German valve firm to expand coimbatore operations

German valve-maker 'SchuF' will expand its Indian operations in Coimbatore to service the Asian market, SchuF Speciality Valves India Director, R Ramanujan, said here today.

"Going forward, the Indian operations will be scaled up as the parent company is looking at reducing the time-lag in delivering products to global clients," Ramanujan said on the sidelines of a CII conference.

He said the existing factory at Coimbatore works as a machinery unit for SchuF's global clients. "Our parent company will benefit if the machinery and the foundry units are located in the same place," Ramanujan said.

As part of an expansion plan, the foundry unit would also be set up in India. The total domestic demand of all types of valves is estimated to be in excess of Rs 2,700 crore, according to industry sources.

The domestic valve industry, currently on a upward cycle, is witnessing more and more European firms transferring their integral business processes to India.

Companies like Auma India (subsidiary of AUMA Riester GmbH), Uniklinger (joint venture between Klinger AG of Switzerland and Neterwala group) and ARCA India are already established as major players in this sector.

"While China has been ahead on the technology front, India has excelled in areas like customisation, skilled manpower and research and development, which is why you see a growing number of European countries setting up operations in India," Larsen and Toubro Valves Division vice-president, A K Banerjee, said at the CII seminar on the valve industry.

The increasing activity in the manufacturing and infrastructure sectors has generated positive interest from the developed countries to source their products from India.

Source: The Hindu