TIG Wire Straightening Cutting cum Stamping Machine
Inverted Vertical Drawing Machine
Straight Line Wire Drawing Machine
MAKE IN INDIA: Shaping theFuture
Narendra Modi's ascent to power in 2014 saw the grand launch of the “Make in India” initiative. This initiative was regarded as the coming-of-age of India's manufacturing potential. Under this initiative, the government has been aggressively pushing for the “Make in India” program by offering domestic and foreign manufacturers policy and fiscalincentivestomanufacturelocally.
AlthoughtheCOVID-19pandemichas led many people to present downgraded projections about India's GDP, the disruption from this pandemic has offered India a bigger opportunity to achievethe“MakeinIndia”dream–to reinvent itself as a manufacturing powerhouse. COVID-19 has forced us to isolate ourselves from the world,
making us critically aware of our own supplychain.Underthecircumstances, buying locally produced products will surely boost our economy, support our local businessmen or our farmers and keep money in the local economy by recirculating it. For this to happen, the mindset of the Indian consumer must firstchange:Weshouldgofordomestic vacations instead of international destinations and buy more Indian brands.
When we buy local products, money is spent locally. This money can, in turn, be re-spent within the country, raising the overall level of economic activityandpayingmoresalaries.This re-circulating of money leads to an increase of economic activity. Local spending also encourages entrepreneurship. Purchases made from large businesses like international super-
markets or the branded group of companies typically cause money to leak out of our country. It may be mentioned that the government's lockdown exit plan to revive the economyfocusesonstrengtheningthe “Make in India” program and boostingthemanufacturingsector.
But we need to keep in mind that while we strive to realize the 'Make in India' dream, the government must increase import duty to make bringing inproductsexpensive.Itmustworkon measures to encourage local entrepreneurs to challenge ecommerce giants like Amazon and the Walmart-owned Flipkart. It must create a level playing fieldforthelocalmanufacturers.
As rightly said by Mr. Vikas Yadav, Director, Vikas Spool Private Limited, “We must dream of an Indian marketplace that prefers Indian goods. This dream can be realized through the manifestation of a strong sense of nationalism – a very long process that demands a lot of commitment from the government and private businesses and support of all the citizens. Alternatively, the government can frame import policies thatstrengthenlocalproducers.”
In the Union Budget 2020, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that thepolicyof 'MakeinIndia'hasstarted reaping dividends. She said, “Under Make in India initiative, well laid out customs duty rates were pre-announced for items like mobile phones, electric vehicles, and their components. This has ensured a gradual increase in domestic value addition capacity in India.” We hope the government will leave no stone unturned to achieve the 'MakeinIndia”dream.
The infrastructure and supply chain for the products made in India for Indians can be used for exports too. Countries now want to diversify their supply chain out of China. Japan recently spent $2.2B on getting Japanese companies to exit China These companies are now looking for anewplacefortheirsupplychains.
India can position itself as an alternative to China. To put it in the words of Mr. Ashwani Gupta, Director, Vividh Group, "The present pandemic has exposed the world's overdependence on China in the global supply chain. Over the next few months, we will witness a large-scale restructuring, and a number of companies will
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probably look to set up their manufacturing units in India. The Indian manufacturing sector is well-placed to capitalize on this opportunity. A key area of improvement has to be the ease of doing business. If we want companies to move their manufacturing units to India, then we unequivocally have to make it easy for them to do business here – from land acquisition to bureaucratic red tape and from laborlawstotaxation.”
It is worth recalling that in the early 1990s, a popular song “Made in India” was released by Alisha Chinai. This song was an instant hit, giving birth to Indi-pop and selling more than 5 million copies. The time has come to singthissongforIndia'smanufacturing sector.Yes,newindustriesandmillions of newjobshavetobecreated.
As the world grapples with Corona virus, Wire & Cable India interviewed key industry players about the government's “Make in India” initiative and the steps that Indian manufacturers should take to make Indiaaglobalmanufacturinghub.
Here are some of the excerpts from theseinterviews.
Mr. Anil Gupta, Chairman and MD, KEI Industries Ltd.
