Wire & Cable India Emagazine Nov-Dec Issue 2020

Nov-Dec, 2020 | Vol. 10 No. 01 | Annual Subscription ` 1000/-

Vision2021 The Way Forward for the Wire and Cable Industry...18

Finolex Cables:

NEW DATES

Ready for NEXT MILESTONE...08 01 02 03 TUE

WED THU

Hall A3, A4A Pragati Maidan

New Delhi

MARCH, 2022 www.cablewirefair.com

CONTENTS November-December, 2020, Wire & Cable India

Finolex Cables: Ready for Next Milestone “We are also investing on new manufacturing facilities for irradiated electron beam (E-beam) processing to make various new products which can withstand higher temperature and are more abrasive resistant due to the cross-linking properties” - Mr. Deepak Chhabria

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Newtech: Strengthening Presence in India

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“In our business, investment in newer technologies and innovations are considered as the key factors for sustainable growth.”- Mr. Furio Melone

18 Vision 2021 – The Way Forward for the Wire and Cable Industry

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As we turn the page on the year 2020 which was an extremely challenging year, however the one which directed towards finding ways to be more efficient, resourceful, and innovative. Wire & Cable India presents an editorial feature to know how the wire and cable industry is reflecting and reconsidering their business strategies, and finding growth opportunities in the year – vision 2021.

TAIPA: Optimistic About Future “Government programs such as BharatNet and Smart Cities and new technologies like 5G, AI, IoT are adding to the demand for fiber deployment and also necessitate 100% tower fiberization.” - Mr. Tilak Raj Dua

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Prysmian Leverages its Aerospace Cables Presence in India, Backed by Key Accounts Recognition and Fueled by Innovation, Diversity & Values

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The world leader in the energy and telecom cable systems industry, Prysmian Group is planning to strengthen their plans of ‘Make in India’, by localizing more R&D and innovation.

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63 HFCL Limited to Scale up Hyderabad Unit Cable Production by 33 Percent

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Mikrotek: Solutions for High Speed Multi Wire Drawing

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Mikrotek has an in-house state-of-the-art manufacturing unit equipped with latest machines and technology to manufacture dies according to client’s specifications.

First Virtual Live Event: Great Success of SIKORA CONNECT

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COMPANY FEATURE

Finolex Cables:

Ready for NEXT MILESTONE "We are also investing on new manufacturing facilities for irradiated electron beam (E-beam) processing to make various new products which can withstand higher temperature and are more abrasive resistant due to the cross-linking properties" - Mr. Deepak Chhabria

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Nov-Dec, 2020

COMPANY FEATURE

Mr. Deepak Chhabria, Executive Chairman, Finolex Cables Ltd.

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r. Deepak Chhabria, Executive Chair man, Finolex Cables Ltd. talks about the different growth drivers of housing wire, optical fibre cables and EHV segments, recent developments, growth plans, and the kind of contribution the initiatives like 'Make in India', 'AtmaNirbhar Bharat', 'Digital India' could make to the overall growth of the market in an exclusive conversation with Wire & Cable India.

entities, have faced a temporary dip in our overall numbers on account of COVID-19. However, we see it as a transient phenomenon that we will be able to overcome as a result of the progressive policies and initiatives that are launched by the government.

Our challenges remain the constant cost pressures that we face due to an increase in prices of copper and PVC, which are our primary raw materials along with the effects of the strengthening dollar.

Wire & Cable India: With this new normal how the business environment has changed and would evolve further? What are the challenges and opportunities you foresee for the wire & cable industry?

As Albert Einstein had once said, 'In the midst of every crisis lies great opportunity'. We, the wire and cable industry, have developed a ready base to meet the needs of the Indian market, and we should now target global markets. With negative sentiment against China prevailing

Deepak Chhabria: We, like most

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“

We have commenced on an ambitious plan of enhancing retail outreach to 1,50,000 outlets from the current base of 50,000 by the end of this financial year.

” globally and a large number of international customers looking for alternate suppliers from emerging markets — the Indian companies have the opportunity and potential to meet their demands. It can be accomplished by focusing on innovation, investing in design engineering and upgrading our quality to become globally

Nov-Dec, 2020

COMPANY FEATURE

“

We will soon be introducing new solar cables and automotive cables that meet the emerging demands of the respective sectors.

” competitive. The Government, on its part, can help in resolving infrastructure bottlenecks so that the products are competitively priced.

We have also seen a market opportunity in smaller towns as sales have been surprisingly robust from tier-2 and 3 markets. The rise in sales could be because people have travelled from the metros and are looking at doing up their homes or there was already a pent-up demand that we have been able to tap now because of the addition of retailers into our network.

WCI: Since different industries across sectors have been deeply impacted by the crisis ensued by the pandemic, the businesses have reassessed their approach and business operations. In what ways did you realign your strategies to stay agile and sustain in these evolved conditions?

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DC: The Initial days of the lockdown were harsh, with production and sales at negligible levels. As a manufacturing entity in the non-essential category, the unexpected turn of events adversely impacted our fourthquarter results last year. It affected both deliveries and our raw material supplies due to various logistic disruptions.

It was during June 2020, when production and sales started picking up, as our employees rejoined the work. We brought some people back by flights who had gone back to cities like Bengaluru, Kolkata etc. We also hired small minivans and cars to bring back people who stayed close to our places of work/offices. We got production work started with the trained operators.

Slowly things started normalizing, and today we are running at our preCOVID operation levels. Process and systems set up over half a century during which we have overcome several challenges, speaks volumes about our ability to not only withstand tough times but also to come back stronger after every setback. The challenges may keep changing, but our Company's DNA remains the same: to persevere and perform. This time, too, we shall overcome. We are taking decisive actions to help ensure

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our continued competitiveness, financial resilience and business continuity in the new normal.

WCI: According to you what are the different growth drivers to drive the overall market performance in each of the segments — housing wire, optical fibre cables and EHV? DC: Wire and cable industry in India comprise about 25 percent of the power transmission and distribution sector. It also forms 40 percent of the electrical equipment industry in India.

Different kinds of cables like extrahigh voltage cables, elastomer cables, etc., are now being used for special applications such as mining/oil sector, shipbuilding/crane cables/ elevator cables, cables for solar power plants, power cables to harness power for new generation projects.

The constant challenge faced by the industry is the rise in the price of raw material inputs like aluminum and copper. Though 65 percent of the industry lies with the organized sector, the rest of the unorganized sector provides stiff competition.

Infrastructure development is likely to boost this sector. With the development of smart grid projects, highways and railways modernization, Digital India will give a fillip to the sector. Currently, the Indian per capita consumption of

Nov-Dec, 2020

COMPANY FEATURE

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We have successfully supplied 220 kV EHV cable and completed the project from M/s Delhi Transco Ltd., which was a PMO monitored project. We are executing a 230 kV cable supply and installation project in Tamil Nadu (TANTRANSCO).

” wires is only 0.5 kg, while the global average consumption is 2.7 kg.

Clearly, the industry is expected to grow over the coming years.

Our CAPEX is directed towards enhancing production capabilities to meet the requirements of the solar power and automotive industry, bringing in-house certain value additions which were outsourced earlier and further expansion of the optic fibre line. We will soon be introducing new solar cables and automotive cables that meet the emerging demands of the respective sectors. Also, the construction sector, which accounts for 60 percent of our

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electrical wires and cables revenue, is poised for strong growth. The above range along with our new product PVC conduit allows us to start a business relationship with the project developer right at the initial stage after which wires, MCBs, switches, lighting will be required to complete the wiring in a home.

In the case of EHVs — the process of urbanization along with investments in the power sector is resulting in a large demand for high-voltage (HV)/extra-high voltage (EHV) power cables, as these cables help shift overhead transmission power lines underground.

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Our 'J Power Systems' manufacturing facility is well equipped to produce EHV XLPE (Extra-high voltage cross linked polyethylene) insulated power cables as it is the only plant in India to have a 121m long vertical column.

Since such power cables are installed in a trunk line of EHV power transmission grids in the urban areas, extreme quality and reliability are required.

We have been able to make entry to most of the utilities PAN India be it state utilities or private utilities. We are getting repeat orders from these clients due to our quality product and services.

Moreover, we have been successful in exporting EHV cables to countries like Indonesia, Myanmar, Kuwait etc.

Thus, helping the government meet India's Atmanirbhar initiative. We have successfully supplied 220 kV EHV cable and completed the project from M/s Delhi Transco Ltd., which was a PMO monitored project. We are executing a 230 kV cable supply and installation project in Tamil Nadu (TANTRANSCO).

Nov-Dec, 2020

COMPANY FEATURE

strategy, we have commenced on an ambitious plan of enhancing retail outreach to 1,50,000 outlets from the current base of 50,000 by the end of this financial year. As part of our efforts in engaging with the customers, we are in the process of setting up 50 Finolex Houses. These are exclusive stores from which our complete range of wires, cables along with our appliances are displayed and sold.

WCI: How do you think the future years will pan out for Finolex Cables? What are your growth strategies?

WCI: Has there been any new development at Finolex Cables that you would like to share? Are there any aspirations to expand your capacity in the near future?

DC: Intending to reach a turnover of INR 10,000 crore over the next five years, Finolex has increased its focus on growing the electrical consumer product range of fans, water heaters, lighting, switches and switchgear segments. In line with our aim of providing a complete solution to customers, Finolex has been launching a steady stream of products even during the pandemic period. In the fan category, we have introduced antibacteria and anti-dust fans that protect consumers from harmful bacteria and germs. These fans are coated with a paint containing low toxicity biocides for complete protection against microbiological growth, by repelling microbes or killing them when they come close to the surface.

It also resolves the inconvenience caused by the cleaning of fans, making it a truly hassle-free solution for the consumers.

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To meet the market demand for the coming winter, we have introduced immersion rods and the attractively designed Jubito Plus storage water heaters. We are in the process of launching IoT enabled lighting and fan products that can be retrofitted onto existing switches, thus ensuring that the latest in smart technology is available at affordable price points.

Going ahead, we will continue to expand offerings in electrical products and introduce new products across multiple segments to augment the scale and strength of our business. As the pandemic situation resolves over next year, we also see increasing investments being made in the development of the healthcare infrastructure, a segment that we are primed to serve with our complete range.

We are simultaneously working to ensure our products are available at maximum store shelves across the country. Keeping in line with the above objective, we are increasing our reach by setting up a robust two-tier distribution model. Aligned with this

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DC: Our state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities have been one of our greatest strengths. We continue to invest in maintaining this strategic edge. Our CAPEX is directed towards enhancing production capabilities at our Urse and Goa plants. We are focused on nur turing se parate ver ticals of lighting, switches, switchgear, fans and water heaters and will soon be launching electrical conduits. We would like to see each of these verticals grow into stand-alone businesses of INR 250-500 crores.

The wire and cable growth will be additional.

We are also investing on new manufacturing facilities for irradiated electron beam (E-beam) processing to make various new products which can withstand higher temperature and are more abrasive resistant due to the cross-linking properties. We are also expanding our communication cable segment by adding capacity in coaxial, LAN and fibre optic cables.

Besides, we are also focusing on expanding the distribution reach to grow our LDC product range. A new plant to manufacture PVC conduits is under construction at our Goa facility and expected to go on stream in the next two months. This will allow the Company to start a business relation-

Nov-Dec, 2020

COMPANY FEATURE

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Intending to reach a turnover of INR 10,000 crore over the next five years, Finolex has increased its focus on growing the electrical consumer product range.

” ship with the project developers right at the initial stage after which wires, MCBs, switches, lighting will be required to complete the wiring in a home.

WCI: As manufacturing operations, when streamlined by lean methods of production is one of the key factors in making the business more efficient and responsive to market needs; how do you strive to make your operations more efficient and productive to derive even more value and enhance your competitiveness?

system is programmed to refill after the stocks are sold. The generated data works as a close bridge between our factories and the channel partners.

The accuracy ensures that we produce as per the actual demand, and movement of inventory is fast and efficient.

This way, we ensure each interaction lives up to the ever-evolving customer expectations, and inventory visibility starts from the entry point. Without real-time views into inventory, we risk losing customers who will find alternative brands. The supply chain and fulfillment challenges that we are currently facing and working around are further amplified during the pandemic. Keeping into account changing dynamics due to COVID19, we have modified our algorithms to minimize supply chain disruptions.

DC: Customer expectations have been changing. It's a reality that affects the very core and future of our supply chain operations. Without a real-time view into demand, inventory, bottlenecks, one can risk losing customers who want to buy from a retailer.

WCI: The government initiatives such as 'Make in India', 'AtmaNirbhar Bharat', 'Digital India' etc. are anticipated to drive the demand and propel the growth of the wire and cable market. How do you perceive the kind of contribution these initiatives could make to the overall growth of the market, keeping in view the major expectations of the manufacturers from the government?

We, at Finolex, have been investing in IT and data management system (DMS) for many years. It is an intelligent fulfillment platform that allows one to orchestrate the entire fulfillment network with powerful core capabilities. Our DMS connects not only our branches but also our distributor systems. We can thus ensure stock availability across branches and distributors along with the ability to get up-to-date views on what's available. This ensures the system works on replenishment mode where we have assigned safety stock as per the average branch sales. The

DC: AtmaNirbhar Bharat, Bharat Net, Digital India and smart cities projects are promoting self-reliance while encouraging a thr ust to digitization. It gives India an opportunity to build an economy that is more resilient and diversified for meeting the demand of Indian and global audiences. We are predominantly operating in business segments that are core to the government's key focus areas which include infrastructure development initiatives, thrust on digitalization, electrification of rural villages and households and improved consumer spending. All initiatives

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that will spur growth and bring demand from household, commercial, industrial, digital and telecommunication segments including the allocation of highest ever capital expenditure of INR 1.6 lakh crores for railways too will augur well for the company. We have seen the demand shifting temporarily from metros and mini metros to tier 2 and 3 towns. We have accordingly started investing in increasing our network and are in the process of signing up 150,000 retailers by the end of the year.

In today's digital world, we recognize that a customer's buying patterns are changing. We are, therefore, emphasizing on our e-commerce platform as an option for them to shop online seamlessly. Our digital marketing strategy is devised to drive traffic to our e-commerce platform, and we find a growing number of visitors on our site. Using usage analytics on our e-commerce site, we are constantly upgrading and updating it to enhance deeper interactions and usability.

We have recently launched two applications — Finolex Smart Wiz and Finolex Cable Calc. Finolex Smart Wiz is an AR (Augmented reality) APP that serves as a one-stopshop for consumers who are constructing or improving homes — thus enabling them to get a first-hand feel of the Finolex range at their fingertips along with the opportunity to buy products directly from our e-store. The augmented reality feature helps the customer superimpose fans, water heaters, switches and lighting product pictures into their home/office environment by creating a composite view. This way, they can check if it matches their house/bathroom décor and then makes their selection.

Finolex Cable Calc is a platform designed to provide a tool with our electrician partners for calculating the cable and switchgear requirements of a project effectively. The application

Nov-Dec, 2020

COMPANY FEATURE

recommends the size of the wires and cables that should be used in a project based on the electric load that is keyed into the application by the users along with other relevant details. It not only recommends the cable and MCB requirements for a project in the

residential and commercials segments; it also suggests required cable ratings for powering a submersible pump. With this application in their hands, cumbersome calculations are made easy to work out. Recognizing the increasing trend of customers

shopping online, we have added Amazon to our arsenal and are exploring other e-commerce sites too.

With our products now available on Amazon, we expect consumers from the interiors accessing us at their convenience.

Head Office: 2B, Pretoria Street, Kolkata - 700 071, Tel: +91-33-22823744 / 45 / 8818, Fax: +91-33-22823739, Email: kolkata@kkalpana.co.in Sales & Marketing Office: 106, Laxmi Plaza, Laxmi Industrial Estate, New Link Road, Andheri (W), Mumbai - 400 053 Tel: +91-22-67021470 / 71 / 72, Fax: +91-22-67021473, E-Mail: mumbai@kkalpana.co.in

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Nov-Dec, 2020

Vision 2021:

The Way Forward for the Wire and Cable Industry

As we turn the page on the year 2020 which was an extremely challenging year, however the one which directed towards finding ways to be more efficient, resourceful, and innovative. Wire & Cable India presents an editorial feature to know how the wire and cable industry is reflecting and reconsidering their business strategies, and finding growth opportunities in the year – vision 2021.

VISION 2021

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nterestingly, how the word “crisis” is written turns out to be very positive in Japanese- the first symbol means “dangerous” while the second means “opportunity”.

In essence, this implies the notion that - challenging times allow us to reflect, readjust, and respond to situations in ways that make us stronger moving forward, allowing us a moment to pivot accordingly.

and public-private partnerships should be nurtured further ahead.”

It should be noted that the government has signaled some policy shifts and executed spectacular structural reforms in a past few months in a bid to provide economic recovery and boost future prospects. The policy shift is both an inward-looking and export-seeking proposition, i.e. ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’, which promotes self-reliance with tariff-driven endeavours to replace low-quality and cheap imports, encourages domestic production for home consumption and for exports.

The coronavirus crisis, which began in China in late 2019 but emerged as a full-blown pandemic in March, became a global health and humanitarian crisis and an economic downturn globally. Although it goes without saying that 2020 has been one of the most challenging years for so many of us across the globe as it has massively impacted businesses, livelihoods, and economies – the whole of humanity at large.

Purposeful and agile innovations During the pandemic, a great many wire and cable companies focussed on product and process innovations and in becoming more customer-centric and scaling up the capability to handle large disruptions. In future, we would witness some of the outputs of these efforts with innovative products getting launched and companies exploring different models to bolster supply chain management capabilities.

This brings us to three key questions - how do we cope with this crisis? What opportunities does this crisis create? And what can be done to anticipate crises in the future and prepare for them so as to respond rapidly and effectively?

In this scenario, most players in the wire and cable sector has unanimously suggested that it is now almost imperative to increase the competitiveness of the industry, promoting foreign trade, and encouraging investment by private sector and the government. This also raises the paramount prerequisites – that is, to drive innovations in product design, manufacturing, and in distribution.

Wire & Cable Industry @ 2021: • On the whole, the wire and cable industry players need to scale up investments to modernize their manufacturing units, and invest in automation, and IoT.

Rising to the challenges – from the ‘new normal’ to a ‘new future’ As Albert Einstein once said, “in the midst of every crisis, lies great opportunity”, clearly, the COVID-19 global pandemic has given an impetus for accelerating digital innovation, which is one of the many opportunities the pandemic period has allowed to emphasize upon.

• In the long run, a resilient supply chain, skilled workforce, and consistent innovation will be greatly helpful in seizing new opportunities.

While it is true that the COVID-19 pandemic and the massive economic disruption caused have undoubtedly dealt a setback to the wire and cable industry. However, it was clear that significant disruptions, would occur, be it shortages, supply chain disturbances, and production bottlenecks. To manage this complex and dynamic situation, wire and cable companies pivoted to mitigate crisis management, supply chain realignment, agile product development and innovation, amongst others.

