Xylem upbeat on water tech solutions in India, eyes smart cities, interlinking rivers

Xylem Water Solutions is upbeat on Indian business cutting across the entire water lifecycle management products and solutions, apart from becoming a supply chain and tech hub for its global business.

A wholly-owned subsidiary of the NYSE listed, $5.2 billion Xylem Inc., which has a clutch of products across categories, has lined up a wide range of products and solutions for the Indian market, while particularly eyeing digital solutions in the smart cities and pumping solutions for small homes and factories to river interlinking projects.

Nitin Bhate, Managing Director of Xylem India, said “India has about 4 per cent of global water resources, but has 15 per cent of the world population. It only shows how important efficient water management is for India across sectors. And our solutions across segments seek to address this critical issue.”

“We have expertise to handle the entire lifecycle management of water, covering treatment before use and after use, pumps that cater to small houses to river linking and customised solutions for irrigation projects. All these products offer us immense scope to expand our presence in the Indian market with our products and solutions,” he said.

“The customised pumps for large applications such as in interlinking of rivers and for irrigation projects to lift water, will be a big business opportunity for us in India,” Bhate said.

“The company water management solutions are backed by over 600 people and two manufacturing units in Vadodara and Benguluru. The Indian manufacturing facilities also serve as a sourcing and supply chain hub for other markets and the mandate continues to expand,” he told Business Line .

The technology development centres in India with about 350 people at Vadodara and Bengaluru play a critical role in our global business serving as a sourcing hub, he said.

Referring to the unfolding opportunities in the smart cities, he said that water management is one of the key challenges local administration faces. Xylem, with its digitisation and smart metre solutions, is working with several municipalities offering solutions. “The scope to expand is huge,” he explained.

“In 2018, Xylem kicked off an exciting partnership with Manchester City, Manchester City Women and New York City FC. To inform and engage with the public on water challenges and solutions, last year we expanded this partnership to India and partnered with Mumbai City FC, which plays in the Indian Super League (ISL),” he said.

“Football is the second most-watched sport in India and its popularity continues to grow across the nation. By working with various stakeholders, we will raise awareness of the water issues and work together on various new social impact initiatives,” he said.

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