Pump industry gears up for road ahead

Pump manufacturers in India no longer see Chinese pumps as a threat to their survival. “They may have an edge on the price front, but not on quality. There are few takers for imported Chinese pumps,” says an industry source.

The industry has been growing at an annual CAGR of 10 per cent, while the international CAGR is 6 per cent. Industry sources attribute this to the surge in infrastructure development, growth in agriculture and other water intensive industries.

While the domestic market for Indian pumps is growing at 16 to 18 per cent, there has been stagnation in the global growth rate. Pump exports are said to hover around ₹1,500 crore, out of the total estimated production of ₹10,000 crore in the country.

“There are some 800-odd manufacturers in this ‘Pump City’, which accounts for about 50 per cent of the pump production in the country. The motor and pump industry in Coimbatore caters to over 40 per cent of India’s requirements,” said Jayakumar Ramdass, Managing Director, Mahendra Submersible Pumps Pvt Ltd, and Event Chairman, Pu-Mu-Con 2017, a conference on pumps, motors and systems.

Ramdass said the seventh edition of this biennial conference is scheduled to be held in Coimbatore on December 7.

Organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry, Coimbatore, in association with The Southern India Engineering Manufacturers’ Association (SIEMA) and Indian Pump Manufacturers’ Association, the theme of the event is ‘Looking Ahead’.

The focus will be on excellence for growth of the pump and motor industry as it moves towards digitisation in manufacturing, he said, adding that Internet of Things (IOT) intelligent pumps would be the order of the day in future.

Admitting that IOT intelligence pumps are nascent in India, he said, “To enable participants have a better understanding of the industry’s future, technical sessions on solar pumps, energy-efficient motors, IOT intelligent pumps and inverse design pumps have been planned during the day-long conference.

The organisers have also planned a concurrent CEO session on family businesses, which will focus on transferring power in family business, succession planning, employer-employee relationship and capital flow (equity dilution).

Sanjay Kirloskar, Chairman and Managing Director, Kirloskar Brothers Ltd, will be the chief guest at Pu-Mo-Con 2017, and Eric Van Gemeren, Vice-President (Marketing and Technology), Flowserve Corporation, the guest of honour.

Around 250 delegates are expected to attend the event.

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