• The industry players also call for support from the government with regard to pertinent policies and investment so as to increase the competitiveness of the wire and cable industry.

• Improving R&D infrastructure, adhering to a systematic approach and focusing on long-term growth is critical.

Outlining the focus of the sector in the coming times, Mr. Manish Agarwal, CEO-Solutions Business, Sterlite Power Transmission Ltd. states that “a key focus in the next 6-12 months is going to be towards working on capital management and securing funding for projects.

Institutional financing needs to be scaled up in the sector

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Nov-Dec, 2020

VISION 2021 Mr. Vijay Karia, Chairman & Managing Director, Ravin Group of Companies says that “Ravin Group is already working towards building new capacities, new products, and investing a lot into R&D, technologically far superior, as well as cost-effective products designed for the Indian market.”

for increased exports.”

Post COVID-19, some economies are expected to shift their manufacturing bases from China, which could create opportunities for India. However, the extent to which this opportunity can be leveraged is largely dependent on how quickly the economy recovers and the pace at which the supply chain issues are mitigated.

Digital Transformations In the new wave of digital transformation, the pandemic acted as a catalyst for companies across sectors, including wire and cable, to fast-track adoption of digital technologies to sustain their business in the new normal.

In fact, the manufacturing sector, which was massively impacted by the pandemic, is now stabilizing and is moving toward cloud-led manufacturing, automation technologies, and smart manufacturing.

To sum up, given the magnitude of the health, humanitarian and economic crises ensuing from COVID-19, it would be recommended that the policymakers should implement an expansionary fiscal policy that will boost the aggregate demand for goods and services, which in turn would revive the output and fortify the economy. To emphasize, the government’s investment in large-scale infrastructure projects, and their further execution – could pave the way for further growth of the wire and cable industry.

Touching upon the rapid pace the digital acceleration has been ensued in the recent past, Mr. Anurag Pandey, Executive-in-Charge at Global Wires India-Tata Steel says that “amid the COVID-19 pandemic, digital adaption has been accelerated, which has changed the way we used to work. In my understanding, in this way, our efforts are also aligned in that direction to expedite digitalization of various parts of the ecosystem.”

Moreover, due to rising input costs, the industry is planning to undertake some strong efforts in the direction of controlling costs and streamlining the supply chain. In effect, the wire and cable manufacturers, at large, are also striving to sustain the growth by expanding the overall export share of their business, in addition to catering to the domestic demand.

Resilience – turning the crisis into opportunity

In this feature report, Wire & Cable India interacted with some of India’s most prominent wire and cable companies wherein they outline their new outlook towards strategy, marketing, business continuity, investments and how the pandemic has served as a learning curve for their businesses.

To put it in the words of Mr. Vijay Kumar Bajaj, COO, Apar Industries Limited, “the industry expects the government to bring liberal policies on RoDTEP (MEIS), lower bank interest rates and enhanced financing limits to the industry that will enable it to take advantage of the current favourable situation in the international market

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Nov-Dec, 2020

SPECIAL FEATURE

Ravin Group: Focusing on Capacity Expansion and Augmenting the Product Range

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avin Group is already working towards building new capacities, new products and investing a lot into R&D, technologically far superior, as well as cost-effective products designed for the Indian market.

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Excerpts of the interview with Mr. Vijay Karia, Chairman & Managing Director, Ravin Group of Companies: Challenges to reckon with: The COVID-19 situation has brought massive changes in the working styles and corporate culture. It has also impacted the progress of infrastructure building across the world, as a lot of countries have faced nearly a year of complete/partial lockdown. The cable and wire industry has been badly impacted basically in terms of rising raw material prices, the lockdown impacting the demand, and the financial tightness due to the banks not willing to lend money.

Currently, what we are seeing is the release of the pentup demand, when the infrastructure works have restarted.

The country has also faced peak power demands in the last few weeks, touching close to 190 GW. Hence, the Q4 of the current financial year is seeing a good growth in terms of numbers for all the companies, who have the wherewithal to supply their products, not only in India but also outside of the country. The grey area is the demand from June onwards. If the union budget being

Mr. Vijay Karia

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Nov-Dec, 2020

SPECIAL FEATURE presented on 1st February 2021 accelerates infrastructure spending, and liberalizes the money lending from banks for manufacturing under the ‘Make in India’ as well as the ‘AtmaNirbhar Bharat’ schemes, we could see the industry picking up in terms of demand by September/ October 2021.

should scrap all laws which would deter movement of commonly used and essential items, due to over height.

Yes, they may charge an additional amount of toll tax for such vehicles, if they so desire. However, imposing penalties for transportation of materials of height beyond permissible limits need to be scrapped immediately.

However, to overcome the challenges of increasing commodity prices, and where they will land up (as is a matter of pure speculation); there is a lot of liquidity in the world markets, implying that the industry has to rework their way to quote on a variable basis. The industry would have to move away from extending credit, and quoting on a firm price basis. This change in the mindset of both the seller and the buyer is the biggest challenge facing the industry. We hope to overcome this challenge at the earliest.

All of the above said expectations are simply policies which would not impact the Government fiscally.

Strategies to strengthen the economy post-COVID: I agree that the COVID-19 situation has created huge opportunities, both to the Government as well as to companies to build more resilient and diverse revenue sources, as well as creating new markets across the world both under the initiatives – ‘Make in India’, and ‘AtmaNirbhar Bharat’. India has got huge opportunity to grab some market share from China, for supplies into world markets. The resistance for imports into India from China as well as some of the other unfriendly countries has created a demand for the domestically manufactured products.

Expectations from the Government: As an industry, we have realized that we can expect very little from the Government at this moment, as it has a number of fiscal challenges to meet. However, some visible areas of policy change and support which we would expect from the Government is to reduce import duty on commodities such as aluminum, polymers, steel and copper. The first three, i.e. aluminum, polymer and steel need reduction in import duties as the cable industry faces a negative duty structure on these commodities.

We also look forward to support in terms of simplifying imports of advance license to help spur exports.

Ravin Group is already working towards building new capacities, new products and investing a lot into R&D, technologically far superior, as well as cost-effective products designed for the Indian market. We are acutely aware that the current levels of infrastructure, especially in terms of metro railways, airports, buildings, and other populated constructions require all products especially electrical products, with high levels of safety and fire resistance. Actually, we are looking to offer such products into the market. Also, we are looking to expand our capacities, with emphasis on higher voltages.

The Government and its bodies, especially the utilities hold the onus in terms of delays in payments as they can very easily bring about payment facility, either through the banks, or through other means for immediate release of payments for supplies. There is enough liquidity in the banking system to allow the payments/ discounting facilities for supplies made to the utilities be they Government or Private players. This will ease the liquidity crisis facing the industry.

We are the only cable manufacturing company, who also has EPC capability for both solar as well as EHV, and also manufacture specialty power equipment. All these capabilities put us in an advantageous position to offer a complete range of products to our customers.

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The local companies, who have pre-established facilities for more than ten years, should be allowed to quote for tenders without an earnest money deposit, or the performance bank guarantee. This can hugely help the industry to ease the liquidity, and it will also help the industry invest more in their manufacturing facilities as well as in R&D.

he Q4 of the current financial year is seeing a good growth in terms of numbers for all the companies, who have the wherewithal to supply their products, not only in India but also outside of the country.

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We definitely look forward to the simplification of the GST rules, both for local sales as well as exports. Though the current rules have expedited the movement of goods vehicles across the country, but a lot yet remains to be rectified. The cable industry faces huge amounts of penalties in terms of transportation of bigger drums. This leads to increased costs, as well as a slowdown of goods movement, as well as corruption. The Government

Nov-Dec, 2020

SPECIAL FEATURE as stated above, our key focal area is expansion of capabilities as well as the product range, and we also look to acquire some stressed companies in similar businesses.

Fast forward to 2021 – the way ahead: We are not reactive, but we would like to consider ourselves as proactive. This is the reason why we had started cable exports from 1999 onwards, which no other cable company in the country at the time had ventured out into, especially after that stoppage of paper cable exports to Russia.

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e are the only cable manufacturing company, who also has EPC capability for both solar as well as EHV, and also manufacture specialty power equipment.

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The pandemic has created a huge impact on the economies globally, and a lot of companies have come under financial stress. Though we had very little downtime in the situation, as we had undertaken the responsibility of electrifying a lot of COVID-19 hospitals and quarantine centres. We are already in 2021, and

Global Wires India-Tata Steel: Resiliency to Manage Supply Chain Disruptions is the Way to Go

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ith the government’s focus on ‘Aatmanirbhar bharat’, I am sure that there will be a push for localization of products.

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Excerpts of the interview with Mr. Anurag Pandey, Executive-in-charge at Global Wires India-Tata Steel: Challenges to reckon with:

In India, while it seems that the situation is improving; however, across the globe, we are finding that various countries are still struggling and going for lockdowns.

So, we must be cautious and take all the necessary precautions to ensure that second wave in India do not come through. Industries across all sectors, are still striving to stabilize their supply chains; hence, we need to be watchful of any further disruption, and be ready with the alternate plans in case of any unexpected situation.

Mr. Anurag Pandey

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Nov-Dec, 2020

SPECIAL FEATURE changed a lot of things, i.e., the way we reach out to the end consumers, and how we interact with various stakeholders etc. I think we need to start strengthening our digital presence and build up further on that. Secondly, we know that there may be some supply chain disruptions that can happen. Consequently, we need to prepare ourselves from the learnings, and we should try to ensure that the supply chain disruption is minimal.

Expectations from the Government: I think the Government is very sensitive and has taken cognizance of the issues being faced by various sectors, and there have been various interventions at various points of time. With the government’s focus on ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’, I am sure that there will be a push for localization of products. A lot of expectation is also now building up for the upcoming budget; the government is interacting with various stakeholders, and trying to understand their requirements. We expect that at this time, the budget’s emphasis will be on major infrastructure development.

But the most important aspect is the health and safety of the people. As we have taken a lot of initiatives for health and safety of the people, and there have been tremendous learning in this area. We need to continue with them till pandemic subsides, and, I would say some practices need to continue beyond the pandemic.

Strategies to strengthen the economy post-COVID:

Fast forward to 2021 – the way ahead:

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igital transformation has changed a lot of things, i.e., the way we reach out to the end consumers, and how we interact with various stakeholders etc.

As I said earlier, there has been a change in the way we used to work prior to this pandemic. Digital transformation has

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Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, digital adaption has been accelerated, which has changed the way we used to work. In my understanding, in this way, our efforts are also aligned in that direction to expedite digitalization of various parts of the ecosystem. Also, when the government is talking of the ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’, we are also working closely with various customers, trying to understand their requirements.

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SPECIAL FEATURE

Sterlite Power: Productivity in Manufacturing and Innovation Will Pave a Way for Overall Growth

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he emphasis on technology and innovation will continue, while also in keeping with our core value of ‘social impact’, we will continue to focus on cleaner and greener solutions and low loss, and high ampacity products.

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Excerpts of the interview with Mr. Manish Agarwal, CEO-Solutions Business, Sterlite Power Transmission Ltd.: Challenges to reckon with: Primarily, one of the biggest challenges that the sector has to contend with is that of reintegration into the grid.

At the moment, huge generation capacities are being added much faster than evacuation systems can be built.

Hence, it is important that the transmission systems should be planned ahead of generation. Retro-fitting many of the existing transmission infrastructure and augmenting their capacities can be done in a timely and cost-effective manner as these do not require additional space/RoW which usually takes a lot of time to sort out.

Importantly, this is an environmentally-friendly solution, which does not require any alterations to the nearby forests, habitation or vegetation, as the enhancement of capacities is undertaken within the same existing power corridor.

Additionally, going forward, the utilities must wholeheartedly embrace the latest transmission technologies that can help them deliver reliable and

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SPECIAL FEATURE quality 24x7 power to the last mile. The adoption of innovative technologies will accelerate the robust recovery of the sector and modernize ageing transmission assets making them more efficient and also minimize human intervention. They are also the key to enabling grid resilience and security. A key focus in the next 6-12 months is going to be towards working on capital management and securing funding for projects.

Institutional financing needs to be scaled up in the sector and public-private partnerships should be nurtured further ahead.

equity for cost plus project can be proposed to reward reduction in congestion. Such incentives are common in the European grid.

Strategies to strengthen the economy post-COVID: We feel extremely fortunate to be working in a sector which allows us to contribute to building critical national infrastructure assets. Sterlite Power is a purposedriven organization with core values of social impact, innovation, respect, and fun. We excel at solving the toughest challenges for power transmission at the intersection of time, space and capital. Reliable and quality power is crucial for robust socio-economic development. We partner with utilities to enable the delivery of power to the last mile by addressing transmission congestion challenges through the framework of time, space and capital. We help them do this in the most cost-efficient and environmentally friendly manner through uprate/upgrade of existing transmission assets. This saves them money, time and also, space as power ampacity is enhanced on transmission lines within the same corridor, without taking up any additional RoW. Whatever funds they save by modernizing their brownfield transmission assets in lieu of opting for Greenfield, can be redeployed to areas which need funding. Today, there are 20+ states in India along with the Power Grid that have embraced the uprate/upgrade of existing transmission infrastructure and Sterlite Power has partnered a majority of them.

Expectations from the Government: We are extremely confident in the slew of initiatives by the Indian Government aimed at reviving the economy.

The focus on manufacturing and infrastructure is particularly heartening. Initiatives and forecasts such as the - National Infrastructure Pipeline, Production Linked Incentive scheme, and introduction of new export incentive regime under the RoDTEP scheme holds tremendous promise. Further, the Government of India (Department of Expenditure-DoE) has taken cognizance of the national security and they issued an order to regulate bid participation in public procurement projects.

These are some welcome steps and will definitely have a multiplier effect on the domestic manufacturing industry and will also help in job creation in the country.

That being said, the implementation of the scheme and the adoption by states will determine the efficacy of these policy instruments. For example, the impending announcement of the rates under the RoDTEP scheme will bring much needed clarity and respite to the industry.

While the investment cycle is expected to pick up, it is crucial for the centre to now play an increasingly proactive role in accelerating this process.

On the products’ side, we are the world’s leading manufacturer of high performance conductor solutions and export to 60+ countries abroad. Aside from this, we have a thriving underground power cables business where we execute EHV projects on a turnkey basis. We are also India’s largest integrated manufacturer of Optic Ground Wire (OPGW) and the largest player in fiberization of existing transmission assets.

On the subject of power transmission, we congratulate the government and policy makers in meticulously devising central funds, such as the PSDF scheme, for creating necessary transmission systems of strategic importance. Since the inception of the scheme, various state transmission utilities have successfully decongested many critical transmission corridors by implementing solutions aiming at a capacity augmentation of existing infrastructure such as - reconductoring, voltage upgradation, multi circuit- & multi-voltage transmission.

The scheme, however, appears to have slowed down due to limited fund availability. The central government is requested to replenish the fund and also, broaden the scope to include loss reduction in the transmission sector.

Member states and regulatory authorities should ensure that appropriate incentives, notably financial incentives, are given to the Transmission system operator to act in a rational and economic way with regard to congestion and loss reduction. Incentive over and above return on

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In summary, we contribute significantly to the economy through our businesses and our excellence in project executions. We generate employment through manufacturing not only for our organization but to associated partners, vendors and industries and most importantly, we play a small but significant role in contributing to the nation’s export economy.

Fast forward to 2021 – the way ahead: We are cautiously optimistic about a full economic recovery this year. This year’s business performance will be judged on the cash velocity across products and service lines. We have also considered very high growth scenarios in our business planning based on factors such as global supply chains shifting to India, infrastructure spending to support job creation, and economic revival etc.

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Our exports business will become more competitive with our readiness of products and solutions for the overseas markets. The emphasis on technology and innovation will continue, while also in keeping with our core value of ‘Social Impact’, we will continue to focus on cleaner and greener solutions and low loss, and high ampacity products. Overall, we will have to become more competitive around productivity in manufacturing and innovation.

e are cautiously optimistic about a full economic recovery this year. This year’s business performance will be judged on the cash velocity across products and service lines.

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Viraj Profiles Ltd.: Infrastructure Development Projects Would Revive Demand and Boost the Economy

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iraj Profiles has been exporting a major portion of its production in addition to catering to the local demands.

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Excerpts of the interview with Mr. Neeraj Kochhar, Chairman & Managing Director, Viraj Profiles Ltd.: Challenges to reckon with:

The coronavirus pandemic of 2020 has come to be regarded as one of the most deadliest situations.

Affecting the people of not just one country but the world over, the COVID-19 virus has created a sense of great fear among people. Unmatched in scale and impact, it has not only exacted a huge toll on human lives but also cost the global economy millions of dollars and jobs. In the beginning of 2020, when the lockdown was imposed, people feared the challenges brought on by this pandemic. In my understanding, many industries shared the challenges they were facing and it has been tough for everyone. Among these industries, the stainless steel industry has been no exception when it comes

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he government’s focus on improving our own capabilities is expected to help revive demand and boost India’s economy.

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to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, as all the industries are inter-dependent on each other in this wheel of growth. Although we had our own share of challenges but we were able to ride through these challenging times due to our strong customer relationship. However, the pandemic has surely changed the way we were looking at things earlier. Now, we are in a day-to-day mode of monitoring and forecasting the demand for products from end-users. Viraj Profiles has been exporting a major portion of its production in addition to catering to the local demands.

Strategies to strengthen the economy post-COVID: We can look at the post-COVID-19 future of work through the prism of three pillars that are keys to ensuring a smooth recovery and in overcoming challenges. Firstly, it is important to drive digital transformation to create a safe work environment for our employees. However, it may sound a bit difficult for the manufacturing sector as we are mainly human resource driven sector and working remotely may not be possible for us, but with the advent of IoT (Internet of Things) and the latest technological up gradation in the manufacturing industry, the perspective is surely set to change. We also need to look at developing and honing our skills in order to fight out with the shortage of the labour situation which might come again in future. Secondly, building a resilient and healthy workforce, centered on employee wellness and workforce development will again be of prime importance.

We are closely monitoring the international scenario and how the industries are reacting at global level. Some of the major industries who consume stainless steel are construction, automotive sector, oil and gas industries, and others, such as white-goods (large home appliances) manufacturers. The engineering and construction industry may experience its own slowdown — with some construction sites locked down and then lesser availability of manpower which could also contribute to the reduced demand for stainless steel products especially in the domestic front. Of late, the companies have started picking up the post COVID-19 lockdown, and we see a gradual surge in the demand now. The recent improved performance of the automobile sector and the infrastructure projects announced by the government have been quite helpful. We are hopeful that in the next couple of months, we should be back on track.

