Elecrama 2020: Electrifying India’s growth
Over 1,370 exhibitors from India and overseas showcased latest trends and technologies during the five-day Elecrama 2020 expo - held from January 18-22 at India Exposition Centre, Greater Noida.
Over 1,370 exhibitors from India and overseas showcased latest trends and technologies during the five-day Elecrama 2020 expo - held from January 18-22 at India Exposition Centre, Greater Noida. This truly showcased India’s strength as potential market as well as its manufacturing prowess to the world. A report…
Over 1,370 exhibitors, from India and overseas, showcased a myriad of technological innovations covering the complete electricity ecosystem from generation, transmission & distribution, electronics, renewables, e-mobility, automation and storage during the 14th edition of Elecrama 2020. Hosted by Indian Electrical & Electronics Manufacturers Association (IEEMA), Elecrama 2020 turned out to be the largest public showcase of industry innovations by far.
Inauguration function
Speaking at the inauguration, RK Singh, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Power and New & Renewable Energy said, “India is a sunrise country and despite all the hiccups we are among the fastest-growing large economies. India has achieved 367 GW installed power generating capacity. We have connected India to one unified grid, the largest in the world, and we are still adding to the capacity.”
Seconding the views expressed by his ministerial colleague, Prakash Javadekar, Union Minister of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises reiterated, “Elecrama 2020 is a great opportunity for an exchange of ideas and learning. We understand that the industry’s cause should translate to a societal cause. We look forward to the industry’s recommendations for national development.”
Welcoming Elecrama 2020 to the country's most populous state, Satish Mahana, Minister of Industrial Development, Govt of Uttar Pradesh remarked, “In the last two years we gave 12 million new connections in the state. The state government has a target to add 2000 MW of solar energy every year. The Uttar Pradesh government is looking forward to strengthening its bond with the industry. We warmly welcome the industry to invest in the largest state of India.”
Earlier, addressing the delegates to the 14th edition of the world’s leading exhibition in its segment, RK Chugh, President, IEEMA, said, “IEEMA cuts across verticals in electrical and electronic and it comprises of 55 per cent capital goods and $42 billion of top-line products in the country. We support the vision of the government’s $5 trillion economy and we aim that our top-line should reach the target of $1 billion by 2024-25. Towards the same, we are focusing on upgrading skills with the view of complete reskilling of the workforce and incorporating technological advancements, such as artificial intelligence (AI) and the internet of things (IoT) into various segments.”
Explaining how Elecrama has grown over the years, Anil Saboo, Chairman, Elecrama 2020 observed, “Energy is prosperity. The journey of from 1990 to 2020 is exponential as the exhibition has expanded from 9,000 to over 110,000 sq. meters. Also, exhibitors grew from 100 to over 1,370 in 2020. Elecrama has been a matchless platform to the Indian electrical industry to increase horizon worldwide.”
The exposition was supported by the Ministry of Power and New & Renewable Energy, Ministry of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises and the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises. Uttar Pradesh was the host state and Germany the country partner of the initiative.
Showcasing India’s prowess
Some companies like BCH Electric Ltd look forward to Elecrama to display their product prowess and network strength. Kapil Grover, Head - Sales & Marketing, BCH Electric Ltd, said, “At BCH Electric, you experience the excellence in quality and technology. At Elecrama, we want to show to the world how an Indian company can outperform in the switchgears market by offering right solutions and technologies for delivering desired results. We have launched a few new products at the expo.”
In submersible panels, BCH Electric has introduced 2 new ranges - dual starter as well as start delta starter - for wide range of agriculture & industrial applications. Since these products are used main in the rural areas, the company’s focus was to make a panel which is simple for any electrician to repair.
“Given the current market conditions, we see a growth of 15 per cent in the coming years. We see lots of potential in the domestic rural market especially for motor starters. With the new government policy focusing on kick-starting the construction industry, there is a huge opportunity for MCB distribution box (DB) product range in the retail segment,” added Kapil Grover.
For Aimil Ltd, an instrumentation company, Elecrama offers an excellent testing ground for new products. Pravesh Bhan, Sr Business Manager, Aimil Ltd, explained, “We are exclusive distributors for 80-90 overseas companies and cater to the needs various industries. We have instrumentation for applications ranging from water to space. Aimil offers testing and measurement equipment for electrical testing in industries like automotive, cements, etc. At Elecrama, we are focusing on couple of brands such as EagleEye, and we intend to penetrate the electrical market in India. By participating in the expo, we can get instant feedback from customers.”
