Mr Adie Cleaver managing director, Cleaver Scientific

U K-based Cleaver Scientific is an ISO 9001:2000 approved company that specializes in manufacturing and distributing electrophoresis products for the life sciences and molecular biology markets. In India, the company's products are marketed through distributor company Future Bio-science. BioSpectrum spoke to Mr Adie Cleaver, managing director, Cleaver Scientific, at the India Lab Expo held in New Delhi recently.

Mr Cleaver speaks about his views on the India market, the company's operations and products and expected growth.

Q How important is the biotech market in India to you?
India is rapidly emerging as a key global player in the biotech market. The potential growth over the next few years means that I will be ensuring that my company is in a strong position to have a large presence in India.

Markets such as Europe are still growing but not at the rate or potential rate that the market in India offers. India is a big country and it could take many years to fully understand the market. Therefore, for a market so large and diverse as India, it is really important to find a partner who not only understands your requirements and aspirations as a supplier but also helps you to keep improving your products.

Q How do you operate and what kind of distribution network do you have in India?
Owing to the size and business potential of the market in India, it was vitally important to find a business partner to work closely with. Hence, we decided to find and work with a partner who understands which market segments are best suited for our products and be our exclusive distributor.

After spending over two years, meeting and talking to various dealers and distributors, New Delhi-based Future Bio-science was made the exclusive distributor in 2005, and since then we have not looked back.

As they have a great network and know the India market and customer base very well, they have increased their sales year-on-year at an extraordinary rate. The technical sales staff of Cleaver Scientific provides support to their sales and marketing persons in finding and expanding the customer base.

Q What major products do you offer currently in the India market?
Primarily, the products are vertical and horizontal gel electrophoresis equipment used to separate proteins and DNA for use in markets such as research, diagnostics and biopharmaceuticals.

We also offer accessories you would associate with gel electrophoresis, such as power supplies, pipettes, general laboratory products and other consumables such as agarose.

Q What is the USP of these products that makes them different from other competitive products?
In the horizontal gel electrophoresis range of products, the tanks are seamless, light-weight and of durable construction and chemical resistance because of injection moulded from new-age NAS Plastic.

The fast-fix cassette-style electrodes allow user to replace platinum electrodes in less than one minute. The products are compatible with modern low-to-medium voltage power supplies.

The vertical gel electrophoresis has a long life, durable high specification components and inexpensive replacement parts. The good part is that the rapid set-up involves four simple steps and no transfer of glass plates between casting and running modules.

A maximum of four gels may be cast simultaneously Also, the even pressure distribution across the frame prevents the glass plates from cracking, as well as ensuring even sample migration through the gel.

It also accepts all types of 10x8 cm and 10x10 cm (WxL) precast gels, including SERVA, IDGel, Novex, Cambrex, Gradipore and Biorad.

Q What was the revenue of the company in the last financial year? What kind of growth is expected in the current fiscal?
Every year, we are growing in India at the rate of 30-to-40 percent and this year also the expected growth rate is 30-to-35 percent.

Rahul Koul in New Delhi