The COVID situation has taught us that a healthy and committed workforce is the key for any business to sustain in these kinds of situations. At Viraj, we undertook a lot of initiatives to ensure that our workforce remains healthy not only at physical level rather also at mental level. Thirdly, evolving a new paradigm of work and workspaces, including a permanent transition to a hybrid work model of office and work-from-home, and a powerful digital command centre that enables a workanywhere, live anywhere, all-digital environment. We also need to work on strengthening our logistics system so that the material manufactured inside the plants can reach the customers’ doorstep without any hiccups.

Expectations from the Government: India was in an expansion mode till March 2020, when the impact of COVID-19 put India to a grinding lockdown. The supply side constraints due to inter-state border closures, along with labour shortage and office shutdowns put the economic cycle to a grinding halt in the month of April, resulting in record low levels. The weak domestic as well as export demand along with large inventory build-up and supply chain bottlenecks has caused a major hurdle for the industry. The government’s focus on improving our own capabilities is expected to help revive demand and boost India’s economy.

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he recently announced projects

by Government of India… along with the augmented push for construction of roads and highways are expected to aid the stainless steel industry in the next few quarters.

Our PM Shri Narendra Modi has always been vocal about establishing India as one of the fastest growing economies in the world arena and the government has also been supporting the same with different

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initiatives. The government has already indicated that the indigenous industry will be given priority compared to imports in the post-COVID India. The recently announced projects by Government of India like the Railway projects, support extended to the construction and real estate sector, along with the augmented push for construction of roads and highways, are expected to aid the stainless steel industry in the next few quarters. We also notice an increasing anti-China sentiment across the country, especially for the made-in-China products and this would surely be helpful in achieving our full capacity utilization.

Nov-Dec, 2020

SPECIAL FEATURE

Nirmal Group: Planning Global Expansion

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he pandemic though very traumatic, has resulted in the rebooting of systems and will result in increased efficiency and long term growth.

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Excerpts of the interview with Mr. Nirmal Saraf, Managing Director, Nirmal Group: Challenges to reckon with: The industry will have to augment its focus on the quality of the products and services to the customers and gear up to service the space created for Indian products in the global market amid the negative sentiment towards China.

Expectations from the Government: In essence, the government needs to simplify laws and procedures and make compliance simple. The entrepreneur should not have to spend too much time on compliance and he should be able to focus his energy on production, marketing, and quality assurance.

Strategies to strengthen the economy post-COVID: We plan to grow at a pace which is faster than the pace of growth of the economy and the steel industry which we are a part of. Further, we also plan to increase our global footprint. In parallel, the share of exports in our turnover will be continually increased in the coming times.

Fast forward to 2021 – the way ahead: Although the COVID-19 pandemic did result in a significant downtime during the first quarter of 20192020; however, the pause has resulted in a lot of analysis, rethinking and redesigning of business models and processes. Many blind spots became visible and new and more efficient processes were designed and put into place.

The employer-employee relationship improved as a result of the mutual cooperation to overcome the complexities thrown up by the pandemic. Any adversarial notions

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were replaced by collaborative ones and interactions with all stakeholders became more humane. The pandemic though very traumatic, has resulted in the rebooting of systems and will result in increased efficiency and long term growth.

he government needs to simplify laws and procedures and make compliance simple.

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Apar Industries: Indian Wire & Cable Sector to Capitalize by Augmenting Exports

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y putting more thrust on exports, we are now expecting to see about 40% of our revenue to be generated from exports.

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Excerpts of the interview with Mr. Vijay Kumar Bajaj, COO, Apar Industries Limited (Unit-Uniflex Cables): Challenges to reckon with:

In the first few months, the lockdown related to the pandemic and its partial lifting has been difficult for the country in the ‘new normal’ conditions. While it has taught all of us to follow hygienic, simple, and healthy lifestyle, and maintain social distancing, this ensuing time period has also helped digital transformation, and started the shift to remote working (work from home) etc. The demand has been lower and the surplus capacity situation has led to a highly competitive environment thereby leading to enhanced productivity. The AprilSeptember 2020 period saw lower business volumes by almost all the cable manufacturers and most of them reported losses. This has affected financial health and cash flow for most of them. Although the government had introduced several financial measures to tide over the pandemic situation, it had to spend more on the defense sector and hence it was left with little money to spend on the infrastructure, and other projects.

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SPECIAL FEATURE By and large, the impact of all this – the government’s last spending on the pandemic management, new vaccination programs, and higher defense allocation is likely to constrain the government to continue with reduced spending on infrastructure and other projects.

However, the private sector’s ongoing projects are expected to get expedited to make up for the lost time.

Some of the sectors like – solar power & wind mill, pharmaceutical, steel, cement, defense, railways, etc. are expected to become stronger. At present, exports are a major focus of the cable industry as there is a lot of antiChina sentiment globally and Indian products can fill in the gap.

Expectations from the Government: The industry expects the government to bring liberal policies on RoDTEP (MEIS), lower bank interest rates and enhanced financing limits to the industry that will enable it to take advantage of the current favorable situation in the international market for increased exports. The prices of some of the commodities like steel and polymers have gone through the roof taking advantage of the current discouraged imports from China; the government can put some checks on them so that they are not able to take any undue advantage of the current situation.

The government can push for more projects in renewable energy, defense, railways and infrastructure development to generate further demand.

Strategies to strengthen the economy post-COVID: Yes, the pandemic has certainly presented us with an opportunity to re-strategize, and build a diverse and resilient economy. The government is giving lots of encouragement in this regard. Apar Industries has had a long association with the DRDO and have developed several import substitution items in the past, and now, we are looking at developing many items for defense as the government is giving major policy-thrust to Atmanirbhar Bharat.

Similarly, we are developing a few more specialty items of import substitute. By putting more thrust on exports, we are now expecting to see about 40% of our revenue to be generated from exports.

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he industry expects the government to bring liberal policies on RoDTEP (MEIS), lower bank interest rates and enhanced financing limits.

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HD Wires: Looking at the Crisis as an Opportunity to Restrategize

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n the recent past, we have further added 32,000 MT of capacity more predominantly in the high carbon spring steel wire segment to cater to the various demands of the automobile sector.

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Excerpts of the interview with Mr. Dilip Dev, Chairman & Managing Director, HD Wires Private Limited: Challenges to reckon with:

Undoubtedly, almost the FY 2019-20 and initial 7-8 months of FY 2020-21 have been a challenging period for almost all the businesses across the globe. Accordingly, annual global GDP growth is projected to drop to 2.4% in 2020 as a whole, from an already weak 2.9% in 2019.

The Indian economy was put in a deep freezer for almost two months during the lockdown, approx. 71.31% of the businesses units had to deal with reduced cash, leading to an unprecedented contraction and one of the greatest mass migrations in history.

The full effect of the lockdown was captured in GDP figures of the first quarter of 2020-21. India’s GDP shrank by 23.9% on a yearly basis (year-on-year) in Q1 (April-June 2020) of FY 21. However, the nation has gradually moved out of the lockdown and the government has gradually eased out several restrictions, July-September quarter (Q2) of 2020-21, the Indian economy contracted 7.5 percent from the same quarter last year as per the official data released by the National Statistical Office.

The COVID-19 pandemic has pushed the global economy into one of the worst recessions of recent times. It has created various operational and financial challenges for the businesses which have to be dealt with lots of prudence and proactive decisions. PostCOVID, the market conditions have drastically changed.

Mr. Dilip Dev

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SPECIAL FEATURE Businesses have been adversely affected and there might be still many more challenges in store for the near future. Some of the major concerns to be dealt with are uncertainty about future conditions, the consequences of poor demand, managing supply-chain fluctuations and restoration of production systems to the fullest extent with keeping all employees safe at all times. During the lockdown, approximately 71.31% of the businesses units had to deal with reduced cash flows with the manufacturing sector being the worst hit.

the largest supplier of cable armor wire in India having 27% share in the organized industry and supplying to all the major industry giants that manufacture HT cables.

The products manufactured by the company are serving the needs of various sectors in the economy. This will help them to tackle the downturn in particular sectors more effectively. Some of the major sectors wherein the company is supplying their products on long-term and perpetual basis are - electrical, telecom, infrastructure, railway, general engineering, auto ancillary etc.

Expectations from the Government:

Fast forward to 2021 – the way ahead:

The COVID-19 has been the biggest hit of this century and these perturbed times has surely impacted the overall growth of various Industries. The magnitude of the economic impact is now manifold. We are definitely looking forward to government support for the industry.

The Atmanirbhar 1.0, 2.0 and 3.0 stimulus packages along with help from financial institutions under the guidelines of RBI have helped businesses to get back on their feet.

We have to come out stronger with this experience, which will teach us to respect the environment, respect work life balance, and in a nutshell, respect each and every kind of resource. We derive our strength from the support from our customers, suppliers and each and one who is either directly or indirectly associated with us. The disturbance and the imbalance created with disruption of business cycles will be overcome with standing up for each other as an industry member. We always look at recession as an opportunity; this characteristic has always helped us take the recession as spare time to productively plan expansion. At that time, you get the best deals and excellence in execution. This also results in optimum utilization of your managerial resources in the recessionary times of under utilization.

We seek further assistance and intervention from the government more specific to the wire and steel industry: We request intervention from the government to control contentious and sharp increases in steel rates by primary producers. The rates have now increased almost 50% in the last 3 to 4 months.

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Many steel units are shut down on account of raw material availability. Steel export to China has increased up to 8 times as per the latest market reports. We request to intervene for smooth and regular availability at right prices.

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Piped natural gas, which is an environment friendly, industrial petroleum product, piped should be brought under GST. Earlier, under the VAT system, the industry used to set off the VAT amount, but after the implementation of the GST policy, the same could not be set off resulting in an increase in the manufacturing cost.

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The Finance Minister has announced an INR 90,000 crore liquidity infusion into cash-strapped discoms.

Discoms have been facing the demand slump due to the lockdown to contain COVID-19. We request immediate disbursement under this package to all the Discom suppliers/contractors to rebut the demand along with rotation of money.

We had changed our strategy and now, we are in the process of doing all our major expansions in manufacturing value added high margin products. These include - spring steel wires, RDSO Cable Tape, High GSM GI wires for Gabion Industries, Strand PC wires used in railway sleepers etc. We are pleased to advise that the commercial production of some of these products were recently initiated and others will be commenced with very shortly. The expansion and product bouquet augmentation is aligned to our existing customers and sales network which is helping us market the same efficiency and contributing exponentially higher to our top line growth.

We can’t thank each and every individual and organization enough for the support and guidance for the growth of HD Wires. We greatly value our association with all of them and assure them of our continued cooperation and support.

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Strategies to strengthen the economy post-COVID:

e had changed our strategy and now, we are in the process of doing all our major expansions in manufacturing value added high margin products.

The Company is expanding its footprint nationally and globally with additional diversified products in its portfolio. H D Wire is having an installed capacity of 88,000 MT i.e. the fifth largest in the country. In the recent past, we have further added 32,000 MT of capacity more predominantly in the high carbon spring steel wire segment to cater to the various demands of the automobile sector. As per market research reports, we are

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Assomac Machines: Expecting 2021 to Bring an Increased Momentum in the Economy

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e are seeking ways to rearchitect work, the workforce and also the workplace to manage disruption and uncertainty.

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Excerpts of the interview with Mr. Nirmal Singh, Director, Assomac Machines Ltd.: Challenges to reckon with:

The year 2020 had brought a spate of unprecedented challenges for everyone with the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. The current generation had never seen such a situation when the world has come to a sudden standstill. The situation has indeed hit hard on all types of industries alike, and the wire and cable industry is no exception. While the lockdown period imposed in March, 2020 to combat the coronavirus pandemic had posed a number of challenges for businesses, mainly, it instilled a feeling of uncertainty in the whole of humanity.

The array of various industries had to adapt to the changed conditions, the new way of working and while many industries have been thriving well, some others are still adapting to the different transformations. In the beginning, the wire and cable industry started off on a bumpy road, not exactly knowing how to cope up with no off-take of pending orders, meager technical staff, stringent SOP, COVID affected persons in the staff, amongst other challenges.

However, as Christmas was approaching, the conditions started brightening-up, as people were quickly recovering, and there was lesser fear in the minds of people. Also, the bright side was that we were approaching towards the end of a tunnel, and the business sentiments were

Mr. Nirmal Singh

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SPECIAL FEATURE quite encouraging. Now, with regard to the ‘new normal’ conditions, the industry sentiments are quite hopeful.

As we had a lot of time at hand to think and assess our business strategies during this forced pause period, we have concluded that there are a few points to keep in mind when trying to understand what 2021 could have in store for the wire and cable industry.

Fast forward to 2021 – the way ahead: The way we look forward to the year 2021 should be coupled with positive changes brought in our approach.

While we have certainly passed through the troubled and uncertain times largely due to the forced shutdowns in the early months of the pandemic, but the recent trends have shown the growth on getting back in operations and the revival in demand for the products.

However, it should be noted that no one can replace the manufacturing base; but at the same time, we have to explore the new trends that we should incorporate in our manufacturing style.

Further, a few trends that will define the future of the wire and cable industry are - the improvement in technology, the way we work, some policy regulations by the government, and of course, cumulatively, this would bring new ideas to the industry players. With the major fallout due to the pandemic likely in the rear-view mirror, the industry is all set to more than compensate for the losses incurred in 2020.

Energy & industrials trends for 2021 We have been keenly observing the industrial trends for 2021 which we are even suggesting to our existing as well as prospective customers. This may be in the form of the sharing of - our data trend collection, use of oil or gas (whichever is cost-efficient) with new equipment, utilities, advantages for renewable energy, protection of environment, and so on. This enables to evaluate the wire sector landscape for the new entrants in the industry and allows for better planning for success and unforeseen challenges.

Strategies to strengthen the economy post-COVID: New Technology In particular, the events of 2020 have given us a warning to develop better systems so that our equipment runs trouble-free. Also, visibility is likely to become the most critical capability for the manufacturers in the coming year.

Investments in digital technology

Whilst it may be a while before we all are physically back together with the same business approach discussions.

However as we are in the beginning of 2021, and many COVID-19 vaccines are on the anvil of success, we are approaching towards a more economically successful year but with a new rider i.e. a new normal 2021.

In its simplest form, a digital twin can be defined as the representation or blue print of the physical form of the machines. Now, it could either be a single product or a component and it could also be a production process or even the physical production environment. Using this digital technology, we can virtually create a product, its production and can even enhance or simulate its performance in the real world without having to bend metal or perform any other physical action.

But as the saying goes, ‘if you are not moving forward, you are moving backwards’, and as Martin Luther King Jr said ‘if you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.’ This is the way of life and all of us should look forward with this optimistic approach and we further expect 2021 to bring an increased momentum in the economic activities.

Marketing The pandemic situation has indeed given more options to all of us. Although virtual meetings are more in trend, but this cannot replace the personal bonhomie and the warmth of knowing each other to understand the business. But still, it definitely has presented us with an option which is definitely working. This new trend of virtual meetings has created marketing ‘war rooms’, that has brought us closer to the clients and knowing their demands.

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few trends that will define the future of the wire and cable industry are - the improvement in technology, the way we work, some policy regulations by the government, and of course, cumulatively, this would bring new ideas to the industry players.

Accepting the new work place The disruption in the industry has increased the need for greater workforce agility. We, the manufacturers seem unlikely to return to all the pre-pandemic work arrangements. We are seeking ways to re-architect work, the workforce and also the workplace to manage disruption and uncertainty. We are planning to develop hybrid model for the production and investing in the latest machines and manufacturing trends.

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Orient Cables: Hopeful to Increase the Bottom Line Growth

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ur target is to make exports as at least 25% of our revenue in the next two years.

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Excerpts of the interview with Mr. Vipul Nagpal, Founder & Managing Director, Orient Cables (India) Private Limited: Challenges to reckon with:

The biggest problem faced by the industry is the massive and unnatural increase in raw material prices in the last six months which seems to be continuing with no respite. This has added a lot of unproductive overhead on businesses, not only wires and cables, but I reckon any business worldwide that consumes metals and plastics.

Justifying new prices to customers, managing increased working capital, customer churn, fluctuation in stream of orders, forceful discounts to retain customers, are various issues industry is dealing with and will continue in the next 6-12 months if the prices don’t stabilize.

Slow infrastructure development and construction activity is also responsible for a muted demand which I hope should improve as the economy limps back to growth.

Expectations from the Government: There are three areas the government should focus on to help the industry. First and foremost, it is the rationalization of import duties, for instance, some products that we manufacture have come under an inverted duty structure since the last union budget announced in Feb 2020. This implied that it is cheaper to import finished goods than to import raw materials to manufacture it. This is hurting the demand and bottom lines and it may lead to closure of manufacturing of this product in India entirely. We have taken up this issue along with other manufacturers to the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MEITY) and

Mr. Vipul Nagpal

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Strategies to strengthen the economy post-COVID: We have started to actively look at export markets postCOVID. And the world is also looking at India as an alternative to China. Our target is to make exports as at least 25% of our revenue in the next two years. We are inspired by the PM’s dream of ‘Bharat’ which is not only ‘Atmanirbhar’ per se, but also emerge as a reliable and resilient supply base to other nations.

e are inspired by the PM’s dream of ‘Bharat’ which is not only ‘Atmanirbhar’ per se, but also emerge as a reliable and resilient supply base to other nations.

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Fast forward to 2021 – the way ahead: There have been different levels of demand in different verticals post-COVID. So, we plan to expand in areas which are showing promise and hope to increase our bottom line growth through that. We are also strengthening our customer support and retention and focusing on new customer acquisitions. Also, due to rising input costs, we plan to undertake some strong initiatives towards backward integration into manufacturing some key raw materials in order to control costs and streamline supplies.

the Department of Telecommunications (DOT) and we hope to get a hearing and resolution on this subject soon.

Secondly, it is quite sensible to go ahead with the planned infrastructure projects and resume with the stalled ones.

The government’s spending can cause a significant boost in the economy of the country.

Finally, it is a sincere request to the government to keep the taxes low, and do not introduce any more taxes in the upcoming budget. To sum up, it can be said that bold decisions are needed. Let more money be in the hands of the consumers. In fact, the taxes will eventually come from indirect tax route when the overall spending power improves.

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Systematic Group: Integrating Technology and Revving Up R&D

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e are continually emphasizing on Research and Development and you will be seeing many more announcements with respect to new products from our side in the near future.

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Excerpts of the interview with Mr. Sidharth Agrawal, Managing Director, Systematic Group: Challenges to reckon with: This pandemic has brought a lot of uncertainty and vulnerability in the system. There will be many ups and downs in the demand pattern. Companies will be required to have robust systems in terms of technology and human resources. We, at Systematic, have always taken care of our employees and this became clearly evident during the COVID-19 crisis. Companies which have lower fixed costs are bound to benefit and survive in the coming times. In the recent times, there has been a lot of vulnerability in prices and the wire industry needs to get used to these norms. Since the wire industry is a processing industry, the speculation in prices can create havoc.

We are sure to see a lot of consolidation happening in the coming times in the wire industry. The demand for wires has to grow by 0.5 million tonnes annually to reach the government’s dream of 300 million tonnes by 2030.