This is for the first time that the country is facing an
extreme pandemic situation. We have witnessed several ups and downs on the market; and we have seen markets bouncing back. India is a developing nation and in order to build it, it is absolutely necessary to resurrect the market. With development come up new opportunities. One of the key sectors that are pillars to this fast development is the infrastructure sector (real estate along with construction of new roads and highways), and we closely cater to this segment. Once this situation comes to a still, there will be ongoing power generating and infrastructural projects which will be beneficial for us. In the coming months, it will be crucial for the government to take necessary steps to facilitate the normal functioning of the marketsandstabilizethepower/energyindustry.
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The rapidly growing threat revolving around COVID19 has severely impacted business and investors across the globe. This pandemic has posed the risk of disruption in global supply chains which has resulted in significant loss of revenue thereby adversely crashing economies around the world. To rise up from this situation, companies must consider formulating pandemic-specific policies to minimize the disruptions. I think we can turn this crisis into an opportunity and make India a global manufacturing hub if we act together with the right measures. India needs to focus
more on infrastructure and the global manufacturing supply chain, which can be amplified through effective measures, than on reliance on other markets and economies. The government has announced a continuity plan to start exports and cut down on imports. The government must also establish effective communications through business-friendly schemes to pitch India as a global manufacturing hub. Since the prices of all commodities is also going to be affected, the government should ease pressure on companies to invest more on equipment, raw materials and employees. n
Mr. Shreegopal Kabra, MD and Group President, RR Global
Aray of light can be found even in the darkest tunnel.
COVID-19 has made one thing very clear: To thrive in the post-COVID world, the way we do business and our responsibility as citizens and business owners for the country will have to change for the better. The economy has never hit the brakes quite like this before; however, the tide will turn. If the government controls the spread of the virus in a more effective manner, we would see a more organised functioning of the economy, hopefully from October.
There are plenty of new opportunities, but we will have to adopt a new approach to seize them. The post-COVID customer will expect a lot more from the brand in terms of quality, safety, service, and availability. We will have to live up to our customers' expectations. For that to happen, Indian industries will have to invest a lot in R&D, churning out products of world-class quality and helping Indian brands compete with the very best across the world.
Like I said earlier, the lockdown imposed by the
government is in fact a 'lock opener'. It has helped us open our minds to a more caring and beautiful world. This unfortunate experience has offered us many important lessons.
Talksof makingIndiaaglobalmanufacturinghubhasbeen doing the rounds for a while now. The government's ambitious 'Make in India' initiative is a huge step towards realizing the nation's potential. I hope India will soon be abletocounteritsdependenceonChinabymassproducing high-qualityproducts.
We still have a long way to go towards realizing our economic potential, and COVID-19 has given us the impetus to go ahead. However, to make India a global manufacturing hub, the government needs to develop business friendly policies, ease of doing business, and a more tax friendly economy, particularly for export-based industries. These efforts have to be made keeping in mind long-termgoalsforthenext10-20years.
Industry leaders must never lose sight of improvisation. They will have to focus on developing high-quality products. They will have to address issues such as how their products can be developed into brands and how those brands, in turn, can continue to communicate with the end user, how their companies can help establish a better work-life balance for their employees, and how they can retain the very best in India or procure the best from overseas.
We have a few examples from various industries of how Indian brands can compete with the very best from pretty much anywhere. Now is the time for the government and industries to go for drastic changes. We will have to work in tandemwitheachotherif wewantIndiatobecomethenew manufacturinghubof theworld. n
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Mr. Nirmal Saraf, Managing Director, Nirmal Group
The international market has many opportunities to
offer. India has a low presence on the global market. However,withinternationalsupplychainsbeingreorganized and supply chain managers looking to diversify their risks by moving some of the sourcing from China to other countries, there is a huge opportunity to increase the presence on the international market. However, this opportunity will not fall intoourlap.Wewillhavetomakespecialeffortstomakethat happen. There are competitors (in other countries) who will fight tooth and nail to grab this opportunity. We will have to make our approach more customer-centric and focus on all the needs of the customer howsoever insignificant they may
seem. Excellent product quality, appropriate and required packaging and responsive and caring services will put us aheadof thecompetitionandhelpusgrow.
In addition, with the government pushing for use of Indian products, the unfair and predatory competition from overseas vendors will also become less intense with customerspreferringlocalproductsoverimportedones.
India can be self-reliant and simultaneously be the world's factory. We have access to technology, a very young workforce, excellent communication capability, and a legal systemthatmostof theworldiscomfortablewith.
