal asked Deepikaa why she wasn't looking at designer steel products. She decided to take him on his word and set out to carve a niche market.

The product (ceramic cups and steel saucers) was test-marketed in the family organization. "One needs acceptance," she reasons. Jindal wasn't too surprised when her product wasn't given the High Tea treatment. People in her husband's organization remarked, Isme kya hai? Steel hi to hai. (What's special about it? It's only steel). Jindal says people were critical and it took about a year for her to find acceptance.

Price Versus Cost

Mass acceptance in the marketplace, says Jindal, is procured only when a product is not expensive.  She says, "I know of many who say, 'For Rs. 200 I can buy a ceramic cup, then why should I invest Rs. 1,500 in steel kitchenware products'." Arttd'inox is aimed at the affluent upper class, says Jindal, since they do not mind paying more for stainless steel designer products.

"My aim is to promote steel in a domain where it is not used," says Jindal. The prices for designer steel kitchenware vary from Rs. 1,200 for two mugs to Rs. 3,500 for a tea set to Rs. 10,000 for a dinner set.

Finding A Way

Manufacturing designer steel products is expensive and to make it viable one needs to place orders in large numbers.  Husband Ratan Jindal's generous capital of Rs. 40 crore to mold steel in designer mode made that possible. "Deepikaa's persistence convinced me of her dedication to pursue the venture," he says. Jindal also sees his wife's efforts as synchronizing with what the company is doing. "We see long-term value in elevating stainless steel beyond a commodity into a lifestyle product‚" he adds.

Though the basics were taken care of, there were more hurdles waiting for Jindal. For instance, when her design team conceptualized a product, she found there were not many who could understand the concept. Only a few vendors agreed to manufacture the product and most amongst them backed off after providing the product samples. It was the tedious process of molding steel to new forms that they were not used to, in addition to the few numbers that were required. Those who were able to make the products were found wanting in quality.  Jindal then decided to do it her way by getting into manufacturing, since she could ensure quality control. Jindal says she is not a designer but has the instinct to know what works.  Finding designers who can weld steel to a higher form is a tough call even today.  "Students in design schools rarely work on steel," says Jindal. "When I started out, I did not find a single designer for steel and had to settle for jewelry designers." 

Expansion And Growth

Two years after launching JSL Lifestyle -- which also makes stainless steel modular kitchens and cookware -- Jindal set up a factory in 2003. Arttd'inox has since produced what she terms aesthetically designed steel products for homes and offices. It has various categories -- bar, dining, beverage and office accessories.

With the products getting market acceptance, the company expanded its reach from a single store to three independent stores in New Delhi and Gurgaon and 10 franchise stores at an outlay of  Rs. 4 crore. The brand is also retailed through 550 multi-brand stores across the country. Expanding the category, a kitchenware brand, Krome, was launched in 2011. The company's turnover was around Rs. 80 crore in March 2012, and it hopes to touch the Rs. 100-crore mark next fiscal. Around 50 per cent of its sales come from exports, with North America being the largest market. 

Copycats

The art of copying and replicating known brands has corroded Jindal's brand, too. In spite of being a 'follower of corporate rules',  Jindal says‚ there is not much she can do to beat the copycats. "I cannot patent all my products," she states. Since many of Arttd'inox's designs are easy to replicate, Jindal's designers are now trying to stay ahead of the artful dodgers with hard-to-copy and expensive-to-manufacture designs. "A brand like mine needs to be advertised, but I don't have the funds for that now," she admits.

Jindal dreams of Arttd'inox becoming a name that people recognize and admire. "I want my brand to be known as one that creates Indian designs."

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