As per the World Steel Association, China is producing 996 million tonnes of steel followed by India (111mt) and Japan (99mt) and USA (88mt). While the per capita consumption in China was 663 kg, in India, it was only 74.3 kg in 2019. We have a lot of catching up to do.

Thus, we remain quite hopeful for the demand in future.

Mr. Sidharth Agrawal

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Nov-Dec, 2020

SPECIAL FEATURE

t should be ensured that there is wire rod availability at international prices and the government should put export taxes for all wire rods being exported below Indian prices.

Moreover, we are quite pleased to announce about our new venture in alloy steel at our new production facility in Khopoli, Maharashtra.

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Expectations from the Government:

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The wire industry has a number of expectations from the government: •

Firstly, it should be ensured that there is wire rod availability at international prices and the government should put export taxes for all wire rods being exported below Indian prices. Also, it would be quite equitable to bring gas and electricity under GST so as to make the industry more competitive at a global level.

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Secondly, it is suggested that the government should have a special fund for research and development, as this will provide an edge to the Indian manufacturers to be at par and even be superior to the foreign counterparts.

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Finally, there should be an incentive for companies making efforts for reducing carbon and other pollutants in emission. We have to create a healthy environment in and around us.

Research and Development: At Systematic, we are always keen to meet the customers’ new requirements and thus, our customers regard us as their dependable partner.

here should be an incentive for companies making efforts for reducing carbon and other pollutants in emission. We have to create a healthy environment in and around us.

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•

Strategies to strengthen the economy post-COVID: We are continually emphasizing on Research and Development and you will be seeing many more announcements with respect to new products from our side in the near future.

Fast forward to 2021 – the way ahead: At Systematic, we are going to focus on three key areas: •

Implementation of technology in the system: We are happy to announce about the implementation of Salesforce in our system. Also, at various levels, technology has been integrated to minimize human interference to a great extent.

•

Robust HR Policy: We have introduced many changes in our HR policy to accommodate the changing needs ad believe in empowerment and delegation and that has paid us quite well.

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Nov-Dec, 2020

SPECIAL FEATURE

Vidushi Wires: The Pandemic Has Taught Us to be More Efficient and Resourceful

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ur company has started focusing more on research and development to deliver more value added products to our customers to mitigate the losses incurred.

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Excerpts of the interview with Mr. Sunil Poddar, Managing Director, Vidushi Wires Private Limited: Challenges to reckon with: In my understanding, the steel wire industry would face a very challenging time ahead in getting orders because of the ongoing price volatility. Since the last six months, we have witnessed a tremendous increase in steel prices that has not been accepted by consumers easily, and also, the availability of steel as a raw material has been quite poor which might continue for the next couple of months. This is majorly due to the global and other macro-economic factors such as the government’s focus on infrastructure projects.

Expectations from the Government: The wire industry should get more support from the government with regard to exports that will enable us to have a greater presence around the world. The ongoing trade tensions have presented the perfect opportunity to the government to help launch domestic companies into the global marketplace. Further, with appropriate policies, it will be easy and profitable for small and medium enterprises to export and compete with other global companies.

Mr. Sunil Poddar

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Nov-Dec, 2020

SPECIAL FEATURE

Our company has started focusing more on research and development to deliver more value added products to our customers to mitigate the losses incurred amid the pandemic. A plus point was learning to work with fewer resources such as manpower and working hours while delivering the same or better results as before, as we have certainly become more efficient than we were in the PreCOVID period.

he wire industry should get more support from the government with regard to exports.

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Strategies to strengthen the economy post-COVID: Our country has already taken the opportunity to work harder and faster towards scaling up healthcare, IT, edu-tech, infrastructure, and auto sector, amongst others.

Also, Post-COVID, every industry is working particularly hard, the result of which we might see in the next quarter or in the next year’s GDP growth.

s about our contribution, we plan to extend our reach to the companies in the sectors which can use our products to create something of even higher value.

As about our contribution, we plan to extend our reach to the companies in the sectors which can use our products to create something of even higher value.

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Fast forward to 2021 – the way ahead:

Swaraj Technocrafts: Striving to introduce innovation and focus on global business operations

Excerpts of the interview with Mr. Rajendra Ekbote, Director, Swaraj Technocrafts Pvt. Ltd.:

Mr. Rajendra Ekbote

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ndia has now become a preferred choice for many other countries to import goods from…

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Nov-Dec, 2020

SPECIAL FEATURE

Just like every story has two sides, the outbreak of the pandemic has had drastic effects on the entire world, but these challenges have also brought massive opportunities for us as a country. India has now become a preferred choice for many other countries to import goods from and this is mainly because we manufacture high quality and European standard machines. Through the ‘Make in India’ initiative, a lot of companies will eventually invest more in Indian machines.

n my view, the government should offer some ease of process in the policies for better import and export relations.

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Challenges to reckon with: The last year was a complete roller coaster as the outbreak of the COVID-19 brought a massive amount of challenges with it. Moreover, since the entire world has been affected by these challenges, it would be right to say that the impact will last longer than we previously imagined. Right from procuring the raw materials in the given course of time, to reaching our customers and partners in all parts of the world and delivering their orders, it was certainly quite challenging for us. Even in the coming year, we might face a variety of challenges due to the enormous impact created by the pandemic.

India has emerged as a potential market on a global level which will prove to be of great advantage for us as a leading Indian machine manufacturer. We currently have customers and partners in countries such as - Germany, Turkey, Czech Republic, UAE, Spain, Thailand, Nigeria, etc, which will be adding on to our advantage, and eventually enable us to stand out as the preferred choice over our competitors.

Fast forward to 2021 – the way ahead: We highly rely on the fact that our team and all the employees have been the greatest support during these times which led us to minimize the downtime caused by the pandemic. Thus, my primary focus will be to empower our workforce so that they can enthusiastically deliver with the same commitment that they have portrayed so far.

Since global travel has been massively affected, obtaining raw materials in the current scenario has posed some difficulties. Also, reaching out to our customers and partners around the globe would be a challenge.

However, with strong strategies and expertise of our employees, we will be able to surpass the stress and challenges that the pandemic brought with it.

We primarily aim at delivering high-quality products to our customers, without disrupting the time limits. We also aim to emphasize more on continuing our global operations as we did in the pre-COVID era. Furthermore, we are constantly working on enhancing our marketing strategy by introducing innovation so that we can reduce the touch points and focus more on offering remote access to our machines.

Expectations from the Government: The Government of India has extended a considerable amount of support towards the wire and cable industry.

Their policies have definitely helped us in keeping our focus on sustaining the growth of our business. However, the impact of the pandemic and some restrictions is likely to slow down some aspects such as - technology exchange and innovation, which are essentially paramount for the growth of any industry.

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Additionally, in my view, the government should offer some ease of process in the policies for better import and export relations. The industry is looking forward towards the upcoming union budget 2021 from the government as it may have a long-term impact on the businesses.

We should also consider the fact that the impact ensued from the pandemic would last for years to come and it could only be subsided by introducing long term financial packages and policies. The government should also pay attention to minimize the fluctuating rate of raw material in the market as it has a direct impact on the profit margins.

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e are constantly working on enhancing our marketing strategy by introducing innovation so that we can reduce the touch points and focus more on offering remote access to our machines.

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Strategies to strengthen the economy post-COVID:

Nov-Dec, 2020

INTERVIEWS

Newtech:

Strengthening Presence in India

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In our business, investment in newer technologies and innovations are considered as the key factors for sustainable growth.

- Mr. Furio Melone

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n conversation with Wire & Cable India, Mr. Furio Melone, CEO, Newtech Srl takes us through the core capabilities of the company, their presence in the Indian market, outlook on innovation and the future plans of the company.

Wire & Cable India: To begin with, could you please give us a glimpse into the business story of Newtech Machinery and the significant milestones the company has attained so far?

Mr. Furio Melone, CEO, Newtech Srl

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Furio Melone: Newtech Srl was incorporated in 2003, and is active in the field of wires insulation. Its

Nov-Dec, 2020

INTERVIEWS

“In a short period of time, we have developed a remarkable number of equipments for insulation of copper and aluminum conductors and a line of machines for the insulation of copper conductors with fiber glass.” partners and the majority of employees are coming from major firms in the same line of business. The present owners, when creating a new firm, were aiming to join the experience gained in their previous positions with

HUBER MARTINSWERK

a fresh start, featuring a lean structure supported by a strong network of information technology, a scientific approach to design and R&D. In a short period of time, we have developed a remarkable number of

equipments for insulation of copper and aluminum conductors and a line of machines for the insulation of copper conductors with fiber glass.

The after sales department has a team of engineers with solid experience in

HUBER ENGINEERED MATERIALS

All these materials available on direct indent & ex-stock from :

E-mail: vyasbrs@shardapiyu.com, W ebsite: www.shardapiyu.com

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Nov-Dec, 2020

INTERVIEWS

production of very new and innovative horizontal lines for rectangular wires specific for EV cars motors. We have manufacturing facilities in Italy and in China. The manufacturing plant in China was started in 2014. It was established in order to respond to the increasing demand in the Asian market.

“Today, the company is focused on the production of very new and innovative horizontal lines for rectangular wires specific for EV cars motors.” machine commissioning and insulating technology, most of them coming from magnet wire plants. Our aim is to become a partner of our customers, and build long term relationships based on prompt assistance when the need arises.

WCI: Please describe the product portfolio and the core capabilities of the company - with regard to manufacturing and technology.

Also, share details about the infrastructure of your manufacturing facility.

FM: Newtech is a world leader manufacturer of enamelling lines and insulating lines. Our machinery covers the product range from 0.1 mm to 6 mm and rectangular wires. Today, the company is focused on the

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Between the years 2014 to 2016, the production technologies for both the standard as well as the non-standard machines have been modernized.

Today, NT China can produce all NEWTECH enameling lines with a capacity of 35 plants per year and the manufacturing plant in Italy also has the equivalent capacity.

WCI: What are the different markets you serve with your products? Also, tell us in detail about your presence in India – what kind of installations do you have in India, and your future plans for India?

FM: We have an extensive presence across the globe as we have more than 800 lines which are installed and are in operation in a number of countries.

The Indian market is of prime importance to Newtech. In India, we have sold and installed around 120 lines to the most prestigious customers. It's a market in which we believe a lot and which will expand very significantly in the near future.

Currently, our objective is to provide fast, reliable and quality services and to implement and improve relations with all our customers in India.

WCI: What is your outlook on the significance of investing in research and development as a competitive advantage?

FM: I would like to state that investment in R&D is one of our major strengths. In our business, investment in newer technologies and innova-

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“In India, we have sold and installed around 120 lines to the most prestigious customers.” tions are considered as the key factors for sustainable growth.

WCI: Having expertise in developing and commissioning high-end machinery and technological solutions for the insulation of copper and aluminum conductors, how do you think the wire manufacturing plants around the world has evolved with respect to innovation?

FM: I believe that the degree of evolution of the wire manufacturing plants globally, particularly in the last ten years, has been quite discernible, and it is higher in some geographic areas. For instance, with respect to manufacturing, features such as remote controls, IP 4.0, and automation are available almost everywhere.

WCI: Has there been any recent development at Newtech Machinery that you wish to talk about?

FM: The latest development at the Company is about the horizontal enamelling lines for rectangular wires.

By and large, we are one of the few in the world to have broken down the shackles of overtly conservative production methods.

In fact, we have brought the production of vertical wires, which requires quite expensive vertical installations, to horizontal production with enormous advantages in terms of manageability, consumption and, last but not the least, cost.

Nov-Dec, 2020

ANNOUNCEMENT

Cable & Wire Fair 2021 Rescheduled to March 2022 February 15, 2021

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able & Wire Fair organized by Tulip 3P Media Private Limited has announced the rescheduling of the dates of its 4th International Exhibition & Conference for Wire and Cable Industry. India's most illustrious trade exhibition for wire and cable industry has been postponed from its initial date of October 2021 to 1st to 3rd March 2022 to make it more convenient for all the stakeholders and also ensure that the event is staged at a time when industry is upbeat. It will allow both visitors and exhibitors to optimally serve their business objectives.

1,69,637 crore (USD 24.27 billion) to develop the transport infrastructure.

ASSOCHAM, The Associated Chambers of Commerce of India, has joined hands as the co-organizer of the event.

This collaboration will deliver greater value to the wire & cable industry.

Communication sector has been allocated Rs. 38,637.46 crore (USD 5.36 billion) to develop post and telecommunications departments.

Indian Railways has received an allocation of Rs. 72,216 crore (USD 10.33 billion) under Union Budget 2020-21.

Advantage India: Robust Demand and Plethora of Opportunities

Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs received an allocation of Rs. 50,040 crore (USD 6.85 billion) under the Union Budget 2020-21.

The year 2020 saw unforeseeable impact worldwide and travel restrictions due to COVID-19 pandemic — however, the beginning of 2021 has witnessed new developments in India’s fight against corona virus. As the vaccination drives in India moves forward — the economy is poised to be more stable and travelling would be more convenient for domestic & international travelers.

The infrastructure sector has become the biggest focus area for the Government of India. India plans to spend USD 1.4 trillion on infrastructure during 2019-23 to have a sustainable development of the country. The Government has suggested investment of Rs. 50,00,000 crore (USD 750 billion) for railways infrastructure from 2018-30. This infrastructure push will generate robust demand for Indian wire & cable industry.

The Government of India is expected to invest highly in the infrastructure sector (mainly highways, renewable energy, urban transport, townships, housing, built up infrastructure and construction development projects).

In line with the recent announcement and discussion with venue authorities, Cable & Wire Fair 2022 will be organized in accordance with government’s health and safety standards. We have developed a detailed set of enhanced measures to provide the highest levels of hygiene and safety at our event, providing everyone with reassurance and confidence they are participating in a safe and controlled environment.

Indian energy sector is expected to offer investment opportunities worth USD 300 billion over the next 10 years.

In the Union Budget 2020-21, the Government has given a massive push to the infrastructure sector by allocating Rs.

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Nov-Dec, 2020

INTERVIEWS

TAIPA:

Optimistic About

Future

Mr. Tilak Raj Dua, Director General, TAIPA (Tower and Infrastructure Providers Association)

“Government programs such as BharatNet and Smart Cities and new technologies like 5G, AI, IoT are adding to the demand for fiber deployment and also necessitate 100% tower fiberization.”

– Mr. Tilak Raj Dua

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Nov-Dec, 2020

INTERVIEWS

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n an interview with Wire & Cable India, Mr. Tilak Raj Dua, D i r e c t o r G e n e r a l , TA I PA (Tower and Infrastructure Providers Association), shares his views on how some key imminent developments will impact the growth of the telecom sector, the telecom companies strategizing to bridge the divide between the teledensity of the urban & the rural areas and some relevant solutions to the challenges faced by telecom operators – that is, to reduce costs, maximizing Average Revenue Per User (ARPU) and enhancing customer experience.

Further, he also touches upon the kind of investment required in the telecom sector by the government and the FDI investments keeping in view the ongoing and required expansion of telecom infrastructure.

Wire & Cable India: It is expected that India's telecom sector will have some major developments in 2021 – 4G spectrum auctions, Reliance Jio's 5G launch and adoption of the OpenRAN. How do you think it will influence the growth for the telecom sector?

Tilak Raj Dua: The rapid digitalization experienced during the pandemic of COVID -19 is now irreversible to a great extent. Today various organizations have realized value in contactless experience, remote meetings etc. and have devised new methods which not only have reduced the expenditure, but also have a wider acceptance. This has resulted in tremendous growth in data usage as well. Therefore the developments of 4G auction and 5G launch would have to be seen in this context when automation, digitalization of services, Industry 4.0, increased use of AI, IoT is only going to accelerate further. The future augurs well for the telecom sector however it will require robust and adequate communications infrastructure including the tower and optical fiber cable and mushrooming of small cells in order to provide a

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ubiquitous connectivity which can support newer applications.

WCI: With respect to telecom services, urban areas might be well penetrated, but rural penetration is around 50% which leaves plenty of headroom for growth. How are the telecom companies strategizing to bridge the divide?

TRD: To meet Hon'ble PM's vision of Digital India, e- governance and smart city mission, fibre penetration is required for digital revolution and bridge the digital divide. Government Programs such as BharatNet and Smart Cities & new technologies such as 5G, AI, IoT are adding to the demand for fiber deployment and also necessitate 100% tower fiberization.

Further, our Hon'ble Prime Minister has laid out the vision in August 2020, to connect every village in the country with OFC in 1,000 days. To achieve this vision, the cables would have to be laid at nearly 3.6 times the current speed, up from the existing average of 350 km a day to over 1,251 km a day. The launch of the National Broadband Mission reflects the commitment of the Government to bridge the digital divide and bring inclusive growth with equality of opportunity besides empowerment of people through education and skill development. It would propel the country towards a knowledge- based economy.

Further to bridge the digital divide, first the adoption and implementation of Row Rules November 2016 and the second uninterrupted Power supply for telecom installations is very critical.

Adoption and Implementation of Indian Telegraph RoW Rules 2016 Department of Telecom, Government of India has gazette notified the Indian Telegraph RoW rules in November 2016 for uniform implementation across the states/UTs in the country.

However, so far, only 22 states have adopted the same and other key states

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“The existing tower density is 0.42 towers per 1000 population with around 5.65 lakh towers. This needs to be increased to 1.0 per 1000 population, with setting up of an additional 10 lakh towers.” which are considered the major business districts are yet to adopt the same which includes Andhra Pradesh, Delhi, Telangana, Gujarat, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu etc. Further in the major states such as Rajasthan, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Maharashtra, where these rules are adopted as a policy, there are challenges with respect to the implementation at local level.

Implementation thereof in a consistent manner in all the states, will not only streamline hassle free 'Right of Way' processes but will also result in effective and faster readiness of the states for contributing towards connected digital India roadmap, encompassing programs like smart cities and digital society.

Uninterrupted Electricity Supply for Telecom Towers Telecom is classified as critical service during the COVID-19 lockdown and present work from home situation in the country, it is serving as the backbone for various other services such as e-commerce, banking & finance, e-governance, e-education, healthcare etc. and keeping the economic engines running while also contributing to the Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan as launched by the Hon'ble Prime Minister of India, wherein Infrastructure is one of the key pillars. We have been requesting Ministr y of Power for various supports to enable telecom industry for ensuring 24x7 continuity of telecom services in the country:

Nov-Dec, 2020

INTERVIEWS

“A number of steps like creating National fibre Authority, establishing common service ducts etc. have been envisaged through the National Digital Grid initiative under the broadband mission.”

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Availability of 24x7 uninterrupted electricity supply for telecom installations

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Priority electricity connections within 15 days of application and faster restorations in case of any failure

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Charging of industrial tariffs instead of commercial tariff for telecom being the critical service and already granted infrastructure status in 2012 itself

These are the various supports, if extended by the central as well as the state governments together, I am sure will make possible to bridge the digital divide and make available telecom and internet services in nook and corner of the country.

