“Road safety products have a vast market potential in India”

G S Bhandari, General Manager, Dark Eye, says that with better roads in the country, the average speed of vehicles has increased leading to more accidents. Due to this, the need for good road safety products has increased tremendously.

What manufacturing facilities do you have at Dark Eye that have earned you an ISO 9001-2008 Certification ?

Dark Eye has been in the road safety equipment market since 1998. Among the facilities we have are a state-of–the-art tool room and latest world class moulding machines. Some of the machines we use are from Hangyang (Korea), Golden Eagle (China), Cincinati (USA) and Electronica (USA) which have capacities ranging from 50 tonnes to 850 tonnes. We also have an in-house 3D designing system which uses CAD/CAM/CAE & RPT techniques which further ensure quality standards in the design and manufacture of our products.

You have been in the road safety industry since 1998. According to you what have been the changes in the industry since that time?

Road safety is a multi-sector and multi-dimensional subject. It includes proper development and management of roads, provision of safer vehicles, and a comprehensive response to accidents. Better road safety needs proper traffic management, improved safety standards in the design, construction and maintenance of roads and development and maintenance of safer vehicles. With the improvement of better road infrastructure and increase in the average speed of the vehicles in the country, there has been an increase in the number of accidents. Due to this, the requirement of road safety products has increased tremendously. Also nowadays the road safety equipment is a mandatory part of any road development project, which indicates a good future for the road safety industry.

What are some of the unique features of your safety products that make them stand out over your competitors?

As a company we lay a lot of stress on quality of our road safety equipment and leave no stone unturned for total quality maintenance. We always use the best raw materials for production of our products. Some of the main features of our products are durability, robustness, resistance to weather changes, low maintenance, easy installation and long lifespan.

India accounts for the largest number of road fatalities in the world and the government is now making conscious efforts to reduce this. What is the market potential for road safety products?

Dark Eye means “Respecting the Life of People” while travelling on the roads. We always support our Government in conscious efforts to reduce road accidents. To improve road safety we need quality road products. These products like safety barriers and guardrails minimise the risk and severity of accidents. India has a road network of over 4.32 million kilometres, the third largest road network in the world. Therefore road safety products have a vast market potential for the near future.

What was your experience at TrafficInfraTech Expo?

The Expo was grand and successful. The participants and the visitors were focused and we received very valuable feedback for further research and development of our products. The Expo was a good platform for manufacturers of road safety products to showcase their products to the appropriate users.

Are you planning to launch any new products ?

Our Research & Development department is working continuously towards the development of products and soon we will have some new launches which are in line with our clients’ requirements. Among the new launches planned are Solar Central Line Markers, Solar Bollards, Solar / Wired Intelligent Blinking System, Pavement Marker and Small Water filled Plastic Barricades.