What holds us back is our archaic labor laws (thankfully reformshavestarted)andanoverloadof compliancewhich forces more time to be spent on compliance than on taking care of the customer's needs. Another big deterrent to entrepreneurship is the criminalization of business errors which frightens people away from being job providers. The government needs to trust the businesses and change its stance from 'guilty till proven innocent' to 'innocent till provenguilty'.
Policy actions taken to address the aforementioned concerns can unleash the power of Indian innovation and enterprise and result in India getting a much bigger slice of worldtrade. n
Mr. Dilip Dev, CMD, HD Wires Private Limited
he world is looking at India to gear up as alternative to TChina.Indiacanbetheworld'sfactory.Now,theonusis on us – as a manufacturer, as an industry and as an economy –tomakethemostof thiswindowof opportunity.
TheIndianmanufacturingsectorwillhavetogearup:
l Indian exports have to be based on the first-time-right approach,asthereisnoscopeforcomplaintsandrejections.
l Commitments: Quality, delivery conditions, and timelines – all build an image of not just a manufacturer, but the entire country. So, every exporter has a bearing onthe“MakeinIndia”initiative.
l The value for money proposition: China has won customers the world over through its cost - value proposition across all grades and qualities, not just in cheap quality products. As a manufacturing hub, India will have togetthispieceright–ourresourcesandcostof resources. Be it man or machine or material, India is different from China. Even the support of the government is different in different manufacturing sectors. So, as a manufacturing eco-system, India has to evolve and shape up so that not only the local companies are ready to cater to the world, but also the international manufacturing conglomerates collaborateandestablishtheirinfrastructureinIndia. n
Mr. R. Sridharan, CEO, Birla Cable Ltd., President, Vindhya Telelinks Ltd., and President, Universal Cables Ltd., M.P. Birla Group, India
The lockdown imposed in India in line with other
countries to break the chain of infection from the Corona virus has thrown up a lot of challenges in the way business is done and given us a lot of unique opportunities in a distinct way. The 'work from home' culture has given the telecom industry a huge bandwidth requirement with quality services especially wired broadband connections seeingthebottlenecksbeingfacedbythemobilebroadband connections. This augurs well for the optical fiber cable
industry, as telecom operators are scrambling to maintain the service quality level and looking for innovative solutionsespeciallyinthewiredbroadbandsegment.
A very emotional and negative sentiment against China which is prevailing at the global level due to the COVID-19 pandemic is definitely going to give benefits in terms of large business opportunities and huge investment potential in India. This can be tapped to our country's advantage provided the government acts smart and facilitates the opportunities to come to its logical conclusion and the active role which is expected from all the stakeholders for this purpose. Also, it is not a specific industry segment that is going to benefit; on the contrary, a host of industry segments are going to benefit in terms of joint ventures, huge financial investments, technology transfer and global market reach apart from catering to the huge Indian market/consumers/users. It is simple: We will have to join hands with the government to grab this golden opportunity and make an ecosystem with quick implementation of all required help for the industry to thrive, which will ultimately fire economic growth in a big way with a lot of employmentopportunities.
Mr. Pramod Srivastava, Chief Executive Officer, Aksh Optifibre Limited
Because of the partial/complete lockdown globally due
to the COVID-19 pandemic, people are forced to stay indoors and work from home. This has led to a major shift in data consumption from enterprise to residential areas. Faceto-face meetings are now being replaced by virtual meetings through video conferencing, which has resulted in a significant increase in data consumption and the need of higher bandwidth requirement. For such an increase in bandwidth requirement and data consumption, fiber connectivity close to the consumer becomes necessary. India still has very low penetration on FTTx but there has been some short-term increase in fiber consumption in the last mile which is currentlyservedbyarangeof serviceproviderslikeTSP,ISP, etc. As work from home may become the new normal and a few large IT companies have started considering it on a longterm basis, investment in the last mile fiber deployment has
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become a must. Furthermore, this may create the need for furtherstrengtheningof theaccessnetwork.