WCI: While Indian government is still mulling over 5G trials, countries like China, South Korea, USA, and European countries have raced ahead in 5G deployments. How ready do you think India is because the PAN-India rollout will need improving spectrum infrastructure, wireless and fiber optic ecosystem?

TRD: I agree with you that India is still behind other major economies as far as rollout of 5G is concerned due to various reasons and one of the important factors for the same is our non-readiness in terms of adequate infrastructure whether its towers, fibers or the spectrum.

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To address the same, Government of India has embarked upon the ambitious program- National Broadband Mission in December 2019 which envisages the following key targets: l

All villages to have access to broadband by 2022; availability of high broadband speeds

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Accelerate Fiberization – To increase the present route length of 22 lakh KM OFC to 50 lakh KM

While the network operators will mainly depend on markets for their technology needs, they need extensive support from government agencies.

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and the state governments and municipalities involved will play a key role in ensuring that 5G and other new technologies are accessible widely, safely and at an affordable price.

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To enhance connectivity and improve QoS by increasing tower density - The existing tower density is 0.42 towers per 1000 population with around 5.65 lakh towers. This needs to be increased to 1.0 per 1000 population, with setting up of an additional 10 lakh towers

WCI: The telecom operators face pressure in reducing costs, maximizing Average Revenue Per User (ARPU) and enhancing customer experience. What do you think are some pertinent solutions to these concerns and challenges?

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Increase fiberization of telecom towers - At present around 30% of telecom towers are connected on fiber which needs to be enhanced to at least at least 70% of the towers to be fiberized.

Gover nment prog rams such as BharatNet and Smart Cities and new technologies like 5G, AI, IoT are adding to the demand for fiber deployment and also necessitate 100% tower fiberization. The implementation of the National Broadband mission would realize universal broadband deliverables in a time bound manner.

The program encompasses a number of modules like implementation of Bharatnet, Gramnet, Jan Wi-Fi schemes, the Fibre First initiatives, establishment of national digital grid and facilitation of mobile tower infrastructure. The Government has rightly acknowledged the importance of fibre deployment for next generation mobile broadband technologies like 5G and therefore a number of steps like creating National fibre Authority, establishing common service ducts etc. have been envisaged through the National Digital Grid initiative under the broadband mission.

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TRD: Today the telecom industry is under acute financial stress and facing pressure in reducing costs, maximizing Average Revenue Per User (ARPU) and enhancing customer experience. Following are some of the pertinent solutions to these concerns and challenges: Enhancement of Scope of Telecom Infrastr ucture Providers – to encourage and facilitate further investments in telecom infrastructure, as envisaged in NDCP-2018: Enhancement in the scope of IP-1 registration to include active infrastructure sharing would further enable quick rollout of the critical necessary digital infrastructure and also bring in number of advantages in terms of efficient utilization of resources, savings in capex and opex for telecom operators. IP-1s being neutral hosts, would offer networks with quick turnaround time to operators on non-discriminatory basis enabling them to focus only on providing services and improving customer experience. This aspect is highlighted in various recommendations of TRAI on a number of occasions; however, the implementation by Government is pending for a very long time.

Nov-Dec, 2020

INTERVIEWS

Once implemented, infrastructure providers will be able to bring investments and create the sharable infrastructure for easing out the financial burden on TSPs in an efficient way. Enhancement of scope of IP-1 registration enabling active infrastructure sharing is the only way forward for the industry for bringing in the desired investments for faster rollouts of new technologies and related infrastructure/network.

Exorbitant permission fees & multiple charges: The local authorities in many states continue to levy hefty permission fees for granting permissions for installation of mobile towers and RoW for laying fiber. The fee goes as high as Rs 2.5 Lakh per annum. This is in direct contravention of Right of Way rules, November 2016 – which mandate levy of one-time charges of Rs 10,000 per tower and Rs. 1,000 per km for laying fiber. Industry has paid/overcharged close to Rs 2600 crore due to various anomalies in RoW charges by State Governments so far. Exorbitant permission fees and charges increases the cost of telecom services which enables the telecom operators to face pressure in reducing costs.

Varying property tax rates: The mobile towers are being equated with “Land and buildings” and property tax is being levied under “land and buildings”. Hon'ble SC in its judgment dated 16th December 2016 has observed “a mobile tower is cer tainly not a building….”

Therefore, the mobile towers ought to be categorized separately, for evaluation under property tax.

Some states like Gujarat and Maharashtra are levying Property Tax at rates with huge variance. For i n s t a n c e, i n M a h a r a s h t r a , t h e Property Tax rates vary from 40% to 125% which is further increased by adding various set of penalties,

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charges and levies taking it as high as 325% in some of the cases.

Consequently, there is a need to ensure uniformity in taxes/penalties being charged by the local municipal bodies.

Benefits under “Infrastructure Status”: Despite being granted the “Infrastructure Status” in 2012 itself, benefits of infrastructure status have not been extended to the telecom sector so far and the cost of the capital for the telecom sector remains very high. If this long pending request of the industry is acceded to, it will further ease the financial pressure to some extent.

Various benefits that industry have been seeking includes: lenient lending rates for availing long term loans, higher debt equity ratio, longer amortization period, easy access to bank finance, ability to raise funds through tax free bonds, financial assistance from specialized agencies such as India Infrastructure Finance Company Ltd., IDFC, Infrastructure Debt Fund etc., tax benefits, lower import duty, custom duties on the 4G/5G related network products to be nil, exemption of telecom regulatory levies from payment of GST, and electricity at industrial tariff instead of commercial tariff.

WCI: Since India has the second largest telecom network in the world; what do you think are the challenges with regard to finance?

Do you think that the investment in the telecom sector by the government and the FDI investments is adequate keeping in view the ongoing and required expansion of telecom infrastructure?

TRD: The telecom infrastructure is a highly capital-intensive venture and continuously requires huge inflow of investments to keep the telecom operations up and running on a 24x7-

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“The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and the state governments and municipalities involved will play a key role in ensuring that 5G and other new technologies are accessible widely, safely and at an affordable price.” basis. The Government would have to keep on doing the policy innovations, facilitating ease of doing business, removal of right of way impediments at the state level and attract investment by policy measures such as enhancement of scope for infrastructure provider players so that they can provide active infrastructure on sharable basis as envisaged in NDCP 2018.

Some of the measures have already been taken by the Government recently such as the PM-WANI program for promoting broadband through Wi-Fi hotspots in the country. Going forward, adoption of RoW Rules, Nov'2016 and implementation thereof in a consistent manner in all the States, launch of single window portal for laying of OFC and erection/installation of telecom towers, rationalization of property tax across states, availability of Input Tax Credit (CENVAT Credit) on telecom towers, supportive 5G policies like availability of street furniture, common duct policy and adoption of the National Building code at the state level – are the measures required to support the digital story of the country intact.

Lastly, the telecom infrastructure companies are self-capable for the investments required in the telecom sector, all the stakeholders and government need to work jointly for the expansion of telecom infrastructure.

Nov-Dec, 2020

INTERVIEWS

Claron Fibreoptics:

Digital India and BharatNet to Induce Major Opportunities

“

We can produce 1,50,000 kms of cable per year and we plan to reach 3,00,000 kms of output in the next one year.

- Mr. Niranjan Sharma

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Mr. Niranjan Sharma, Managing Director, Claron Fibreoptics Pvt. Ltd.

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r. Niranjan Shar ma, M a n a g i n g D i r e c t o r, Claron Fibreoptics Pvt. Ltd., talks about the manufacturing capabilities of the company, their plans with regard to the initiatives launched by the Government, and map out their future plans in an exclusive interview with team Wire & Cable India.

Wire & Cable India: Could you please give us a glimpse into the business journey of Claron Fibre

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Optics Pvt. Ltd. and the milestones the company has attained so far?

Niranjan Sharma: Claron Fibreoptics Pvt. Ltd. was established in 2017 as the first exclusive manufacturer for FTTH cables in India and it has further diversified into manufacturing all kinds of optical fibre cables for telecom, internet, CATV and FTTH segments. We connect with the end user directly and upon understanding their applications, we can provide products suiting their requirements.

Nov-Dec, 2020

INTERVIEWS

“We are planning to expand our product range for other telecom cables very shortly.”

With our corporate office in Mumbai and a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility near Medchal, Hyderabad in Telangana, we cater to Indian and International customers with superior quality optical fibre cables. Also, due to our commitment to quality and timely catering to customer requirements, we've become a preferred supplier to some major Indian and International users in a very short span of time.

WCI: Please elaborate on the manufacturing capabilities of the company and the core competencies which have helped you in making your mark in the optical fibre cable market.

NS: With a strong technical team and quality-driven approach, we are now regarded as one of the biggest manufacturers of optical fibre cables in South India. Currently, we can produce 1,50,000 kms of cable per year and we plan to reach 3,00,000 kms of output in the next one year.

Our USP has always been fastest delivery time in the industry along with strong technical capabilities.

WCI: What is the product range offered by the company? Are there any plans to expand the product range in the near future?

NS: Our product range includes unarmored and armored cables, ADSS, tight buffer, simplex, duplex, premise distribution cables, Fig-8 and FTTH cables ranging from 1F-144F. At present, we are focusing on expanding our capacities for existing product range with special focus on FTTH. We are also planning to

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expand our product range for other telecom cables very shortly.

WCI: Could you please define the market presence of Claron Fibre Optics - both globally and domestically? What are your plans to expand your market presence by entering into new geographies?

NS: We are majorly a global player with more than 60 percent of our production being exported to different geographical locations across the globe. We are a trusted partner to many companies in India and overseas as we believe in personalized service. We provide fastest delivery to customer satisfaction, which has been our USP since inception.

WCI: There's been a surge in demand for optical fibre cables and FTTH, keeping in view the transformational projects like PMWANI in conjunction with BharatNet, and the upcoming 5G rollout will significantly boost the optical fibre cable market. How do you relate these projections to the prospects of your company's growth?

NS: At the outset, we had started the production on a very small scale in 2017 with special focus on the FTTH segment. Our vision was to become a pioneer for a product segment which is now picking up momentum. We had started our company during the time of 'Make in India' initiative promoted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In the last few years, we have seen a surge in requirements owing to BharatNet project and we are proud to be contributing our part in this initiative. We are awaiting the upcoming 5G rollout and are fully prepared to be a major part of the same.

WCI: As innovation is particularly crucial for any manufacturing company to grow and sustain in the

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"With our present manufacturing capabilities, we are proud to say that we are in the top ten optical fiber cable companies in India."

near and long term, what is your approach towards incorporating automation, R&D and innovation in your business?

NS: With our experience in the industry, we have been able to create a system-driven organization and use automation as much as possible. As we are a growing company, we have the specific need of R&D, and we are focusing on the same with a drive to bring in new application-based products to the Indian market. Our dedicated R&D team is working on several new designs and we shall be having some major breakthrough shortly.

WCI: Have there been any recent developments at Claron Fibre Optics? What is the future roadmap of the company going ahead?

NS: Indian OFC consumption is slated to grow at a CAGR of close to 20% every year for the next 5-7 years.

With special initiatives by the government on making Digital India, we are foreseeing huge opportunities in the coming years.

With our present manufacturing capabilities, we are proud to say that we are in the top ten optical fibre cable companies in India. We are aggressively working on increasing our global footprint and we plan to be in the top five OFC manufacturers in India by next year.

Nov-Dec, 2020

TECH-TALK

Prysmian Leverages its Aerospace Cables Presence in India, Backed by Key Accounts Recognition and Fueled

by Innovation, Diversity & Values The world leader in the energy and telecom cable systems industry, Prysmian Group is planning to strengthen their plans of 'Make in India', by localizing more R&D and innovation.

P

rysmian Group is the worldwide leader in energy and telecommunication cables, a position achieved through organic growth, innovation, targeted acquisitions, sustainability and integrity. In 2018, Prysmian Group had acquired General Cables, further reinforcing its innovation and R&D expertise.

Mr. Benoit Lecuyer, CEO, Prysmian India

With a turnover of EUR 11 billion and a workforce of 30,000 people, including 500 Indian people worldwide, Prysmian caters to huge markets and business units. India is clearly identified as a core strategy of the group, leveraging innovation on cable solutions, nurtured by the teams' diversity, and respecting strong values that are recognized throughout the country.

Prysmian Group is a leader in the aerospace cables market since 1960 when Fileca France provided the first genera-

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Nov-Dec, 2020

Organized by:

Tulip 3P Media Pvt. Ltd.

NEW DATES

Co-organized by:

1 2 3 MARCH, 2022 Hall A3, A4A, Pragati Maidan, New Delhi

The 4th Intl. Exhibition & Conference for Wire & Cable Industry

www.cablewirefair.com Media Partner:

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Prysmian innovates constantly, along with its partners

Prysmian aerospaces cables

tion cables to the Concorde program. Today, Prysmian continues to build on that prestigious heritage leveraging knowledge and expertise to provide for civil, military, and space aviation applications. Prysmian develops and manufactures cables following EN, US standard, and abides by OEM's stringent programs such as Airbus (ABSxxx) and Boeing (BMSxxx).

aerospace key accounts, Prysmian BU Aerospace is involved in most of the strategic client's processes. Major recent achievements are Comac qualification to supply ARJ21 and C919, Ariane 6, sole selection by Latecoere, a major OEM for optical fibers.

Recent innovations and developments include also high voltage cables for the future aerospace's electric hybrid run, optical fibers such as Lifi, Ariane satellite 6 projects, EWISS (aircraft electrical wiring interconnect system) for COMAC projects are also great client recognitions towards Prysmian adaptability.

Our key current programs and deliveries include the major key accounts – Airbus planes A300 and A350, Dassault, Mirage 2000 and Rafale, Sukhoi MC21, Ariane programs 5 and 6, Comac C919 and Arj21, Lockheed martin F35 and military Boeing applications. We also propose our flexibility for the stockists who would apply for wiring harness kits, as well as MRO programs with MTS cables to fulfill immediate repair. All our aerospace cable solutions follow the FAR 25 compliance for flammability, smoke density and toxicity data. We also bring utmost importance to ArcTracking resistance that evaluates the cables' resistance.

Prysmian India is currently selling the following cables: HVAC, HVDC, submarine, rollingstock, railways, cranes, mining, nuclear, wind, solar, marine, defense, aerospace, O&G, fire survival, accessories, partial discharge measurements, and e-mobility.

With the full acquisition of one of our JV, as planned a few years ago, our India investment plan will strengthen our 'Make in India'; localize more Prysmian R&D and innovation, in addition to our current activities.

Our production facilities in France and Mexico coupled with our optimized integrated supply chain allow us to provide on time delivery and service excellence. Thanks to its long-lasting expertise and reactivity recognized by the

Prysmian partner of main aero key accounts

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- Mr. Benoit Lecuyer, CEO, Prysmian India

Prysmian partner of satellite programs

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Prysmian partner of Ariane program

Nov-Dec, 2020

WIRE DRAWING

Mikrotek:

Solutions for High Speed Multi Wire Drawing Mikrotek has an in-house state-ofthe-art manufacturing unit equipped with latest machines and technology to manufacture dies according to client's specifications.

M

r. B. Kamal Babu — the Managing Director of Mikrotek Machines Limited believes that one of the major successes of the company has been in establishing itself as a leading manufacturer of diamond dies for multi drawing machines for copper wires.

The dies offered by the company are used by leaders in the cable industry from different parts of the world. By using these dies, the customers have given Mikrotek an opportunity to contribute to its efforts in improving the performance of their machines. Furthermore, the company believes in handling its customer's needs in a thoroughly professional manner, which has resulted in a win-win situation for both of the parties.

Mr. B. Kamal Babu, Managing Director, Mikrotek Machines Limited

The company also provides technical support to its clients covering subjects such as die maintenance, customization of die profiles and analysis of wire breaks. With its products, the company has enabled its customers to reach wire breaks as low as 0.05 to 0.1 per metric ton of copper wire, measured at an optimum speed of 30 per m/s, and for an average wire diameter of 0.200 mm. In some special cases, the customers have even achieved wire breaks even lower than 0.02 per metric ton.

Moreover, the engineers at Mikrotek closely coordinate with the customer's technical teams and design custom-

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WIRE DRAWING

an order only if they found the dies meeting the exacting quality requirement set by their client. Mikrotek executed the task — and in the process, demonstrated running their drawing machine at an average speed of 30 m/s which was earlier 22 to 24 m/s. Thus, a company with whom we were in touch for over a decade without business became one of our strongest customers.

ND and PCD Dies for High Speed Multi Wire Drawing Machines

5015

0.191

0.235

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0.850

"The second case is about a well-established Indian copper wire manufacturer. This manufacturer received an order from a multinational automobile company. After two attempts, the manufacturer could not meet the surface quality requirements set by their client. At this point of stage, the wire manufacturer approached Mikrotek — and the required diamond dies were produced and delivered to the manufacturer. The wire drawn using Mikrotek's drawing dies was instantly approved. The customer has been awarded a long term contract with the multinational automobile company."

5035

1.600

PCD Dies

ized die profiles to suit their drawing conditions which depend upon the type and condition of the drawing machine, quality of input copper material, condition of lubricant etc.

Sharing few instances on how Mikrotek supported wire and cable manufacturers meet the set quality requirements —Mr. Manjunath, Head of Sales, mentioned two specific cases of a reputed Indian cable manufacturer and a leading copper wire manufacturer:

Both these customers have standardized on Mikrotek and have reaped several benefits like running at optimal speeds, minimal wire breakages resulting in higher productivity and additional business.

"Firstly, a reputed Indian cable manufacturer who was usually ordering from other sources placed an order with us. This cable manufacturer received an order from a reputed American company — however; the quality requirements for this order were so stringent that their client suggested that the Indian manufacturer procures drawing dies from certain die makers located abroad.

Worried at the long deliveries and high costs due to customs duty of the drawing dies, the cable manufacturer hesitantly turned to Mikrotek for their need. We agreed to develop custom made dies to meet their stringent quality requirements; and also agreed that the manufacturer places

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Journey towards transition and transformation Mr. Kamal Babu is of the opinion that while COVID came as a shock to many and disrupted their businesses beyond repair, it gave Mikrotek an opportunity to clean up several things in the company for which sufficient time was not previously available. It turned out that this period was one of great productivity and innovation the company needed.

During these months, despite restrictions and hurdles, Mikrotek took several steps to service its customers with

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uninterrupted die supplies. As an example, armed with special permission from the Government, they were able to maintain a non-stop supply of dies to medical wire manufacturers and the same has been highly appreciated by their customers.

He further states: "It gave us an opportunity to streamline our production processes as a result of which we retired a significant number of old machines, refurbished some of our vital machines and set up an in house CNC tool room.