Automation needs are increasing across the sector, and Balaji Switchgears is equipping the industry for automation with its vast range of products. Bajrang Garg, Director, Balaji Switchgears, opined, “Our motto is to deliver on-time, quality products to the industries, and offer complete solutions under one roof to our customers. This is for the sixth time we are participating in Elecrama, which offers good platform for electrical equipment and automation players. In the last two decades, IEEMA (the organiser of Elecrama) has grown manifold. In 2020, we are focusing on industrial automation along with the traditional switchgear components. About 70 per cent of our customers are OEMs. This year should give a new horizon for the industry. We are offering latest digital technologies from Schneider.”
Make in India buzzing
Make in India, an initiative launched in 2015 by the government of India, has offered new window of opportunities to Indian companies. “We are regular participant at Elecrama. The focus of our company has been to reduce dependence of the country on imports by manufacturing maximum number of products in India. Our vision is to promote Make in India campaign. For the first time, we have introduced Made-in-India infrared diffuse sensors (used in packaging industries) in the market thus saving valuable foreign currency for the country. Imports are increasing in the country and efforts should be made by the industry and the government to decrease imports and increase exports,” commented Nakshatra Bhardwaj, Director, Dolphin Automation – a manufacturer of process control equipment to fulfill automation needs of the customers.
According to Gautam Seth, Jt MD, HPL Electric & Power Ltd, Make in India has worked on electrical products side. HPL is into hardcore manufacturing with very well backward integrated processes. “Every product displayed at Elecrama has been developed in-house. All core manufacturing processes are done in-house. We are seeing interest for our products from European buyers, which is a testimony to the success of Make in India initiative. Many overseas companies look at cost-effective manufacturing destination for their high-value products. Interest among overseas manufacturers to invest in India has increased tremendously in the last two years. We are looking at opportunity to increase our international business through OEM route,” he stated.
HPL displayed its entire range of products, which belong to metering, switchgears, lighting, wire & cables and solar segments. It also launched a few new products across its product verticals.
Gautam Seth said, “The government has announced a big initiative to put 250 million smart meters in the next couple of years. Being a leading player in smarting metering segment, HPL sees this as a big opportunity. We are continuously working on R&D. Elecrama offers a perfect platform to showcase our products to domestic as well as international customers. We are seeing good business on metering side where flow of tenders has been quite steady. In trade market, there has been certain slowdown in switchgears, especially in the building segment which has been undergoing certain amount of stress on the builder side. Going forward we see demand to pick up. HPL has diversified range of products and opportunity for our kind of products is huge.”
Make in India buzz was felt across product range. For example, Tempsens Instruments India Pvt Ltd - manufacturer of different type of temperature sensors – launched its first online thermal imager at Elecrama. “We are displaying temperature sensors, instrumentation cables, pyrometers and online thermal imager for predictive maintenance. We are launching Made-in-India online thermal imagers which are used in a broad range of applications across a number of different industries from automotive industry to fire prevention in industries. These cameras provide an instant and contact less diagnosis of temperature. Despite the current market conditions, we expect to grow at 20-25 per cent this year,” informed Hemant Rathi, GM (Marketing), Tempsens Instruments India Pvt Ltd.
Diversifying growth
Many companies are looking to diversification for growth. “At Elecrama, we have launched PVC compounds and masterbatches. We were already making these products for in-house consumption and now will be supplying to other companies as well. We are looking for tie-up with big companies and are also targeting ordinance industries for these new products,” said Rajesh Aggarwal, MD, Empire Cable Industries Pvt Ltd.
He added, “We have over 400 products with more than 300 dealers distributing our products. Our order book is full till 2025 and to fulfill the orders we have recently expanded our capacity. Exports also account for a big share of our revenue.”
Speaking about key learnings from Rajesh Aggarwal, his son Ishaan Aggarwal (who is also the Director of Empire Cable Industries Pvt Ltd), said, “Our industry is highly competitive and customers demand quality products at cost-effective rates. Situation demands aggressive marketing strategy. My father (Rajesh Aggarwal) has thought me that to achieve the vision and goal one has to be in direct touch with the customers. After joining Empire Cables, I have organised the company in different departments who are specialised in handling the given tasks. We are also focusing on the export markets like Middle East, Africa, Europe, etc.”
Focusing overseas market
With domestic market showing signs of slowdown, companies are drawing up plans to increase overseas business. “We are focusing on exports because of the current slowdown in the domestic industry. We are launching new switches which are suited for European countries. Elecrama offers a platform to meet foreign dignitaries and leading customers. About 20-25 per cent of our production is exported mostly to Europe. Our focus is on servicing our existing customers both in India as well as globally and we simultaneously look to add new customers,” said Nikhil Jain, Managing Partner, Essen Deinki - manufacturer of high-precision, high-performance electrical & electronic connectors & microswitches
He added, “Our core products are switches for applications in industries, railways, heavy duty engineering, etc. We compete globally with our quality products which meet customer requirements.”
