Erith Group, a leading supplier of high-quality, high-end sealing products and solutions to the key players in the energy, power, chemicals, nuclear, metal, mining and other vital sectors, has recently opened its first overseas office in Chennai, India, to penetrate South Asia’s growing market.
The Centre for Engineering Excellence in Chennai was inaugurated on August 10, 2022, to identify opportunities and serve the growing markets in South Asia where industrial investment has accelerated in recent years. It will also support our customers regionally through Dubai office in research and development to further enhance technology.
This is the company’s fifth office, in addition to having three regional offices and its headquarters in the UAE. It started with Erith Specialised Solutions LLC, based in Hamriyah Free Zone in 2020. In 2021, the group created its second business unit, Erith Mechanical and Engineering Trading Equipment LLC in Dubai, followed by a branch in Abu Dhabi under the same name.
Last year, the Group established Erith Engineering Solutions LLP in India. Despite being a Small and Medium Enterprise (SME), Erith Group this year invested Dh4 million in a manufacturing unit, Erith Industries FZ LLC, in Ras Al Khaimah. The factory is expected to start producing industrial sealing and gaskets later this year.
Erith Group was established in 2020 at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic with just 9 professionals on payroll. It has been growing since then, a time when others were downsizing operations, making it a recession-proof and pandemic-proof sustainable responsible business. Since the formation of the company, it has been employing professionals to expand business. Today, more than 30 professionals are working for the company, reflecting a strong growth.
“Despite challenging times, we have managed to establish ourself firmly in the industrial sealing and gasket solutions market, supporting the oil, gas, power, utility and industrial sectors and has been growing since we established the company in 2020 – at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic,” Richard Edwin, Chief Executive Officer of Erith Group, says.
“It has been a very interesting journey for all of us. This year, we have invested in an industrial plant in Al Hamra Industrial Area in Ras Al Khaimah and also opened an office in Chennai, India to expand our market in South Asia.
“Since the establishment of our business two years ago, we have penetrated 64 countries with exports. Due to the strong growth in exports, we felt the need to develop a plant to manufacture and export these products worldwide from our UAE hub.
“Our factory is in line with the UAE’s economic diversification vision and supports the government’s ‘Make it in the Emirates’ industrial development programme. The UAE will become the leading manufacturer of industrial sealing and gasket products in the world, thanks to our early initiative to invest in the UAE economy.
“This way, we are going to create greater in-country value, create employment, reduce imports and help the country earn foreign currency through our exports from the manufacturing plant. This plant is part of our vision to change the industrial sealing and gasket industry worldwide.”
Erith Group was founded by Richard Edwin, Chief Executive Officer, in 2020. The company is investing Dh4 million on Erith Industries FZ LLC. The manufacturing plant is being built on a 6,500 square feet plot of land at Al Hamra Industrial Area. The Phase I of the factory will be ready for production in December this year, to be followed by the development of the Phase II. Construction of the factory has started in April this year. The factory will go into production in the next few months. Erith Industries FZ LLC will produce industrial gaskets with the help of computer and numerically controlled machinery managed by as many as 7-9 highly skilled personnel by December 2022.
The news of the new factory comes at a time when the global industrial seals market is projected to grow at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 5.7 percent from $12.11 billion in 2022 to $17.86 billion by 2029, according to Fortune Business Insights.
The global Gasket and Seals market was valued at $69.45 billion in 2019 and is forecast to grow at a CAGR of 5.4 per cent to $106.99 billion by 2027, according to Coherent Market Insights.
Gasket and seals are the materials used to prevent the passage of any foreign media through to and fro, the joined object while under compression. Gasket is a mechanical seal, which fills the space between two or more mating surfaces, in order to prevent leakage. Gaskets allow perfect mating surface wherein they can fill irregularities.
The primary function of an industrial seal or gasket is to optimise the performance of a machine with its process reliability. Seals are also used in applications that involve rotary and reciprocating motions. Industrial seals have played an important role in providing optimum efficiency and productivity over the past few decades. The global market has shown significant growth in the past decades and is expected to grow moderately in future.
Erith Group collaborates with technology leaders globally such as Garlock and GPT, to ensure this region has access to the best available technology in the world.
The company recently participated at a tree-plantation initiative with all employees and their families programme to imbibe the culture within the organisation.
“Environmental sustainability is at the core of our business and we put a lot of emphasis on this important aspect. As a business, we are responsible, transparent and we want to reduce environment footprint by creating green and sustainable business practice,” Richard Edwin says.
“We want to practice what we preach and it is important to do things first-hand and then spread the awareness. Business is not about making money, but be responsible for our actions and about giving back to the society.
“We want to set us apart from the rest with good examples that could change the world for the better.”