Also, we could identify resources under stress and, as a result; we have brought in new infrastructure in the inspection department by adding three more state-of-theart Conoptica equipment. This new investment reinforces our commitment to quality and strengthens our journey towards a zero-defect regime. We are now one of the few organizations in the world to have such a large and well equipped inspection and quality assurance set up. All in all, this has brought our company closer to the customers by helping us wield greater control on quality and reduce lead times.

Lean principles were always at the heart of our production philosophy. COVID gave us a perfect setting to renew our faith in Lean principles and made us work towards single piece flow in conformance with Lean thinking. We have rededicated ourselves to the principles of Lean and have rolled out a logical plan to instill Lean concepts in the daily routine of every member of our organization. We are confident that our dedication to Lean will carry us closer to our mission of being the most preferred drawing dies supplier to the wire industry.

Our company is driven by a passion to meet international standards expected by industry leaders. Being a young and dynamic team makes it easy to work towards our goal. The very fact that our customers are spread across the globe, Especially in Europe is a testimony to our efforts." n

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NEWS

HFCL Limited to Scale up Hyderabad Unit Cable Production by 33 Percent The company has invested a total of INR 300-crore in fully-automated high-speed FTTH cable manufacturing unit in Telangana that produces more than 6 lakh fibre kilometres (fkm) of cable per annum. order book of about INR 7,500 crore, which is double the revenue of last year.

India's top two incumbents - Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel, in a bid to outsmart each other, are aggressively focusing on creating a dense FTTH networks in big cities for tripleplay services that has also gained much traction on the back of work-from-home due to COVID-induced lockdown.

As reported in a leading daily, the Delhi-based company is currently supplying cable to large operators deploying lastmile fibre network for home and enterprise users. The homegrown firm is focusing on capitalizing upcoming opportunities worldwide.

HFCL Limited

In December 2020, HFCL Ltd. started commercial cable production at its new unit at Telangana's Hyderabad, as a part of its expansion strategy, and has become the country's largest manufacturer in the FTTH cable domain. It has a capacity to manufacture nearly 20 million fibre kilometres (fkm) of optic-fibre cable annually. n

January 13, 2021

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FCL Limited, one of the India's largest manufacturers of optic fibre cable, is planning to increase FTTH cable production by 33 percent at its Hyderabad facility following the robust domestic and overseas demand. It has a good

Maillefer Expanding in India, Introduces Local Manufacturing Maillefer strengthens its support and presence in India by introducing local manufacturing and supply of brand name technology destined to low voltage wire & cable manufacturers within the region.

December 29, 2020

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he Indian subcontinent is long term seen as one of the fastest growing wire and cable markets in the world.

Maillefer has a long history of presence, of supporting the growth of this market, and of serving local customers in the region through its office and team in Mumbai.

Maillefer has announced its latest investment, strengthening its support and presence in India. The company has introduced local manufacturing and local supply of Maillefer India technology for the low voltage market. It now combines Maillefer's expertise with local Indian manufacturing and resources.

This local supply, testing capability, and service/support will bring the Maillefer brand and leading technology close to all building wire, low voltage cable, and automotive wire producers in India and the region.

Maillefer introduces local manufacturing in India

been announced as a new addition to the Maillefer India team — and he will be the company's key contact in the region for low voltage solutions. n

Mr. Reddy of Herlin Products and Services Pvt. Ltd. has www.wirecable.in

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NEWS

Extending Production Benefits to OFC Makers to Attract Investments: Polycab The Centre should extend benefits under the ambitious production-linked incentives (PLI) scheme to the homegrown optic fibre cable (OFC) makers so that investments in the sector would further grow, and India could eventually become Atmanirbhar or self reliant.

December 14, 2020 s reported in a leading daily, Mr. Ashish D. Jain, Executive President and COO at Telecom Division, Polycab India has stated that the inclusion would give desired impetus to the technological advancements and rise in the investments for building OFC-network infrastructure in the country.

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Such a move if allowed, according to Mr. Jain, would play a key role in making India a global hub for OFC production and supply as well as support the country's Atmanirbhar mission in the sector.

Power Cable Machineries Sioplas Extrusion Line upto 33 kv

Local optic fibre players, citing immense potential due to upcoming fifth-generation (5G) services, and telecom carriers' fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) acceleration, have been demanding the incentives under the manufacturing-led incentives program, following the Cabinet's nod to INR 12195-crore worth of stimulus for the telecom sector that supports indigenous manufacturing of core transmission gear including access and customer premises equipment, routers and switches.

Manufacturing of world-class optic

Manufacturers & Exporters of all types

Optic fibre cable

fibre cable and their rapid deployment is one of the most critical elements of the value-chain in building robust and scalable digital networks to meet the demand for high-speed data and quality of services.

Housing Wire Machineries

Plastic & Cable

Triple Extruder

M AC H I N E S

175mm Extruder Payoff & Take up

Caterpillar Flyer

SANT ENGINEERING INDUSTRIES founded in the year 1966 by Mr Krishan LaI Malhotra is the leading Manufacturer and Exporter of all types of Plas c and Cable Machinery worldwide and is commi ed to fostering Excellence in this field.

We have the pleasure to introduce ourselves as one of the leading manufacturers and exporters of all type Plas cs & Cable machine of wide ranging sizes / specifica ons in India having experience of our six decades. Our company strategy is to give lot of emphases on Customer sa sfac on, quality control & also in co-opera on innova on / technological, advancement in plant & machinery. We dedicated in energy saving / cost economic, Customer Services & environment friendly techniques.

Our exper se in following areas :

Auto Changeover

• High speed Insulation line and Sheathing line for House Wiring, Multicores Flat / Round & Control Cables.

• High output and best in class Sheathing lines for Power cables.

• Efficient Triple Extrusion line for SIOPLAS (XLPE) cables.

• State of the art Extruders - upto 175 MM. • Robust Payoffs & Take ups of all types and sizes as per requirement upto 4 Meters • Cross Head Single / Dual / Triple.

• Haul Off Catterpillars upto 5000 Kgs traction force.

• Capstan • Cooling tanks • Cable grade Compound making machines.

580, Main Faiz Road, Street N0.17, Karol Bagh, New Delhi -110005 (INDIA) Phone: +91 11 23679498, 23521090 | Mobile: +91 9868107361, +91 9717263888 Email: charanjeevmalhotra@gmail.com | Web: www.santengineeringindustries.co.in / www.santengineeringindustries.com

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NEWS Mr. Jain further mentioned that India's digital aspirations coupled with 5G technology would push the demand and investments in the fibre vertical, and added that this is the "most critical time" to expect the government to bring OFC manufacturing in the PLI initiative.

value-additions by the Indian manufacturing companies should be encouraged. "The eligibility-threshold and the requisite requirement regarding incremental sales of products, manufactured in domestic facilities, should be made flexible to encourage the domestic companies," Jain added.

Indian industry also fears that in the absence of any encouraging scheme for the OFC makers, the country may be flooded with Chinese products since it could circumvent import restrictions and transfer parts of its huge capacities to countries like Vietnam and Philippines.

Earlier, the group chief executive of Pune-based Sterlite Technologies Anand Agarwal said that it was imperative to put significant focus on investment on digital infrastructure creation to support broadband connectivity initiatives.

Hailing the recently-unveiled incentives program, the executive said that the design-led operations and other

D e l h i - b a s e d Te l e c o m a n d Infrastructure Providers Association (Taipa) also felt that it was important to

support the OFC-centric telecom infrastructure in view of futuristic technologies such as the 5G, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), and Internet of Things (IoT) applications.

Currently, India has only 33% of its 6 lakh telecom tower sites fiberalised as compared to 70% average worldwide.

In 2018, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has set up a target to increase fibre footprint to 7.5 million kilometres by 2022, but the Right-of-Way (RoW) challenges, telcos' increased financial stress, and Coronavirus outbreak have contributed to a relatively slower infrastructure deployment progress. n

LS Cable & System Completes Construction of Its First Plant in Africa The Company is expanding in overseas markets by making direct investments in regional economic blocks around the world. It has started supplying cables to Egyptian Electricity Transmission Company for the new power grids being built for upcoming towns. in an industrial city (10th of Ramadan City) near Cairo on January 2020. It will produce overhead transmission lines that are mostly installed on the pylons between power plants and substation.

LS Cable & System had recently signed a contract with the Egyptian Electricity Transmission Company to supply cables for the new power grids being built for new towns currently under construction, and began mass-production as soon as it completed the new plant.

Expressing his concern over how export barriers have been rising due to the forming of regional economic blocks around the world, Mr. Myung Roe-Hyun mentioned that the company will reinforce its competitiveness by directly investing in key hub countries.

Employees producing cables at the Egyptian production subsidiary of LS Cable & System (LSMC).

L

The Egyptian cable market is growing by more than 5% annually due not only to population growth but also due to construction of a new administrative capital and the ongoing need to replace and upgrade old power grids.

The company has established a joint venture (LSMC: LS MAN Cable) with a local cable installation company, MAN,

There is a high demand for power cables in Africa, including Egypt, but export barriers are high due to the high tariffs (about 20%) and logistics costs. LS Cable is planning to

January 14, 2021 S Cable & System's President & CEO, Mr. Myung RoeHyun has announced that the company has completed construction of its first African cable plant in Egypt.

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NEWS secure price competitiveness through local production and use the customer networks of its partners to get the business on the right track as soon as possible.

Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with Egypt.

With the addition of the Egyptian subsidiary, LS Cable & System now has a total of eleven overseas production subsidiaries around the world including those in the US, China, Vietnam and Poland. n

The company is planning to expand its market presence to East African and Middle Eastern countries, which have a

First Virtual Live Event: Great Success of SIKORA CONNECT The virtual event included a diverse program with interesting live presentations on the products and services, insights into the R&D and the expert discussions on future trends in the cable industry with well-known machine manufacturers. and to focus on the contacts to our customers also in virtual format.

Through the Q&A sessions and chat function in the livestream we received more than 100 customer questions to our presentations. The great interest shows that a virtual exchange is definitely desired and works excellently in customer communication", says Katja Giersch, Head of Corporate Communications at SIKORA.

SIKORA presented its first virtual live event SIKORA CONNECT: Weihua Wang (presenter of SIKORA CONNECT), Dr. Jörg Wissdorf (Member of the Executive Board), Dr. Christian Frank (CEO) and Harry Prunk (Member of the Executive Board)

December 18, 2020

F

rom November 17 to 20, 2020 SIKORA presented for the first time the virtual live event "SIKORA CONNECT" for the wire and cable, optical fiber and plastics industries.

Both the high number of participants and the positive feedback of the audience met all expectations.

SIKORA has thus created a new place of encounter and achieved an important step in the virtual exchange with customers.

During the three live days SIKORA CONNECT could register nearly 1,000 participations, whereby the visitors came from 68 countries. The presenter,

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The virtual format will continue influencing communication at SIKORA in the future. But, it is also clear that digital solutions cannot completely replace personal contacts.

Therefore, SIKORA will continue pursuing the combination of a presence fair and a virtual event in customer communication. n

Weihua Wang, guided through the event, which was characterized by short and diversified topics with technical product and service presentations as well as insights into research and development. A special highlight was the expert discussions on future trends in the cable industry with wellknown machine manufacturers.

Furthermore, the live connections to the 14 worldwide SIKORA subsidiaries generated great interest and were well attended throughout the event. On average, the audience stayed for 1 hour and 20 minutes in the program.

"With SIKORA CONNECT we have succeeded in giving an insight into our products as well as current projects

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Government's 50 Key Projects Worth INR 2 Lakh Crore to Give Huge Infrastructure Push With PMO's regular monitoring of the progress of all the projects — with some being the mega projects, a huge infrastructural upsurge is imminent in the country. Such large-scale infrastructural growth will bring in newer opportunities and drive the demand for wires and cables.

December 31, 2020

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he government has shortlisted 50 key infrastructure projects worth more than INR 2 lakh crore for regular monitoring by the prime minister's office (PMO) to ensure their early completion.

As reported in a leading daily, the PMO has set up a monitoring group consisting of secretaries to thrash out the issues holding up these projects or causing delay.

The projects include Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project, Char Dham road connectivity improvement, DelhiMeerut expressway, redevelopment of New Delhi railway station, JNPT terminal-4 in Mumbai, phase-1 of Pune Metro Rail, Navi Mumbai International airport and 1,200-km Paradip Hyderabad Product Pipeline.

Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project.

PM Narendra Modi has laid the foundation stone for all these projects barring the redevelopment of New Delhi railway station which the transporter hasn't yet bid out. The bid dates have been extended in this case.

different ministries and departments which could be completed in 2022 when India celebrates the 75th year of independence. Sources said the government is ensuring that the projects get completed as per the revised schedules. n

Earlier, the PMO had sought details of projects from

Motherson Sumi to Acquire Majority Stake in Turkey-based Plast Met Group This acquisition marks another step towards the growth and diversification of Vision Systems vertical and the group overall.

January 18, 2021

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otherson Sumi Systems Ltd. has announced acquisition of 75 percent stake in two Turkish automotive parts manufacturing companies of the Plast Met Group through its subsidiary Samvardhana Motherson Reflectec (SMR) at an enterprise value of EUR 21.78 million (Rs 193 crore).

The deal includes two companies of the Plast Met group Plast Met Kalip, Istanbul and Plast Met Plastik, Bursa engaged in manufacturing of injection moulded parts, subassemblies for mirrors, trim modules and lighting systems.

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Mr. Vivek Chaand Sehgal, Chairman, Motherson Group

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NEWS The companies had combined revenue of EUR 33 million (Rs 292 crore) in 2019.

42nd country in its global operations. The country has a domestic automotive market of approximately 1.4 million units per annum and is a strategic sourcing hub for European manufacturers. n

As reported in a leading daily, this deal will mark the Motherson Group's formal entry into the Turkish market, the

Tata Power Takes Over Power Distribution in WesternSouthern Odisha With this takeover, the company's distribution circles will expand to the western (TPWODL) and southern part (TPSODL) of Odisha with geographical spread of more than 47,000 sq km each. It will manage a network of more than 100,000 CKT kms each for a license period of 25 years.

January 7, 2021

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s per the leading daily, Tata Power has taken over the management and operations of Odisha's power distribution utilities WESCO and SOUTHCO upon completion of the sale process.

With this, WESCO and SOUTHCO will operate under the company name as TP Western Odisha Distribution Ltd. (TPWODL) and TP Southern Odisha Distribution Ltd. (TPSODL) respectively.

As per order issued by the Odisha Electricity Regulatory Commission (OERC), Tata Power holds 51 percent of equity with management control and the state-owned GRIDCO will have the remaining 49 percent equity stake in the company.

Power distribution lines

of 3,470 MUs and retail supply of electricity in six circles of SOUTHCO in areas of Ganjam City, Berhampur, Aksa, Bhanjannagar, Jeypore and Rayagada.

TPWODL is responsible for the distribution and retail supply of electricity in five circles of WESCO covering 2 million consumers with annual input energy of 7,520 MUs in Rourkela, Burla, Bhawanipatna, Bolangir, and Bargarh area, while TPSODL will be responsible for the distribution covering 2.3 million consumers with average energy input

With the inclusion of two additional distribution utilities, Tata Power expands its consumer base to 9.5 million from the present base of 5.2 million across Mumbai, New Delhi, the central part of Odisha and Ajmer. n

Government Approves Submarine Optical Fibre Cable Project Worth INR 1072 Crore for Lakshadweep-Kochi Link The project envisages the provision of a direct communication link through a dedicated submarine optical fibre cable (OFC) between Kochi and 11 Islands of Lakshadweep.

December 9, 2020

1,072 crore, including operational expenses for five years.

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he Union Cabinet has approved an undersea optical fibre cable link to connect 11 islands of Lakshadweep with Kochi in mainland India at an estimated cost of INR

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As per the official release, the project would be funded by Universal Service Obligation Fund.

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NEWS The Lakshadweep-Kochi project was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Independence Day. In August, Modi inaugurated India's first undersea cable line between Chennai and Port Blair, the capital of Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

The project would play vital role for delivery of eGovernance services at the doorstep of citizens, potential development of fisheries, coconut based industries and high-value tourism, educational development in term of tele-education and in healthcare in terms of telemedicine facilities. n The project is expected to be completed by May 2023.

HFCL to Invest INR 125 Crore Into R&D to Bag Civilian and Defence Market Share HFCL has a good order book of about INR 7,500 crore, which is double the revenue of last year.

January 18, 2021

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elecom infrastructure provider HFCL is planning to invest INR 125 crore in its R&D in 2020-21 in a bid to capture a large chunk of the INR 40,000 crore communications infrastructure market for civilian market as well as defence forces in the next five years.

HFCL Limited

As reported in a leading daily, Mr. Mahendra Nahata, Managing Director, HFCL stated that the government is launching PM-Wani (public Wi-Fi), wherein the country will connect with optic fibre cable network through Bharat Broadband, pushing for 'make in India', especially for critical sectors like communication.

M o r e o v e r, p a n d e m i c - i n d u c e d massive uptake for fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) has surged demand for high speed broadband, bringing in massive opportunities for companies like HFCL.

with backward integration into fibre in its portfolio.

The company has an order book of Rs 7,500 crore and sees good opportunities for its indigenously designed and developed products that have application across industries like telecom, railways and defence.

Mr. Nahata also stated that HFCL was in the process of designing software defined radio, a critical area for Indian Army, which will be changing all its communications equipment in the next 10 years. n

HFCL also manufactures telecom equipment and has cable business

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Maillefer: Smart Buffering Brings Production to New Levels January 19, 2021

T

he productivity of optical cable manufacturing can increase with higher line speeds. However, the higher speeds call for more precise process control. The manufacturing process contains several parameters that the line operator controls during the production. The state of the process is both controlled and estimated by process parameter adjustments and observations.

Sensor data is difficult for humans to analyze in detail, especially in real-time during production. Interpreting the sensor data is difficult due to complex interactions throughout the manufacturing process. Also, the wear and tear of equipment causes drift in absolute sensor values. The ideal process state window, originally defined by process sensor values; shifts over time.

more predictable operation of the line, which eventually leads to a more stable process and better end-quality for the product. Finally, the result is improved production efficiency and considerable material savings.

Maillefer has developed an artificial intelligence based automated process assistant (patent pending) that analyses the buffering process in real-time and is able to optimize the process automatically during production.

Expertise from humans remains essential. Their knowledge is invaluable when operating the AI system and handling all the abnormal situations, such as wear and tear of machinery, material abnormalities, etc. Human knowledge is also required to initialize the system after line maintenance.

Maillefer's Smart Buffering process assistant uses stream processing to process the raw sensor data into information.

It then utilizes that information together with process state models and quality prediction models to control the clinching and the buffering process.

Process parameter adjustments & Messages to operator

The Smart Buffering system signals the need to perform line maintenance when detecting a process that cannot be fully optimized. In these cases, the system generates a list of items to check before further line operation.