Electrifying growth
Electrification is increasing across industries creating new opportunities for companies. Electric vehicle (EV) is one such market. “We are waiting for clarity on the EV charging standards from the government to start production. Once the government put forward roadmap for EV changing, one can expected to investment in charging infrastructure to increase,” said Ishan Parwanda, VP, Trinity Touch Pvt Ltd – a manufacturer panel accessories). Trinity Touch has two Business Areas, Cabinet Plus (for electrical & electronics components) and Solutions (Solar Solutions, Wind Solutions, Telecom Solutions etc.) that have become technology or market leading in their respective areas of application.
According to Parwanda, Elecrama is a perfect exhibition for the company’s product range. “Our focus is on components for panel builders, cable accessories and management, connection technology, etc. We have launched digital timer and are showcasing EV chargers. We are adding more to same ranges, doubling our focus on our existing products range. We have already launched electric vehicle charges,” he added.
Companies also used Elecrama as launch pad to showcase their new product range. “We have new products in tradition electrical business. We have introduced a new generation two- component casting system. Tradition this was done using 4 different components which involved high level complicity in sourcing, processing, inventory management, etc. We have simplified it and we are able to offer a new system that provides good mechanical and electrical properties, high thermal endurance, processability is better, etc. This product, which is much more user friendly material from customer’s perspective, was developed in India for local market and we have plans to export it as well,” said M K Shenoy, Country & Commercial Director (Europe, Middle East, Africa and India), Huntsman Advanced Materials.
At Elecrama, Huntsman Advanced Materials focused on traditional electrical engineering market as well as the new offerings for emerging electrical vehicle segment. “We offer products and solutions for electrical drives, motor & battery applications, etc in electric vehicles (EV). While E-mobility is one of the key topics of future, right now our focus is on classical electrical engineering application business,” Shenoy added.
Quality is supreme
Requirement for efficiency is increasing especially in critical operations in power sector. This is leading to demand for quality products among utilities. Rahul Gore, Director, Neotech Equipments Pvt Ltd (which deals in high-quality industrial tools), explained, “Our main focus is on hand tools, hydraulic tools, battery operated tools and pneumatic tools. These tools are used in all kinds of maintenance activities. Power sector is a big customer for use. There are many niche applications of these tools in power sector, especially since the big projects need high quality tools to undertake maintenance job. We give assurance that our tools will not break. Our aim is to incorporate high quality tool usage in the Indian industry. Quality consciousness is increasing in India among big customers like NTPC. We help companies to increase their efficiency by helping them run their plants smoothly without any breakdown. Through Elecrama, we want to target power generating units, EPC contractors, etc.”
Quality consciousness is growing and companies like Secure Meters are setting up new bench markets. Sanjiv Kumar Dhal, Assistant VP - M&C, Secure Meters Ltd, said, “Secure Meters, an Indian MNC with presence in more than 50 countries, helps customers save energy and live in comfort. Highlight of Elecrama for us is we are giving our customers ten years life time warranty on our products. Nearly 95 per cent of our products will offer 10 years warranty in an industry which is used to maximum 1 year warranty. This speaks volumes about our commitment to quality without comprising on cost.”
The company has been associated with power sector for revenue protection solutions and now it is working in energy efficiency space. “Globally, power generation capacity has been increasing and so are the cost points. Our efforts are to increase energy efficiency and offer better comfort to the customers. With our new HVAC range (on the cooling side), we ensure that the existing ACs give same level of comfort while saving 18-25 per cent energy. These are suitable for hotels, commercial offices, residences, etc,” he added.
After initial tenders from EESL for smart meters, the government is working on different model - automatic meter reading (Smart Meter) programme. This is opening up new window of opportunities to companies.
“India is shifting to smart metering system which needs new testing requirements. To fulfill these needs, we have joined hands with Guangzhou Geny Electric Co Ltd to form a joint venture, RigilGeny India, to provide optimised and certified testing solutions. We are already a leading player in private sector and we are now focusing on public sector by establishing a certified lab and assembly line,” opined Sagar Paliwal, Vertical Lead, Rigil Techno India Pvt Ltd.
Starting in 1990, Elecrama successfully completed three decades with this edition. The exhibition also witnessed well-known national and international industry experts and policymakers deliberating on industry challenges, innovations and business models through a series of leadership summits and meetings. Also, the premier showcase event hosted the world’s largest confluence of power transmission & distribution community at the 5th Reverse Buyers Sellers Meet and Domestic Buyers Sellers Meet.
In yet another first for the event, Elecrama 2020 also focused on the role of women in the industry, building stronger electrical systems for homes, offices and industries as well as discuss the way forward for complete electrification of railways.
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