Pump business in India constantly growing

December 12, 2013 8:36 am

“Grundfos India aspires to be the reliable partner to any of our stakeholders in terms of value delivered,” said V.V. Ramanan, Head of Marketing, Grundfos Pumps India
Grundfos is one of the world’s leading pump manufacturers with an annual production of more than 16 million pump units. Recently, the company has announced invest plans for investing Rs. 230 crore in the next five years in India. In an interview with OEM Update, V.V. Ramanan talks about the pumps business in India as well as his company’s plans and strategies.
Grundfos is one of the world’s leading pump manufacturers. How do you see the pumps business in India?The pump business in India is constantly growing and customer expectations are growing based on low life cycle cost (LLC) concept which was introduced by Grundfos since early 2000.  Having been accepted and perceived as a high-quality brand, we are able to access to new opportunities year-on-year.
You have a global turnover of Euro 3.5 billion, how significant is the Indian business?  How much the Indian business does contribute?At the moment, our business in India contributes very less to our global turnover, around one per cent. Grundfos India is among the top 20 amongst the Grundfos companies.
How is the current market behaving as far as demand and supply of pumps is concerned?The requirement for pumps in India always shows a growing trend except for the B2B markets and in some specific industries. However, with our energy audit and retrofit initiatives, we have been witnessing more new customers buying Grundfos solutions as they observe that our pumps are running on the lowest operating cost despite the initial prices being a bit higher. Further, countrywide pre- and post-sales support in terms of solutions and services helps retain customers and attract new ones.In February, Grundfos announced invest plans for investing Rs. 230 crore in the next five years. Are there any revisions in the plan due to market slowdown?No. We have all intentions of going ahead as planned in 2015.
With the increased investment, what is the market share you are looking at?We are looking for a 10 per cent market share.
Grundfos is covering approximately 50 per cent of the world market in pumps sector. Are you expecting any rise in percentage upon strengthening of Indian subsidiary?We have 50 per cent of the world’s market in circulators. Grundfos India’s major priority is to focus on the Indian customers, their growing needs and to fill the gaps in the market. Grundfos India aspires to be the reliable partner to any of our stakeholders in terms of value delivered. The Indian effort has the potential to increase the coverage of the pump market.
Tell us about the demand and acceptance of Grundfos products in Indian market.Grundfos India has been in the country since 1998. Our steady growth and increase in market share speaks lot about the acceptance of high quality and energy efficient pumps in the country. The Indian customers are welcoming this reality of good products and brands that can genuinely serve the purpose of reliable and energy efficient pumping.
Brief us on any innovative product introduced by you recently and also tell us about its acceptance.Grundfos develops 2 to 3 ground breaking products year on year. Our recent product, ‘S’ tube pumps for sewage application is not only a trendsetter in the industry, but is also a boon to smaller municipalities of the country where pumping systems are being refurbished. We see a high potential for this product in India.