Buffering process

The end-quality feedback mechanism optimizes the process to a desired EFL target value. In order for the system to operate at full potential, the end-quality feedback mechanism must rely on external information about measured end-quality of produced reels. This can be only done by skilled professionals.

Sensor data Automated Process Assistant

The automated process monitoring and process assistant guidance leads to more stable process and better product end-quality. It monitors the process constantly and allows the line to produce at full potential. Smart Buffering is an invaluable tool that leverages the buffering line's operation and efficiency to new levels.

The company has successfully applied the Smart Buffering process assistant to a secondary coating line's buffering process running at 800m/min with dry PP product.

Abnormal process conditions, such as coupling and slipping, easily led to inferior end-quality products. Smart Buffering detects such abnormal situations and optimize the process back to a quality production state.

Benefits:

The automated process assistant removes the “gut-feeling” of knowing good process parameter values. Instead, the automated process assistant system automatically adjusts the process parameters until the sensor values correspond to those expected by the internal process models.

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Good and stable end product quality

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Reduced scrap and improved productivity

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Constant monitoring and automatic control

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Operator feedback and guidance

Automated feedback based process adjustment leads to a

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Downtime is reduced n

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Nexans Inaugurates New Plant in Morocco for Production of Optic Fibre Cable Accessories This new site, built on 6,000 m² of land, has 3,000 m² of production workshop and will employ between 250 and 300 people by 2022. The Nexans Group currently has five sites in Morocco.

January 19, 2021

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exans is strengthening its industrial presence in Morocco with the inauguration of a new plant for the Telecom Systems Business Unit.

Located in the Nouaceur industrial acceleration zone, known as Midparc, this new Nexans Interface Maroc plant will produce fiber optic cable connectorization accessories for FTTH (Fiber to the Home), 5G, data center and LAN (Local Area Network) applications.

This plant will enable the Nexans Group to increase its production capacity, while expanding its product range and offering new services to better satisfy its customers: supply chain optimization services, component pre-wiring and cable connectorization services. It will serve the European market, as well as the North African market. n

Nexan's new plant in morocco

Prysmian Sets New Speed Record of 1 Petabit Per Second in Optical Fibre Data Transmission The experiment combines highly spectral efficient wideband optical transmission with an optical fibre guiding 15 spatial modes and the use of specific mode multiplexers. The total capacity of the network has been 1 Petabit per second, corresponding to simultaneous 8K-TV broadcasting for 10 million people.

January 19, 2021

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rysmian Group, Nokia Bell Labs and the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT) have announced a record-setting 1 Petabit per second transmission over an optical fibre with standard dimensions.

The group of researchers from the Network System Research Institute of the NICT, Nokia Bell Labs, and Prysmian Group's Optical Fibre Business Unit succeeded in the world's first space division multiplexed transmission exceeding 1 Petabit per second in a fibre with standard cladding (125µm) and coating (245µm) diameters. This increases the previous data-rate records in fibres with standard dimensions by 5.7 times (single-mode fibre), by

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Optical Fibre Data Transmission

2.5 times (few-mode fibre) and by 1.7 times (multi-core fibre). The results of this study were accepted for the prestigious post-deadline session at the 46th European

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NEWS Conference on Optical Communications (ECOC, December 2020), one of the largest international conferences related to optical fibre communication.

and is easy to manufacture, is expected to advance highcapacity transmission technology. This could be used in telecom and data networks, from long-reach to short-reach applications, where density and capacity of standard single-mode technology reach a plateau. n

The success of large-capacity transmission using a singlecore few-mode fibre, which has a high spatial signal density

India Plans USD 41 Billion Reform to Revive Ailing Power Utilities The Government of India is planning to revive regional electricity retailers.

The announcement is likely to be made on February 1, 2021 as part of the government's budget for the year starting April 1. cables with special insulated wires to prevent theft.

Electricity retailers are the weakest link in the country's power supply chain, losing on an average about a fifth of their revenue because of technical and commercial reasons, including loss of power supplies through theft, poor transmission infrastructure and inefficient billing and collection.

January 29, 2021

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ndia plans to spend around INR 3 lakh crore (USD 41 billion) on a new plan to revive regional electricity retailers, people with knowledge of the matter said, after a previous attempt failed to stem losses at the utilities.

As reported in a leading daily, the spending would be spread over a few years and is likely to be unveiled on February 1, 2021 as part of the government's budget for the year starting April 1, 2021. The plan for carrying out reforms for reducing losses of state distribution utilities was sought by the nation's power ministry and is under discussion.

PM Narendra Modi is focusing on turning around electricity distributors www.wirecable.in

to ensure reliable power supplies, improving the financial health of generators and making the sector more attractive to foreign investors.

The plan will be a modified version of an earlier program unveiled in 2015 to revive power distributors through restructuring of their debt. That attempt remained unsuccessful in making retailers profitable by March 2019. n

The spending would focus on upgrading infrastructure and technology of the ailing utilities to make them more efficient and reduce financial losses, according to the people. Under the plan, the federal government would provide annual grants to states that meet targets set

by New Delhi.

The plan could include some specific measures such as separating power feeder grids for farmers and residential users, and installation of prepaid smart meters to stop pilferage and encourage timely payment, they said.

It also plans to replace overhead

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NBG Acquires Swiss Fibre Optics Specialist Solifos AG The NBG family continues to grow - with the acquisition of the Swiss fiber optics specialist Solifos AG. December 18, 2020

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ccording to the reports, Mr. Karl Bauer, CEO & Managing Director, NBG Holding GmbH signed the takeover agreement for the Lower Austrian NBG Group on December 10, 2020. The core team at Solifos, like NBG, has more than twenty years of experience in the fiber optic sector.

Through the various specializations (e.g. sensor technology for defence applications, etc.), Solifos completes and strengthens NBG's broad range of products in the fiber optics segment.

NBG acquires Solifos

"The acquisition of Solifos makes us, as NBG, one of the global market leaders in the special cables and sensors sector," Mr. Karl Bauer stated.

member of the family, and everyone is a co-entrepreneur.

Mr. Bauer also mentioned that NBG will try with all its might to continue to grow Solifos and make it stronger.

However, the acquisition of a company does not only mean the growing together and the joint strengthening of two companies. It also means the growing together of two teams. "For us, the focus is on people," Karl Bauer welcomed the new Solifos employees and family members via a personal video message due to the pandemic.

The further integration of Solifos into the NBG family will start in January and will be accompanied by Solifos CEO Nils Kupschke. He is optimistic about the acquisition: "We are looking forward to becoming part of the NBG Group family of companies and are excited about the potential to expand our market opportunities." n

He further stated that for NBG, everyone is an important

Telecom Sector Welcomes Approval of PLI Scheme Worth INR 12195 Crore The production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme is expected to fuel the overall manufacturing ecosystem in India for telecom and networking gear, components as well as tech products.

January 4, 2021

MemS - Bharat Kumar Jog Ji, JsT Hari Ranjan Rao Ji and JsA Navneet Gupta Ji along with the Team DoT ( Including our own R K Pathak Ji) who have worked tirelessly and are still working hard to bring this scheme to fruition" — Mr. Sandeep Aggarwal

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r. S a n d e e p A g g a r w a l , Managing Director-Paramount Communications Ltd., Mentor-PHD Telecom Committee, Co-ChairmanTEPC and Chairman-TEMA – National Telecom Development Advisory Group has congratulated Mr. Sandeep Aggarwal the Government of India for approval of PLI scheme worth INR 1.46 lakh crore for 10 sectors with telecom itself getting INR 12,195 crore.

He further stated that the efforts and support of the Minister of Commerce and Industry – Shri Piyush Goyal, Commerce Secretary - Shri Anup Wadhawan, Special Secretary - Shri Pawan Kumar Agarwal and Shri Bidyut Behari Swain along with Advocate, Supreme Court - Shri Sanjay Chaddha and DGFT - Shri Amit Yadav and the entire team of the Commerce Ministry has been instrumental in getting such a large fund approval for the sector. On this account, he expressed his gratitude to the Ministry of Commerce and Industry and the Ministry of Finance too.

"We congratulate our Respected MoC Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad Ji and MoCS Shri Sanjay Dhotre Ji along with Secy Telecom Shri Anshu Prakash Ji and AS Ms Anita Praveen Ji, Mem T - K Ramchand Ji, Member F- P K Sinha Ji and

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NEWS Telecom is special as it is related to safety and security of our nation's data and critical for our sovereignty. Indian telecom Industry has gone through a demand slump with buyers preferring foreign suppliers with foreign technology, deep pockets and line of credit over Indian cousins.

years, and capacity utilization shall spur capex anyways.

Moreover, optical fibres preform and OFC cable should be included in the PLI scheme as this is one sector where India can lead the world.

The committee has also requested for slide rule reduction in PBG, EMD rates to 1/2% for IDDM MII Class1 vendors and 0/1% for MSME vendors. This will result in huge cash flow help to the industry and greater competition and lower prices for the GoI. n

Mr. Sandeep Aggarwal also shared his suggestions — for the revival of industry with low current capacity utilization, the capex requirement of IDDM products and Indian owned manufacturers could be reduced for the first 1 or better 2

One Nation One Gas Grid: Betting Big on Infrastructural Development India has planned to expand the national natural gas pipeline network to 27,000 km from the present 16,200 km. Such large-scale infrastructural growth in the country will bring in newer opportunities and drive the demand for wires and cables. transportation sector. Natural gas pipeline network would be doubled in 5-6 years; CNG stations will be raised to 10,000 from current 1,500.

The initiative of One Nation One Gas Grid is expected to generate the need for the development of quality electrical infrastructure supporting its growth for several years to come. Moreover, being one of the key segments of power & energy sectors, wire and cable industry is witnessing a push in the demand graph owing to the current growth in the power and energy generation infrastructure in India. n

One Nation, One Gas Grid

January 7, 2021

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rime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated the 450-km KochiMangaluru natural gas pipeline built at the cost of INR 3000 crore. The PM described the project as an important step towards creating 'One Nation One Gas Grid' — a gas-based economy which will be crucial for Atmanirbhar Bharat.

The Govt. plans to expand the national natural gas pipeline network to 27,000 km from the present 16,200 km. The Center has set a target of raising the share of natural gas in primary energy

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basket to 15 percent by 2030 from current 6.2 percent. Connecting gas sources to consumption hubs is a key to increase the share of natural gas in India's energy basket.

The PM said the gas pipeline would make a positive impact on the economic growth of both the states (Kerala and Karnataka), improve the standard of living of people and reduce expenses of both the poor and entrepreneurs alike. The pipeline will supply environment-friendly and affordable fuel in the form of piped natural gas (PNG) to households and compressed natural gas (CNG) to the

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Optical Fibre Laying Speed Must go up 4 Times to Achieve PM's vision: TAIPA According to Tower and Infrastructure Providers Association (Taipa), approximately 28 lakh kilometer of optical fibre cables has been laid in the country and 34 percent towers have been fiberised as on August 31, 2020.

January 5, 2021

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ower and Infrastructure Providers Association (Taipa) has stated that optical fibre laying needs to increase nearly 4 times to realize Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of connecting every village with broadband within 1,000 days. Besides, government projects like smart cities, rollout of emerging technologies such as 5G, artificial intelligence, internet of things etc call for connecting all mobile towers in the country with optical fibre cables (OFC).

Mr. TR Dua, Director General, Taipa says, "Prime Minister laid out the vision in August 2020, to connect every village in the country with OFC in 1,000 days. To achieve this vision, the cables would have to be laid at nearly 3.6 times the current speed, up from the existing average of 350 kilometer a day to over 1,251 kilometer a day."

ultra-low latency, and limitless bandwidth with a resilient and robust infrastructure."

He further added that shifting of traffic patterns, work-fromhome, virtual meetings have increased data consumption in the era of the pandemic and it requires huge bandwidth for which fibre penetration is a must.

"To achieve the goal of National Broadband Mission'Broadband for All' and to address the demands of large bandwidth as the average data consumption for each subscriber is continuously increasing, we need to increase the fiberisation of towers from the present 34 percent to at least 70 percent," Mr. Dua added. n

"Fiberisation enables high-quality broadband which can provision a high-quality broadband with high-speed data,

Jewar Airport to Give Huge Infrastructural Push in Uttar Pradesh The upcoming airport is anticipated to draw a large-scale infrastructural development — and will bring in newer opportunities and drive the demand for wires and cables.

December 25, 2020

Yamuna Expressway. The Yamuna International Airport Private Limited (YIAPL), a 100 percent subsidiary of Zurich International Airport, has been allotted 1,334 hectares of land in Jewar along the expressway for the airport. The airport will be built within next three and a half years.

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ttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has given the go-ahead to the name, design and logo of the much-awaited international airport at Noida's Jewar. The upcoming airport will be officially known as Noida International Greenfield Airport. Located around 70 kilometres from Delhi, the airport is being built by Swiss developer Zurich Airport International.

In the first phase, the company will build one runaway, apron space, 12 boarding bridges for the terminal, and cargo catering space. The first phase of construction is estimated to INR Rs 4,500 crore. The airport is expected to cater to 12 million passengers per annum after the first phase of construction.

As reported in a leading daily, the estimated budget of the airport is INR 30000 crore, and is being built along the

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NEWS The government has planned to connect the airport with a high-speed rail line between Varanasi and Delhi via Prayagraj, Lucknow, Kannauj, Etawah, Agra, Mathura, Jewar and Noida. The total length of the high-speed rail will be 816 km. The trains on this route will run at an average speed of around 300 km per hour.

M o r e o v e r, t h e Ya m u n a E x p r e s s w a y I n d u s t r i a l Development Authority (YEIDA) has planned to create infrastructure to ensure seamless connectivity in the region.

On the cards is the development of a 60m-wide road to connect Greater Noida with the airport site. n

Representational image: Airport

Sterlite Power Completes Merger of Sterlite Power Grid Ventures With Itself With this merger, the company further strengthens its position in the marketplace by integrating operations and streamlining the corporate structure, the statement added.

January 13, 2021

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ccording to an official report, Sterlite Power has announced the completion of merger of its whollyowned subsidiary Sterlite Power Grid Ventures Ltd with the parent entity.

After the merger, Sterlite Power has announced the audited annual results for the financial year 2019-20 recording outstanding growth in revenue and profit.

The consolidated profit after tax jumped 280 percent yearon year (y-o-y) at INR 942 crore in the financial year 201920 (ended on March 31, 2020). Similarly, the consolidated revenue rose 44 percent y-o-y at INR 5,158 crore in 201920 (post merger).

Sterlite Power completes merger of Sterlite Power Grid Ventures.

which is part of India's green energy corridor.

The company also commissioned its first project in Brazil (Arcoverde) 28 months ahead of schedule, which was designed to evacuate renewable wind energy.

Sterlite Power is increasingly focused on integrating renewable energy (RE) to the grid and has been awarded vital projects connecting the national grid to clean and green energy. The company has added several inter-state transmission system projects to its portfolio in 2019-20, including the Lakadia-Vadodara Transmission Project Ltd,

Through its unique asset monetization strategy, the company has realized an additional liquidity of INR 2,450 crore from the monetization of three projects in India (NRSS 29, OGPTL and ENICL) and three projects in Brazil (Pampa, Arcoverde and Nova Estado). n

KMT Acquires NKT's Recycling Business in Stenlille in Denmark KMT has acquires NKT's recycling business in Stenlille in Denmark and the parties have enter into an agreement on continued recycling of cables.

January 18, 2021

business in Stenlille, Denmark. The transaction was completed on 15 January 2021 as an asset sale by KMT's Danish subsidiary KMT Kabel Danmark A/S (KMT Denmark) taking over all fixed assets, employees and customers at NKT's plant in Stenlille.

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KT and Kabel Metall & Trafo Gjenvinning AS (KMT) have a joint ambition to further develop the sustainable recycling of metals and plastics in discarded power cables. Therefore, KMT takes over NKT's cable recycling

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NEWS revenues of almost NOK 400 million in 2020. The acquisition in Denmark now lays the foundation for further growth through volumes from both NKT's factories and other sources of discarded cables in Scandinavia and Northern Europe.

– The market for power cable recycling in Scandinavia is growing significantly, as an increasing share of volumes is recycled locally rather than exported to Asia. We have high ambitions for the plant in Stenlille, and see exciting potential in developing the business to provide improved recycling solutions and in increasing our market share within power cable recycling in Scandinavia, says Rune Stortiset, CEO of KMT.

KMT has acquired NKT's recycling business in Stenlille in Denmark.

The acquisition of the Stenlille plant takes KMT a further step towards taking the position as Northern Europe's leading player in cable recycling, including becoming Northern Europe's leading supplier of recycled copper, aluminium and lead granules.

NKT increases investment in circular economy The plant in Stenlille was established in 1960 and has in recent years primarily recycled production scrap from NKT's power cable factories in Denmark, Sweden and Germany. NKT aims to take full product responsibility and contribute to the circular economy by increasing the recycling rate from production and by driving the pathway towards zero waste, which includes increased recycling and reuse of metals and plastics, reduced waste as well as working with new circular materials.

- In the near future, KMT's footprint will be unique due to the large investments made to electrify production through electrically powered production equipment, supplemented by solar energy, short-distance recycling and the industry's most innovative solutions for recycling plastic from power cables. For many years, metals from power cables have been recycled, but the way we solve the challenge associated with the enormous amounts of plastic from power cables makes KMT unique, says Stortiset.

– We recognize KMT's world-leading expertise in power cable recycling, and we have therefore chosen KMT to take over the plant in Stenlille to ensure further development of the site and an optimized recycling rate for NKT. We now start a long-term partnership with KMT to ensure NKT's product responsibility throughout the value chain, which is in line with our commitment to the Science Based target initiative to become a net-zero emission company, says NKT CEO Alexander Kara.

Strengthened investment in plastic recycling in Stenlille For several years, KMT, as well as NKT, has worked to develop new methods for reusing the plastic from recycled power cables. Together with KMT's owner, Norsk Gjenvinning Group, a number of promising options for plastic recycling are now being developed and they may be relevant to deploy at Stenlille and thereby leverage on the NKT expertise.

NKT and KMT enters long-term partnership to strengthen recycling of power cables As part of the deal, the two parties have entered an exclusive long-term agreement to continue recycling of NKT's power cables. It is the ambition that this collaboration will further accelerate and increase the recycling rate of cable scrap. The partnership will enable the circular use of materials which is fully aligned with NKT's focus on climate and circularity in its business development. NKT will extend existing sustainability collaboration programs to include KMT to ensure continuous progress on the sustainability commitments.

- Stenlille will give us a solid platform to further develop our focus on plastic. KMT has signed industrially exciting agreements for reception and treatment of plastic in Stenlille, and we are working on several innovative projects with large international players for them to achieve their plastic recycling goals, says Rolf Bergerud Næslund, founder and business developer at KMT.

