The unprecedented Covid 19 pandemic has disrupted industries in India and even their supply chains. Pump market in India, being an essential component used in almost all industries, is also affected. Saravanan Panneer Selvam, General Manager, Grundfos India delves into Indian pump market to discuss effect of Covid 19 on the industry in an email interaction with Pushkar Oak.

The pump industry in India is quite fragmented with the presence of established global players, national organised and unorganised companies. The country has over 800 manufacturers who produce over one million pumps every year. Their primarily focus is on the water needs of residences, commercial buildings and industrial processes apart from municipal water supply and waste water handling units.  The market has been growing steadily at a CAGR of almost 10 per cent.

India’s centrifugal pumps market is currently valued at about Rs 10,000-11,000 crores. These pumps are used majorly in municipal water supply, wastewater management, industrial processes and in commercial & domestic buildings.

With the advent of relevant technologies, pumps and valves are witnessing a gradual shift towards automation. Pumps manage the flow and pressure of the water while valves handle the direction and amount of water. Any downtime or damage to these critical equipment significantly impact profitability, efficiency and hence the end results. Intelligent pump and valve solutions are integrated with sensor-based technology to collect data and provide actionable insights after a thorough analysis. This allows customers to utilise predictive maintenance capabilities to understand the pattern of faults or critical equipment failures.

Intelligent pumps with sensors can be used to monitor water hammers or leakages in pipes. An excessive and sustained water pressure usually creates these leakages. Pumps can use a demand driven distribution method to apply pressure on the basis of specific requirements. Municipalities and local bodies are also shifting to IoT enabled pumps to minimise leakage across the water network and improve their efficiency.

Intelligent solutions can also monitor processes on a real time basis to reduce the need for frequent human intervention and promote remote working modules. Additionally, the next generation of pumps and valves are designed to redefine optimal efficiency levels while increasing energy and water savings significantly.

The pumps and valves industries are facing lost revenue and disrupted supply chains due to various reasons such as manufacturing closure and quarantine due to the pandemic. With coronavirus hitting many sectors including development sites, construction works, manufacturing and much more, every operation has come to a standstill. This in turn affects new projects and the pumps market. 

The impact on the pump industry can be both positive and negative. While the requirement of the number of pumps may go down in the near future, the artificial intelligence will take a lead by making pumps a little more expensive but more intelligent to be able to be operated and monitored remotely.  

Covid 19 has disrupted the way manufacturing industry has been functioning. While business continuity and employee well-being are the immediate priorities, it is critical to go above and beyond to support front line workers, affected communities, customers and other partners during these difficult times. At Grundfos India, the production facility has started the manufacturing works while strictly adhering to recommended procedures and precautions by the national and local authorities on safety and social distancing. We have devised strategies to continue serving our customer through uninterrupted supply chain and operations by constantly monitoring the environment around us. 

At the manufacturing plant, we have introduced multiple zones to ensure minimum contact amongst employees. 

Few of the many challenges will include setting up of the supply chain in order and resuming back to the normal work flow in the factories and offices. That being said, most of the business operations will have to be made through digital platforms keeping the customer and employee safety as the utmost critical aspect. Best practices in safety and hygiene are going to be the ‘new normal’ post the lockdown. With employee well-being as our priority, we have set up extensive protocols across our offices and supply chain. We are optimistic that that the current situation globally will improve in the next few months. As we resume operations, we are constantly in touch with our employees, customers and dealers to support them through these difficult times and equip them with digital processes.

As the export market opens up, the focus on pumps with built-in intelligence will increase for sure. This will provide a great platform for the Indian Pump and Valve industries to gear up with the latest technology in artificial intelligence not only in the products but also in the manufacturing process. The improved manufacturing process will reduce the cost of production and also contribute to enhancement of the quality of the products. The availability of a good quality of cast iron, stainless steel and the electronic components will be key factor in this journey towards gaining the credibility in the export market. 

MSMEs have been severely impacted due to the pandemic. They contribute to 45 per cent of the country’s manufacturing output, 40 per cent of exports and 30 per cent of the overall GDP.

Some of the difference we make largely impact the wellbeing of marginalised community, apart from our key strategies which align with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 6 and 13, Clean Water Access and Climate Action.

Access to clean and safe water has been a growing challenge in rural communities. Villagers walk long distances to collect water or are forced to pay exorbitant prices for water. Grundfos’ AQPure and AQtap solutions help to effectively pump water from surface water bodies, treat and distribute. This water is treated by a UV based system to create potable drinking water. Surface water solutions have increasingly become more popular as it reduces the dependency on existing groundwater resources while simultaneously fulfilling water demands.

The potential of AQPure solution can be augmented with the help of AQTap or ‘Water ATMs’. Potable water can be provided to remote locations through kiosks at nominal cost.  They are particularly beneficial during extreme situations such as floods or droughts where easy access to clean water becomes a challenge.

Also the Grundfos’ solar range of solutions have been positively impacting the lives of farmers in remote locations. The livelihoods of these farmers are often disrupted due to mechanical failures and undependable power supply.  While our SPSolar solution provides free flow of water for agriculture and water supply purposes, our SQFlex and CRFlex pumps can perform for long periods of time for drinking water and water supply purposes. This system can shift to solar power supply if there is shortage or power cut and is completely not dependent on the grid.

Digitisation and remote working are going to be the new norm for organisations moving forward in the post-Covid 19 world. Companies have embraced digital processes for seamless manufacturing and distribution. Partners and suppliers are also encouraged to shift online as much as possible to minimize face to face interactions. Employees across teams will also continue to work virtually as much a possible without compromising on the core objectives of any organisation.