Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing & Technology Officer, Tennant
Search every verified Patrick Schottler interview, podcast appearance, and on-the-record quote — each transcript cross-checked by AI and human review to confirm speaker identity. In a September 2022 interview at the Clean India Show, Pat Schottler, then Vice President of Asia Pacific for Tennant Company, discussed the company's strategy for the Indian market. Schottler described India as a market where Tennant believes it can win and needs to win, noting that while it is not the largest market today, its population of 1.4 billion suggests it will grow into one of the world's largest. He acknowledged challenges such as price sensitivity and low labor costs, which can make manual cleaning more economical than mechanized equipment. Schottler stated that Tennant's acquisition of IPC has positioned the company to enter new industrial markets in India by combining IPC's commercial cleaning portfolio and local relationships with Tennant's industrial products. Schottler said the company plans to tailor its product portfolio for the Indian market, focusing on demanding environments like steel mills and cement plants to demonstrate the value and lower total cost of ownership of Tennant equipment. He noted that Tennant does not currently have plans to manufacture in India but is evaluating the possibility if local production becomes necessary to better meet customer needs. Schottler emphasized that the company's approach is to adapt its go-to-market and product strategies to each market, selecting from its portfolio to suit local conditions.
“When I think about the Indian market, it is both a market where we feel like we need to win and a market where Tenant Company can win. It's not the largest market today, but with 1.4 billion people, we believe over time it will grow into one of the largest markets in the world, and we want to be a leader here as the ma...”
“One of the biggest challenges with the India market is that it is very price sensitive. Labor costs are low relative to more mature markets, which puts pressure on price points. In some cases, it might still make more sense to clean with a broom or mop and bucket than mechanized equipment.”
“With Tenant Company being a premium brand, one of the challenges in the Indian market is to demonstrate our value to those using cleaning equipment to justify the investment, recognizing the price sensitivity of the market.”
“Through the acquisition of IPC, we gained the right to win in India because of the business IPC has built over the last 15 to 25 years, including a large sales and service organization and strong relationships with the largest VSCs in the market.”
“Tenant's legacy products are very industrial, serving heavy manufacturing like cement plants and steel mills, while IPC has focused on commercial cleaning. Combining these portfolios uniquely positions us to enter new markets in India, including industrial sectors.”
“We will not bring Tenant equipment into environments where high performance, durability, and quality are not needed. Instead, we focus on the most demanding environments to show customers the value in terms of cleaning quality and equipment life, building trust over time.”
“If you use a lower value product in demanding applications like steel mills or cement plants, it may last only one to three years and require significant investment in service visits and replacement parts, making the total cost of ownership higher than with Tenant equipment.”
“Our approach at Tenant Company is to acknowledge that every market is different and tailor our go-to-market and product strategies accordingly. We pick and choose from our large portfolio to apply the best possible products for the Indian market, which will differ from other regions.”
“We don't currently have plans to manufacture in India but are always evaluating potentials and possibilities. If manufacturing locally becomes necessary to better meet Indian customer needs, we will do whatever it takes to ensure we deliver on it.”
Mohana M, Editor of The Clean India Journal interviews our exhibitor from Clean India Show, Pat Schottler, VP Asia Pacific ...
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