The way forward

Nordic growth for KMT

Operation of the plant in Stenlille will be continued as before, with processing of production scrap from NKT's factories. KMT will develop the organization in parallel with the upgrade of the facility and the development of the market for further growth in Stenlille. n

The acquisition of the plant in Stenlille is part of KMT's growth strategy in the Northern European market for cable recycling. KMT has one of Northern Europe's most modern cable recycling facilities in Linnestad, Norway, and had

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Sumitomo Electric Secures Submarine Cable System Contract in Alaska This SEAPA project was awarded to Sumitomo Electric through a competitive evaluation bidding process for outstanding quality, reliable track record and sound proposal based on its extensive knowledge as a submarine cable manufacturer and contractor.

January 18, 2021 umitomo Electric Industries, Ltd. has been awarded a contract for the Stikine Crossing Submarine Cable Replacement Project from Southeast Alaska Power Agency (SEAPA) through its subsidiary, Sumitomo Electric U.S.A., Inc.

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The purpose of this project is to remove and discard one existing 138kV OF (Oil Filled) submarine power cable and install an environmentally friendly 69kV XLPE (Crosslinked polyethylene) submarine cable with ancillary equipment for a fully functional system in the Stikine crossing (approx. 16,700 feet) between Vank and Woronkofski Islands, near Wrangell, Alaska, USA.

Submarine cable

The Sumitomo Electric Group will carry out this project soundly with the highest priority on quality and safety, and through constant optimization in project execution gain further experience to capture demand for power grid renewal projects in the US market, which is expected to rise in coming years.

Sumitomo Electric is a leading manufacturer and EPC contractor for high-voltage AC/DC submarine power cables. In 2018, Sumitomo Electric completed a very similar project in relatively close waters for Orcas Power & Light Cooperative, Washington, USA. n

PM Narendra Modi Inaugurates New Bhaupur-New Khurja Section of Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor The commissioning of newly built DFC will not only bring major change to freight transport in India's hinterland but also give boost to several supplier industries, as it will require over 6,000 km of cables, similar amounts of copper wire and aluminum conductors, over 300,000 insulators, more than 100 telecom facilities.

December 31, 2020

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rime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated the 351km New Bhaupur-New Khurja section of the Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC) in Uttar Pradesh.

The 351-km section, which has been built at a cost of INR 5,750 crore, will open new avenues for local industries in Uttar Pradesh. The full stretch of the Eastern DFC will run from Ludhiana to Kolkata, covering a total of 1,800 km, and is expected to be operational by next year.

Representational image: Freight Corridor

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NEWS The execution of the DFC also means a major boost to several supplier industries, as the project will require over 6,000 km of cables, similar amounts of copper wire and aluminum conductors, over 300,000 insulators, more than 100 telecom facilities, over 100 signalling stations with electronic interlocking and track detection, nearly 700

transformers, and so on.

The Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India Limited will be monitoring the movement of freight trains at the operations control centre in Prayagraj, which is the second largest in the world after Shanghai, China. n

Anji Khad Bridge: Indian Railways' First Cable Stayed Rail Bridge With total length of 473.25 meters, the Anji Khad Bridge has support of 96 cables and is designed to handle heavy storms of strong winds due to the high altitude.

December 23, 2020

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n engineering marvel and the country's first cablestayed railway bridge — Anji Khad Bridge is a part of the Indian Railway's ambitious Udhampur-SrinagarBaramulla Rail Link (USBRL) project.

The Anji Khad Bridge has a single pylon, standing at a height of 331 meters above the river bed. The total length of the Anji Khad Bridge is 473.25 meters. The length of the viaduct is 120 meters and the central embankment has a length of 94.25 meters. It has support of 96 cables. The Anji Khad Bridge has been designed to handle heavy storms of strong winds. The geology of the location is very complex, making it impossible for an arch bridge to be constructed.

Anji Khad Bridge

The bridge is being developed by the Konkan Railway Corporation Limited (KRCL). Railway Minister Piyush Goyal had earlier said that the ambitious railway infrastructure project is being constructed with superior technological methods. n

Since the pylon had to be constructed in a vertical slope using micropiles of 40 meter depth all around the circumference of 20 meter well foundation.

ADB to Provide USD 100 Million Loan to Boost Power Supply in Bengaluru Over 2,800 km of optical fibre cables will be installed to strengthen communication network. Moreover, moving about 7,200 km of distribution lines underground will help reduce technical and commercial losses by about 30 percent.

January 4, 2021

As reported — "The ADB and the Government of India on December 31, 2020 signed a USD 100 million loan to modernize and upgrade the power distribution system to enhance the quality and reliability of electricity supply in Bengaluru city in the state of Karnataka."

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he Asian Development Bank (ADB) will provide a USD 100 million (around INR 730 crore) loan to modernize and upgrade the power distribution system in Bengaluru city.

Beside the USD 100 million sovereign loan, ADB will also provide a USD 90 million loan without sovereign guarantee for the project to Bangalore Electricity Supply Company Ltd. (BESCOM), one of the five state-owned distribution utilities in Karnataka.

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In parallel to underground distribution cables, over 2,800 km of optical fibre cables will be installed to strengthen communication network. Moving about 7,200 km of distribution lines underground will help reduce technical and commercial losses by about 30 percent. The optical

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NEWS fibre cables will be used for smart metering systems, distribution automation system (DAS) in the distribution grid, and other communication networks.

The project will install 1,700 automated ring main units adapted with a DAS to monitor and control the distribution line switchgears from the control centre, it added.

The report further stated the loan will strengthen the capacity of BESCOM in operation and maintenance of underground cabling, environment and social safeguards, financial management and commercial financing. n

Underground cables

Prysmian's Flagship Energy Transition Cable Plant to Become Group's First Net-Zero Factory Prysmian Group is taking a step forward on its path to improve the sustainability of its operations, by making its Finland submarine, high- and medium-voltage cable plant, the company's excellence centre also for green energy consumption.

January 26, 2021

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he Pikkala plant is strategic for the Prysmian Group because it is a centre of excellence for the production of cables employed for land and submarine interconnections, for both onshore and offshore wind farms all over the world.

100 percent of the energy used at Pikkala will be from certified renewable sources. The plant's new on-site biomass heating system will cut its annual CO2 emissions using recycled wood from sources such as Prysmian's own cable transport drums after they become unsuitable for industrial use, one of the steps Prysmian Group is taking on its “race to net-zero”. To further reduce CO2 emissions, Pikkala's corporate auto fleet is now completely made up of hybrid or electric vehicles, reflecting the Group's overall targets. Pikkala is responsible for the production of high-, medium- and low-voltage land and submarine cables for the energy transition. It is one of Prysmian Group's three submarine cables plants in Europe, along with Arco Felice (Naples) and Drammen (Norway).

Pikkala plant

projects in the country.

Using renewable energy at Pikkala will help Prysmian Group meet several goals on its Sustainability Scorecard for 2022: to cut CO2 emissions by 2-3%; to recycle as much as two-thirds of its own waste, and to reuse 27% of its own drums. Starting from 2020 for the next three years, Prysmian will invest around EUR 450 million to further improve the sustainability of its organisation and supply chain, and to accelerate the development of advanced cable technologies as well as assets and services. Energy consumption reduction, circularity and waste recyclability are key in Prysmian's efforts.

Cables produced at Pikkala support the growing renewable energy industry in Europe and the United States by offering state-of-the-art technology. Pikkala has supplied cables for many European offshore wind farm projects including Helwin 1 and Helwin 2, Borwin 3, and Dolwin 3 and Dolwin 5, as well as many submarine interconnections like COBRA and IFA2. The plant will supply U.S. offshore wind developer Vineyard Wind with a submarine power cable system for a wind farm off the shore of Massachusetts. Prysmian Group is also leading the renewable energy market in Finland and is supplying cables for many onshore wind

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Surveying and preparations for the on-site biomass heating system at the 500-person plant will start in January 2021, with construction due to begin in February. n

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Top Four Steel Player's Production Rises 6 Percent to About 15 MT in Oct-Dec India's top four steel makers jointly produced 14.95 million tonne (MT) steel in the October-December quarter of the current fiscal, registering a 6 percent year-on-year rise.

January 10, 2021

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he total steel output of JSPL, JSW Steel, SAIL and Tata Steel India was 14.09 MT during the same quarter of 2019-20.

As reported in a leading daily, during the quarter under review, the total sales of the steel producers, excluding JSW Steel— surged 2.25 percent to 10.88 MT, as against 10.64 MT in the year-ago quarter, according to the data provided by the companies.

Among all four steel players, Tata Steel India was the top producer in the October-December period of FY21. Its total output from India operations was 4.60 MT during in the quarter. At 4.60 MT, the company's output was 3 percent higher compared to 4.47 MT steel it had produced in the year-ago period. Its sales from India operations slipped 4 percent to 4.66 MT from 4.85 MT.

JSPL, JSW Steel, SAIL and Tata Steel India jointly contribute about 45 percent to India's total steel production annually.

JSW Steel's output during the period under review rose 2 per cent to 4.08 MT, as against 4.02 MT in the year-ago period.

Jindal Steel and Power Ltd. (JSPL) output surged 18 percent to 1.9 MT in the October-December quarter from 1.6 MT a year ago. Its sales increased by 12 percent to 1.9 MT from 1.7 MT. n

State-owned Steel Authority of India Ltd. production grew 9 percent to 4.37 MT steel during October-December compared to 4 MT a year ago. Its total sales were at 4.32 MT, up about 6 percent from 4.09 MT in the same quarter preceding fiscal.

Indian Railways Plans to Save INR 14,500 Crore Yearly With 100 Percent Electrification Indian railway's ambitious target to achieve complete electrification of its entire broad gauge network by 2023 is expected to bring in newer opportunities and drive the demand for wires and cables.

December 27, 2020

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he Indian Railways is working on an ambitious plan to achieve 100 percent electrification of its entire broad gauge network by 2023. Once achieved, the target will help the national transporter save around INR 14,500 crore annually on fuel bill.

As reported in a leading daily, the Indian Railways have fixed itself a stiff target of being a net-zero emitter of carbon by 2030. This includes an ambitious target for complete electrification of its entire broad gauge network by 2023 and an equally ambitious target for generation of renewable energy using railway's assets. n

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The coverage of electrification of rail tracks has risen from 1,176 kilometer in 2014-15 to 4,378 kilometer in 2019-20.

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Power Grid Signs Pact With HPSEBL to Boost Telecom Network in Hilly Areas Due to rough weather conditions, landslides and difficult terrains, the state has been facing limited telecom network reach.

January 20, 2021

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ower Grid Corporation of India Limited has signed an agreement with Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board Limited (HPSEBL) for the utilization of 500 km of OPGW telecom network — to improve and boost telecom connectivity in hilly areas.

This is in addition to the existing 350 km of OPGW laid on HPSEBL extra-high voltage lines already being used in the state to boost its connectivity.

The total 850 Km long telecom network will enable Power Grid Telecom to reach remote areas of Kangra, Una, Mandi, Kullu, Bilaspur, Sirmour, Palampur, Sundernagar, Banikhet, Amb, Paonta Sahib, Nahan etc. n

In the last few years, Himachal Pradesh has been facing limited telecom network reach.

Larsen & Toubro Wins significant Contracts for its Metallurgical and Power Transmission Business According to company's project classification criteria, the project amount stands somewhere between INR 1,000 crore to INR 2,500 crore.

January 13, 2021

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arsen & Toubro has won orders for construction of metallurgical plants and power transmission and distribution projects. The company did not specify the exact value of the contracts but as per L&T specification, a significant contract ranges between INR 1,000 crore and INR 2,500 crore L&T's metallurgical and material handling business has received orders to construct a metallurgical plant in the domestic market, add on orders from an overseas customer and product supply orders from various customers.

The company has also bagged engineering, procurement, construction and commissioning contracts to construct a 500kV transmission line in Malaysia, after it completed a similar project in the country. The proposed overhead line will facilitate power evacuation from an upcoming Combined Cycle Power Generating facility in the region. n

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L&T awarded contract for its various businesses.

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NEWS

Agra Metro Rail Project Worth INR 8000 Crore Inaugurated

by PM Narendra Modi The entire project is estimated to cost around Rs 8379.62 crore and Phase One construction is expected to be completed by December 2022.

December 10, 2020

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he first construction phase of the Agra metro project in Uttar Pradesh was virtually inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Inaugurating the construction of Agra metro-rail worth INR 8379.62 crore, Prime Minister Narendra Modi hoped that tourism will rebound after the pandemic situation improves.

According to an official press release, the Agra Metro project comprises two corridors with a total length of 29.4km and connects major tourist attractions such as Taj Mahal, Agra Fort, Sikandra with railway stations and bus stands. The project will not only benefit the 26 lakh population in Agra, it will also cater to over 60 lakh tourists who visit Agra every year.

Metro Rail

The Prime Minister informed that post 2014, 450 km metro line has been operationalised, compared to 225 km previously. He also informed that work on the 1,000 km long metro lines is progressing expeditiously. This work is on in 27 cities of the country.

Work is also being done on the multi-modal connectivity Infrastructure Master Plan, said the Prime Minister, at inauguration held online, and added that efforts are on to attract investment from all over the world to improve the country's infrastructure.

The PM reiterated that more than INR 100 lakh crore will be spent under the National Infrastructure Pipeline Project. n

Maharashtra's New Renewable Energy Policy to Attract INR 75000 Crore Investments Maharashtra's ambitious target to implement 17,000 MW of renewable power projects in the next 5 years is expected to bring in newer opportunities and drive the demand for wires and cables.

January 29, 2021

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ddressing an interactive session with the CEOs of renewable energy and power companies organized by FICCI, Maharashtra's Power and New & Renewable Energy Minister Mr. Nitin Raut said that the new renewable energy policy aims to implement 17,000 MW of renewable power projects in the next 5 years and will attract INR 75000 crore investments.

He also mentioned that the new policy aims to promote public and private sector participation and will attract an investment of Rs 75,000 crore in power and allied sectors. It is expected to create direct and indirect employment for one lakh people, along with giving priority to hybrid power projects.

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Renewable Energy Project

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NEWS As reported in PTI, the Maharashtra Govt. is committed to achieving 40 percent electricity generation from renewable energy sources by 2030.

energy deployment with push on electric mobility where RE deployment will have greater potential in future. The industrial and commercial segments with strong base in Maharashtra will have great potential for off take of RE. n

Maharashtra has been leading in terms of renewable

Work on Varanasi-Delhi Bullet Train Project Gains Momentum The work on Varanasi-Delhi bullet train project has gained momentum — and is anticipated to bring in huge infrastructural upsurge and drive the demand for wires and cables.

January 11, 2021 ver three years after Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone of India's first 508-km Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail corridor, the work on the second such rail corridor in the country -- on the DelhiVaranasi route -- has gained momentum.

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An aerial LiDAR survey of the 800-km Delhi-Varanasi HighSpeed Rail (DVHSR) corridor has now been undertaken by the Railways as part of the project to connect PM Modi's parliamentary constituency with the national capital through the bullet train.

Bullet Train Project

and imagery sensors will capture data related to the ground survey along the proposed route.

The National High-Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL) launched the LiDAR survey for the DelhiVaranasi route from Uttar Pradesh's Greater Noida, wherein a helicopter fitted with state-of-the-art aerial LiDAR

The HSR route also proposes to connect the upcoming international airport at Jewar in Gautam Buddha Nagar district of Uttar Pradesh. n

PM Modi Lays Foundation Stone of Ahmedabad-Surat Metro Projects The Ahmedabad Metro Rail Project Phase-II and Surat Metro Rail Project are anticipated to draw a large-scale infrastructural development, bringing in newer opportunities and drive the demand for wires and cables.

January 18, 2021

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rime Minister Narendra Modi has laid foundation stone of two metro rail projects — Ahmedabad Metro Rail Project Phase-II and Surat Metro Rail Project. Bhoomi Poojan was held via video conferencing.

The completion cost of both Ahmedabad Metro Rail Project Phase-II and Surat Metro Rail Project is INR 5,384 crore and INR 12,020 crore respectively.

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With two corridors, Ahmedabad Metro Rail Project Phase-II is 28.25 km long.

The Corridor-1 is 22.8 kms long and is from Motera stadium to Mahatma Mandir while Corridor-2 is 5.4 km long and is from GNLU to GIFT City.

With two corridors Surat Metro Rail Project is 40.35 km long. Corridor-1 is 21.61 km long and is from Sarthana to Dream City while Corridor-2 is 18.74 km long and is from Bhesan to Saroli. n

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi

Nov-Dec, 2020

NEWS

Ayodhya to Get Ropeway Connecting Airport, Rail Station and Bus Stand With Ram Mandir The ropeway project worth INR 1200 crore and the new airport in Ayodhya are anticipated to draw a large-scale infrastructural development, and will bring in newer opportunities and drive the demand for wires and cables.

December 20, 2020

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he ropeway project, worth INR 1,200 crore, will be executed by Swiss firm Doppelmayr, and is set to be completed in two years. The ropeway is being developed primarily because of the lack of ground space and narrow streets in the ancient town and will cut down the travel time to Ram Mandir helping pilgrims reach within 10 to15 minutes. The proposed ropeway will be wider than others operating in other parts of the world, with a higher seating capacity of 20-25 people in a single 'rope-bus'.

Moreover, the new airport in Ayodhya, to be called the Maryada Purushottam Sri Ram Airport, is being constructed on 600 acres of land about 8 km away from the Ram Mandir complex. Simultaneously, a brand new bus terminal is also being constructed. The current railway station will also have to be integrated with the new ropeway.

The project is set to be executed in two years, before the Ram Mandir is completed in 2024.

complete the airport project by December 2021. The actual work on the ropeway project is expected to start in the New Year, after Doppelmayr's representatives visit Ayodhya for survey work. n

As reported in a leading daily, the government wants to

Okaya Power Bags Contract From REIL to Install 4244 EV Charging Stations Okaya will supply, install and commission over 4244 multi-standard EV charging stations with CCS, CHAdeMO, Type-2 and Bharat specification protocol across the country for REIL. Such large-scale infrastructural growth in the country will bring in newer opportunities and drive the demand for wires and cables.

January 8, 2021 kaya Power has bagged a contract from state-owned Rajasthan Electronics and Instruments Limited (REIL) for setting up 4244 multi-standard EV (electric vehicle) charging stations across the country. This is the second such contract won by the company from REIL in about a year's time.

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Last year, the company had given a contract to Okaya for supply, installation and commissioning of over 200 multi standard EV chargers in all metro cities and major highways, starting with Delhi-Jaipur-Agra and Mumbai-Pune.

Growth in EV charging infrastructure will propel huge demand for wires and cables.

been gaining momentum. Recently, Ola has signed MoU with Tamil Nadu government for an INR 2400 crore investment to set up the world's largest e-scooter manufacturing plant in Hosur. The upcoming EV launches and development of EV charging stations are expected to fuel the demand for EV wires and cables in India. n

The pandemic had significantly disrupted the auto industry, causing rapid decline in sales. However, with recent announcements and automaker's plans to launch new electric vehicles in 2021 and beyond — the segment has

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