Interview with Ram Ramachandran, Director of End Use Marketing for Dow Wire & Cable
Tuesday, Feb 16, 2010
S. “Ram” Ramachandran End Use Marketing Global Director, Dow Wire & Cable The Dow Chemical Company
Ram Ramachandran is Director of End Use Marketing for Dow Wire & Cable, a business unit of The Dow Chemical Company. Responsible for leading the group of dedicated end use marketing managers, Ram directs the initiative to work closely with end users to demonstrate Dow Wire & Cable technologies and solutions for the transmission, distribution and consumption of power, voice and data.
Ram and his End Use Team interface with global end users, such as utilities, communications groups, off-shore drillers and regulatory boards, to understand their cable needs, issues and trends. This information is then shared with customers and Dow internal teams to help develop products and services that meet the needs and interests of the end users.
Previous to his current assignment, Ram served as Senior Program Manager for Dow Wire & Cable’s End Use Marketing. He also held various research and technology positions at Union Carbide in metals, specialty gases, and wire and cable. He is a Senior Member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) and is the Chair of the Power Cable Standards Discussion Group of IEEE/Insulated Conductors Committee. He holds eight patents and is the author of more than 20 papers.
Ram is based in Bound Brook, New Jersey, at Dow Wire & Cable’s Global Technology Center.
TCD - How long has Dow Wire & Cable been operating in the Middle East?
Dow Wire & Cable has been selling its products into the Middle East market for nearly 20 years. These sales have been direct to cable manufacturers in the region or to other customers that also supply that geography. In addition, we have dedicated sales and technical-support personnel in the region.
TCD - What plans and strategies do you have in place to expand your exports and sales in the region?
The Middle East is a growth region for the power industry. As new and rehabilitated power infrastructure continues to advance, Dow Wire & Cable is working to be there every step of the way. We participate within the entire value chain, from cable makers to trade associations to utilities, to ensure awareness of our products, technologies and wide range of resources that support the power and telecommunications industries in this region. In fact, Dow Wire & Cable is unique in that we have dedicated personnel tied into this market. This is not always true of other suppliers in the Middle East. So this is a strength for us. In addition, because of the global nature of our organization, we have the flexibility to export materials to the Middle East from any of our facilities worldwide.
TCD - What new products is Dow currently implementing in the marketplace that companies in the Middle East region may not be aware of?
Making sure that marketing keeps pace with the introduction and commercialization of our new products and technologies is essential to our success. Most recently, we have introduced the Dow Inside program where Dow Wire & Cable will work together with both cable manufacturers and utilities to combine exceptional materials with the best manufacturing standards and practices to create long-lasting and reliable cables that the industry can count on for years to come. In addition, we will continue to offer our well established, field-proven products including our line of medium voltage (MV) and high voltage/extra high voltage (HV/EHV) products distinctively rebranded in 2009 as DOW ENDURANCE™. We’re always innovating. Whether the need is power, telecommunications or specialty applications like fire-retardant compounds, we’re ready with existing products and expertise and are committed to continued innovation.
TCD - Why should all the Middle East-based operators, EPC, and other companies in the region who purchase large quantities of cables purchase their products from Dow rather than the local cable manufacturers?
First, to be clear, Dow Wire & Cable does not sell cables. We sell products to cable manufacturers and support the entire industry through our technology and R&D expertise. Our long history in the market, continued commitment, and focus on innovation provide our key customers and their customers with industry leadership they can count on. In regard to our products, we have a proven track record for quality, consistency and sustainable performance. This is especially important given infrastructure projects that demand reliability and longevity.
More important, and a key differentiator for Dow Wire & Cable, is our ability to deliver fully formulated, finished compounds versus simply supplying resins. This, combined with quality control and technical support, ensures ease of manufacturing for cable makers along with a consistent finished product that minimizes risk for cable purchasers.
TCD - Renewable energy is now seen as the new energy source of the future, what is Dow doing to contribute to the growth of the renewable market places?
The Dow Chemical Company is actively engaged in several initiatives related to renewable energy. These include low-cost photovoltaic solutions for solar energy, engineered plastics for wind-powered turbine blades and next-generation high-powered batteries for automotive applications, to name a few. Obviously, there are long-term implications for Dow Wire & Cable in the renewable energy field. No matter what the resource — solar, wind, hydro, etc. — connectivity from the resource to the grid with long-lasting, reliable power cables is imperative. Reliability is absolutely key to efficient and cost-effective energy transmission and distribution. It means less repairs and maintenance for utilities and electrical cooperatives. This ultimately results in a lower total lifetime system cost that benefits consumers as well.
TCD - What developments have Dow Wire & Cable applied to MV & HV cables in relation to work with wind energy and renewable energy markets?
Our MV and HV product families will be very important in supporting wind energy. The lifetime of a wind farm is approximately 25 to 30 years before upgrades to turbines or other parts of the system are necessary. DOW ENDURANCE MV 4202 is a proven, time-tested solution for underground (UG) power cable. In 2008, we celebrated our 25th Anniversary of in ground service of 4202 tree retardant cross linked polyethylene insulation with little to no wear on the system over that time frame. MV UG cables are the ideal connection between the wind turbine tower and the power substation. Further, Dow Wire & Cable also has HV materials that are suitable for either on-shore (UG or overhead line) or off-shore (submarine cables) applications. Dow Wire & Cable is working with utilities, wind farm developers and other renewable energy independent power providers to grow awareness of both our existing solutions and new developments to serve this important market space.
TCD - How much does Dow spend on Research & Development each year?
Corporate-wide, The Dow Chemical Company commits over US$1 billion each year to R&D. In addition, individual businesses within Dow, like Dow Wire & Cable, have dedicated R&D funding for projects and technology specific to the industries they serve. Those businesses also can draw from the resources of the entire Dow Chemical Company as well.
TCD - The current financial climate has meant the last 18 months has been tough for the cable industry, do you think 2010 will be a successful year for Dow Wire & Cable?
The global nature of the cable industry has certainly resulted in challenges. There have been wild swings in energy costs and the price of feedstock, along with the slowdown of worldwide financial markets that has decelerated the growth of new and rehabilitated power infrastructure. Dow Wire & Cable has tried to manage the best we can by further optimizing our global assets to control costs, while continuing to invest in R&D and prioritize product development. Our expectation is that we should begin to see improvement in 2010 — especially with the keen and ongoing focus on renewable energy resources.
TCD - Are there any other recent developments that our readers should be interested in?
Yes. We encourage your readers to visit www.dowinside.com to read the latest news about Dow Inside, a new initiative from Dow Wire & Cable that benefits cable manufacturers and utilities alike. The program further reinforces our commitment to the power industry by helping to provide cable reliability and long service life that customers can count on based on exceptional materials, dedicated R&D, deep industry knowledge and close working relationships with cable manufacturers, utilities and other power industry influencers. This program, coupled with our proven DOW ENDURANCE product family for MV, HV and EHV cable applications, ensures a supply of consistent products and a team of professionals that proactively anticipate what needs to be done to support future growth of this important industry.
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