While most of the input raw materials for the optical fiber cable industry is available locally, cost of these products is still higher in India compared to some Far East manufacturers. Indian raw material manufacturers need to focus on manufacturing efficiency, low-cost high-quality input raw material sourcing, etc., to become competitive on the market. A production linked incentive scheme on incre-
mental sales from base year may drive the productivity, efficiency and competitiveness of Indian products on the global market. Investment in R&D/technology to build required capabilities on telecom equipment as well as setting up local manufacturing facilities would be required. In order to attract global manufacturers to build local manufacturing bases, the government may also need to make attractive incentive plans and facilitate smooth processesforspeedyexecutionof suchprojects. n
lyingaheadinthecurrentFY.Weareinthemiddleof an inevitableglobalrecessionandthatwilldefinitelyhitthesteel wire sector as well. However, beyond the gloom and doom, thisisalsoagreatopportunityforcompanieswillingtoadapt and cater to the new customer needs in the changing world order. In terms of the macroeconomic picture, India is still
going to be one of the largest growing economies over this decadeandwehopetobeinapositiontocapitalizeonthat.I strongly believe that the organized sector will be the primary beneficiary of this growth. Our current strategy is to first consolidate, and only then, augment our capacity to capitalizeonthefutureprospects.
The present pandemic has exposed the world's overdependence on China in the global supply chain. Over the next few months, we will witness a large-scale restructuring,andanumberof companieswillprobablylooktoset uptheirmanufacturingunitsinIndia.TheIndianmanufacturing sector is well-placed to capitalize on this opportunity. A key area of improvement has to be the ease of doing business. If we want companies to move their manufacturing units to India, then we unequivocally have to make it easy for them to do business here – from land acquisition to bureaucraticredtapeandfromlaborlawstotaxation.If the government can attract some large players, then we should get over this short-term challenge and look forward to witnessingexcellentgrowthduringthecurrentdecade.
Mr. Vivek Kohli, Director, Supermac Industries (India) Ltd.
The COVID-19 pandemic has taken the world by
surprise. It has caught the world on the wrong foot. No one knew that this pandemic would create such a big turbulence and affect businesses in such an adverse way. The future of industries like travel, tourism, aviation, hospitality, automotive, etc., appears to be gloomy. But industries like online teaching/coaching, automation, telecom (5G), and alternate sources/renewable energy would be the main focus areas across the globe in times to come. Post-COVID, insurance, healthcare, alternate medicine, IoT, and the data science industry also have a brightfuture.
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After the initial slowdown and with the increase in demand for energy and growth of the telecom sector, the cable machine manufacturing industry would surely get many business opportunities. The manufacturers who adopt new innovative ways of working, focus on revised SOP and are ready to move on with automation and new technologies willhaveanedge.
With its ever-expanding market presence, Supermac will not only tap the domestic market but also surge ahead on theglobalmarkettomeettheworld'sdemandemergingout of theparadigmshiftinitslineof businesses.
In the era of social distancing, or rather physical distancing, and growing automation, Supermac is ready to face new challenges. We have already implemented high-end automationinallourequipment.Supermac,aCE-certified company, is rapidly moving towards Industry 4.0 norms. It offers all its equipment with Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT)solutions.
During the current lockdown, Supermac remotely commissioned its equipment in Texas, USA. Supermac's team members could upload all drives, software, etc., working from their home. The equipment was commissioned with online support and technical service working from home. We are also working on a model to offer our customers plug and switch on the equipment at their sites without sending any commissioning engineering support. This will be possible by doing all online trials at our premises before sending it to the customer. PostCOVID customers are expected to demand many more such features, such as online negotiations for equipment
procurement and commissioning support for the equipment they order.
With several companies moving out of China, India has a greatopportunitytobecometheglobalmanufacturinghub. In the past few years, India has taken many steps to move towards self-reliance in the areas of digitalization, bringing the masses on a banking platform, GST, human resources and “Make in India” initiatives. However, India still needs to do a lot to become self-reliant in the global supply chain andotherareas.
The key areas for improvisation are speedy clearances, reforms in labour laws and labour law flexibility policy (providing a sound social safety net to workers), government policies, procedures, regulations, tax sops, and infrastructure building. A strong commitment from the government to boost local manufacturing and bring it on to the global platform is the need of the hour. Free trade agreements need to be redesigned or reframed for many countries. The government will have to come up with a financial package to lift the economy to enable India to becomeself-reliantatfasterspeed.
To boost exports, the government needs to give incentives to exporters. Indian products will definitely find a place in the high-quality-product horizon. As India has a big young population (60 percent), the focus should be on education, research and development, skill building, automation and innovation. We need to start building a new India with reformsstartingfromarevisedchildeducationsystem,skill developmentandtraininginnewpost-COVIDworknorms andSOPS. n
Mr. B. Kamal Babu, MD, Mikrotek Machines Ltd.
