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Unorganised competition - abrasives (low-end imports)
What it is
Cheap standard-grade abrasives, largely imported, competing at the commodity end of the market where the buyer is a small workshop purchasing on price
The organised sector meets this with brand, consistency and technical service rather than by matching price
Impact on industries
- Caps pricing in standard grades, which are the highest-volume part of the market and the entry point for customer relationships
- Quality variability creates safety risk in bonded wheels, since a burst wheel at speed is dangerous, yet enforcement of standards is weak
- Pushes organised players up the value chain into super-abrasives and application engineering, where imports cannot follow
- Quality control orders and BIS certification requirements, where applied, restrict the lowest-grade imports