US-based Turtle Wax, a leading global car care and detailing company, is working on a strategy to promote partnerships in India in the OEM and used car spaces. It has been talking to a leading car manufacturer based in the North of the country and a prominent player in the used cars space in the South.

Visiting Denis John Healy III, Executive Chairman and CEO, Turtle Wax, told businessline here, largely, his company is focused on new cars. “It’s a very good segment. But we’ve found it’s an equally good idea to restore used cars and then make them new and shiny again. Owners of used cars in India are still figuring out how to restore them.” According to Sajan Murali, Managing Director, Turtle Wax Care India, used cars are increasingly rolling into their studios across the country.

India as distribution hub

Healy was here on the occasion of the opening of Turtle Wax’s 10th studio in Kerala. He said the company is excited about prospects of developing India as a distribution hub for the Middle-East and South-East Asia. “We see India as a launching pad to set up a supply chain hub with manufacturing, distribution and warehousing serving not just for these markets but potentially many parts of the world also. We’re present in over 150 countries, mostly through a distributor market. We would like have a more direct presence in major countries such as India, China and the UK. Outside of them, we prefer the distribution model because distributors have a much better understanding of the market.”

Partner in China

In China, the company has licensed a ‘manufacturing distributor.’ It has had a partner based in Beijing with operations throughout that country for almost 25 years. “We realised how difficult it was to ship in products from the US to China with tariffs playing out. We were fortunate to find a partner, a traditional distributor who imported our product. Later, they wanted to license it and be able to manufacture on our behalf. We agreed, and have since become a leader in that market selling a variety of products from windshield wash to polishes and cleaning agents. Granted, we ran into some pandemic blues, followed in recent times by some recessionary pressures, inflation and economic uncertainty. But we’re very proud of our distributor and what we’ve been able to do in that country, selling primarily through e-commerce channels such as JD.com or Taobao.”

‘Make in India’ initiative

Sajan Murali said the company has initiated some work locally to align with the ‘Make in India’ campaign. “We’ve just manufactured our first product here, and sent it for testing. Once approved, we will start manufacturing our first car wash offering sourced and produced in India through a third-party facility based in Bengaluru. Depending on its success, we’ll start looking other options for the local market.” Asked how the company looks to serve a tropical country such as India, Healy said weather/climate conditions vary from country to country, “but we make products that are more universal for multiple climates. People buy more of certain types of products. So, in India, we offer one of our top-selling products called Clearview, a rain/ice repellant for windshields. It’s as popular in the northern climates during winter as in the tropics during the heavy monsoons.”

Consumer Experience Centre

The company’s R&D staff is based out of the headquarters in Chicago but it has related personnel in different markets. “We do have a small team for India as well. We are going to open a Consumer Experience Centre in Bengaluru. We’ll train all our car care studios staff at this facility. We also have a laboratory there, where we will start doing some R&D work in line with what we do in the US or the UK,” Healy said.

Environmentally committed

Turtle Wax makes a variety of products for new cars for preserving the feel across the interior, leather, and even the smell. “We also have a wide variety of products to help restore a car and make it look new again. For instance, the headlight kits... headlights tend to tarnish over time and turn dull or fade to yellow because the lumen deteriorates due to the harsh environment and impairs visibility. We’re a world leader in headlight restoration products,” Healy pointed out. The company has always been aware of its commitment to the environment. “We’ve actually been ahead of the curve in adherence to regulations governing use of recycled plastics or PVC. We’ve moved out of the PVC market and plastics for quite some time now. We’re just starting to see some of our competitors beginning to do it.”

Regulatory compliance

Environment concerns are highest in Europe, especially Scandinavia, which is one of the largest markets for Turtle Wax. “We’re just launching an environmentally-friendly range of products called Turtle Wax Promise. This range is made of completely recyclable plastic material, including the trigger. It is very difficult to get a trigger which is recyclable. In India, we may launch it in about a month’s time,” Healy pointed out.

“For many years, we have sought to reverse historical use of some of chemicals, a move that is either in compliance with regulations in some geographies, or even goes beyond certain mandates in other countries. For example, there is a compound called toluene, which is a cancer-causing agent. We don’t have toluene anymore in any of our products. We removed it a couple of years ago from all our formulations,” Healy said.

‘Waterless wash’ for cars

Sajan Murali said another major environment concern is shortage of water. Many city corporations have already banned a cold-water wash. In Bengaluru, for instance, there is going to be ban on use of water from February until the summer ends. “That is where we are offering a ‘waterless wash.’ It’s an eco-friendly wash, which cuts the usage of water to almost zero. It’s a pure dry application. It will be priced a notch higher than the conventional service product.”

Healy said Europe has recently gone through several bouts of droughts. “We’ve promoted our waterless car wash in these geographies. All it means is a spray trigger application used with a microfiber. It is eco-friendly, and encapsulates dirt and particles to safely remove dirt and contaminants. In India, we’re also thinking of replicating a mobile app for better consumer-connect and service.”

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