The anticipated value of the worldwide personal protective equipment (PPE) industry in 2022 was $78.30 billion, and it is projected to increase at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.7 percent from 2023 to 2030. Over the predicted period, there will likely be a rise in demand for PPE due to growing concern about worker security in the manufacturing facility. Over the course of the forecast time frame, the demand for personal protective equipment is anticipated to develop due to the expanding industrial sector and increasing recognition of the protective gear.
The development of easy to wear, lightweight, superior-quality occupational protective equipment is one example of the ongoing advancements that are anticipated to spur market expansion even further. Requirement for protection equipment that integrates safety, aesthetics, and cutting-edge technology, additionally promises to boost market progress. While India’s safety market is still in its nascent stages, the growing awareness among industrialists and business owners towards the vitality of investing in worker safety is anticipated to boost the market landscape in the coming years.
Established in 1998, KARAM is India’s leading Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Manufacturing enterprise, manufacturing high quality safety gear. Everything that a worker needs to protect themselves from harm occurring at hazardous workplaces is manufactured by Karam. Right from helmets to safety shoes, KARAM offers a complete range of solutions from head to toe and has been delivering the best-in-class products for almost 3 decades now.
End to End Offerings
Having completed 25 years in the occupational safety industry, KARAM is one of the lealeading global occupational safety brands. The company’s complete range of products includes PPE like safety helmets, safety eyewear, hearing protection, face protection, hand protection, protective workwear, safety shoes, and a vast range of fall protection equipment. Besides these, engineered safety solutions like anchorage systems, specialized rope access, evacuation and rescue products, and confined space entry egress systems also form a significant part of KARAM’s product portfolio.
In addition to offering specially curated products, KARAM also offers services like workplace auditing services, and workers training and consulting services. The company has a dedicated training and consultancy wing that handles these services ensuring enhanced customer experience. As a globally present entity offering a life saving product to the customers, KARAM’s products meet a number of global safety standards before being rolled out into the markets. Depending upon the country that they are sold in, the products have to be inspected by local third-party laboratories and approved for country specific standards before being made available for use.
“We manufacture safety equipment, which is meant for use by the industrial workers, wherever they are working in the hazardous environment.
We manufacture all these things in India as per global standards because we manufacture and sell not only in India, but all across the world in over 100 countries. Anything that we manufacture or produce has to be certified by a third party laboratory to meet the standards. If I have to sell something in India, the products have to be BIS certified by the Bureau of Indian standards, a government body that has established these standards. Similarly, for selling in Europe, it has to be CE certified. If you have to sell in the US it has to be ANSI certified, and so on. Every country has different standards and local labs ensure those standards are met”, shares Hemant Sapra, President - Global Sales & Marketing, KARAM Group.
Over the decades, KARAM has established such a stellar reputation that today, the founders of the company are associated with various industry leading social organizations and are also working closely with the Indian government for the drafting of the upcoming worker safety laws and regulations.
Meeting Customer Needs
All workplaces are diverse and come with their own set of challenges. KARAM recognizes this and follows a detailed approach consisting of site visits and discussions with the customers to witness the exact condition of the workplace, as well as understand what the client is looking for before suggesting suitable product and services solutions. The firm also extends worker safety training among other worker trainings in order to educate a business’s workforce on ways to remain safe and protected.
“What we do is that we meet the customers and understand their problems in their workplace. Our solutions are not sold off the shelf as it is not a commonly consumable product. We are selling an overall safety concept and for that first we offer audit services where we visit the work site or manufacturing facility that the client needs safety services for. We analyze the problems and hazards existing in the space and then suggest and curate bespoke solutions for the clients based on their unique needs. Solutions offered by us come in the form of products as well as services like training the customers’ workforce so they can safely go home everyday”, further shares Hemant.
We manufacture safety products that go beyond manufacturing – they save lives, protecting workers with every product we create
Team & Infrastructure
The group started as a small team of about 10 people, but has grown today to a team of over 4000 workers spread across the globe. With multiple manufacturing facilities, in Lucknow, Sandila and in Sitarganj, the company has a big workforce working to manufacture superior quality products. In addition to the manufacturing unit workers, the brand also has a dedicated R&D vertical with over 35 highly qualified engineers constantly working on innovation for creating new products as well as improving tech and product specifications for better client experience and everimproving reliability of the products.
Furthermore, the brand has about 250 sales and distribution partners across India working out of 11 regional offices and various residential offices spread throughout the country. On the global scale, the company has established offices in Dubai, Durban, US, France, Brazil, and Singapore. In each of these offices, the firm houses a staff of 12-35 workers at the sales offices. In addition to the sales offices, the firm has also established warehouses via which the goods are sold to the distribution networks and finally to the clients.
Journey & Future
“We started with a tiny workforce in 1998, manufacturing safety nets which avoid deaths and injury caused by falling from buildings. If people fall from any structure, the nets catch and save them. We then diversified to include harnesses and helmets. Since the beginning, every three years, we have been adding new products. We started from New Delhi, gradually expanding to Mumbai followed by Bangalore, Hyderabad, and Ahmedabad. In 2011, we decided to take our brand outside, and gradually rebranded and remarketed it to accelerate market acceptance”, further
shares Hemant.
To expand its global reach, KARAM has strategically set up numerous offices in key locations such as the United States, France, Brazil, and Singapore. Additionally, KARAM has successfully launched dedicated entities, namely KARAM Middle East and KARAM Africa, further strengthening its presence in these regions.
For the coming years, the company aims to continue expanding its geographical footprint as well as market penetration while also strengthening the manufacturing setup continually and expanding the product portfolio.
