Sleek Store Visit

The third visit on the ECA List was the Sleek Store at Powai. We were welcomed by store head Mr. Ali and his subordinates. The store entrance itself was creative, the name carved on a structure created using cooking pans. A Sleek store is basically for the kitchens and wardrobes. First we were walked through a presentation which the learning phases were explained in detail. Phase I includes two weeks of product knowledge followed by next two weeks of On Job Training (work on store). Phase II includes software training for the designing and quotations. The product units are manufactured in Pune while the baskets in the kitchen are manufactured at Vasai. The process starts with requirements from customers followed by Site Visit. A design model is prepared from all the gathered information keeping the budget in mind and same is discussed with the customer. Few customization's are made here and there. Technical check is done for the finalized design and the work begins. Building and installation of the whole model completely within a month. The software used for virtual design and 3D rendering is 20-20. We were divided into groups of three and started with the tour of the store. First, it was kitchen. The kitchen consists of cabinets, shutters, accessories and appliances and it is divided into three components: hob, sink and refrigeration. The kitchen types are modular, civil(modular + existing civil) and existing civil and the architecture varies from L shaped to parallel to island to C shaped. There were 6 kitchens in the store. The placement of things were cleverly designed. The wet zone area had arrangements to keep the washing sponges and liquid as well as wet plates which allows the water to flow away to the sink. Everything neatly fitted into compartments as per need. Movable sections within a cabinets, separate section for the equipment's, etc was so beautifully thought of. Then we saw the simulation of design process. Further we were taken through the the wardrobe sections. It felt like walking into some celebrity home. The wardrobes are also designed as per requirements. There were sections for our clothes and accessories and lockers. There were sections for even shoes and socks. Last thing we saw, were the sliding doors.