The wire and cable industry depends mainly on
construction/real estate projects and the automobile industry. Once the COVID-19 crisis is over, the Government'sprioritywillbeonbringingbacknormalcyin the country. This will put the industry in difficult times for thecomingtwelvemonthsorso.
There is a good possibility for exports, as many countries want to buy from India. But in India, we do not have any spare capacity to be able to capitalize on this opportunity. More importantly, we must quickly improve our product quality to either match or beat the prevailing international standards. The government must come up with a 5 to 20 years'masterplanandworkcloselywiththeindustry.
Someof thestepsthatshouldbetakenare:
l Encourage creation of necessary infrastructure on war footing.
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l Multifold increase of low-cost fund for infrastructure andforworkingcapital.
l Creation of abundant skilled manpower in line with industryrequirement.
l Create opportunities and support Indian industries to participate in international exhibitions and then only focusonexports.
If we can simultaneously perform all of the above, we will be able to grab the opportunity; if not, prices will increase anddomesticbusinesswillsuffer.
The situation in India may become such that investments come into the country, which will create a certain percentage of employment, but there is also the risk of high imbalances in salaries which will adversely affect the present domestic industry. The government has to take steps so that we produce more ITI technicians, CNC operators (5X to present supply), etc., as per the demand; if not,salarieswillgoto10xin2-3years.
In general, the world will not be the same as before. We have to move forward with utmost care but swiftly, without losinganytime. n
collapse in economic activities over the last few weeks, but we need to remain focused and adapt to the new reality. There is no doubt that after the COVID-19
pandemic, India will have the opportunity to build an economy that is more resilient and attractive to global manufacturers and services, as businesses will want to minimize the risk in having too much of a supply chain
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concentrated in one area and try to diversify and disperse.
Itisfutiletobelievethatsuddenlyeveryonewillstopbuying from our eastern neighbors or importing cheaper alternatives and India will become a global manufacturing hub. We do not have the infrastructure, but we do have robust engineering and knowhow that is based on research and years of experience – and this is what we need to bring into theworld.
So, although Indian manufacturing can capture a bigger share on the global market, this would not just be because Indian manufacturers are a low-cost outsourcing solution but because they offer technologically advanced goods and reliable solutions. Only then Indian companies will be able to sustain their position and enjoy the reputation of global companies.
At AEI, we remain focused on manufacturing Rigid Stranders that exhibit years of experience merged with technological advancements. There is no doubt that now what is most important for us is to get people safely back to work and that is why we have deployed protocols that are followed strictly and provide safety at workplace and confidencetoouremployees.
We are optimistic about the years ahead for the Indian market. We believe that even though there are great challenges, there still are greater opportunities to attract customers that were earlier attracted to foreign goods, as naturally there is now a shift in focus and the prime selection factor is based on quality, performance, logistics andservice,notonlyprice.
But while we strive for manufacturing a 'Make in India' machine, it is imperative that the authorities also discourage import of low technology equipment by levying additional duties on such imports so as to create a level playing field for the local manufacturers and to improve the infrastructureof thecountry.
We are confident that we will be able to expand our foreign clientele as, over the years, we have reinforced our global appeal and sales and we can fill a global void that suddenly hasbeencreated.
The COVID-19 pandemic will, undoubtedly, continue to keep us all alert until a vaccine or cure comes out, but we have vision and determination – and that is what we shall use. n
Mr. Anand K. Bagaria, Director & CEO, ITCO Industries Ltd.
High speed data networks are a kind of lifeline for
people today, and these networks rely predominantly on optical fiber backbones. As such, demand for optical
fibersandassociatedmaterialsisgoingtowitnessexponentialgrowthworldwideovernext7to10years.ITCO,having a good global presence and exporting to more than 40 countries today, foresees a big opportunity to utilize the entire current yearly capacity of 24000 MT for its products and emerge amongst the top two global players in this segmentof theindustry.
Manufacturing in India has been encouraged with recent successful attempts by the government to improve global ranking in 'Ease of doing business' and promoting the 'Make in India' mission. This will also help India attract foreign capital and technology in its pursuit of becoming self-reliant as a global manufacturing hub. Going forward, land reforms, labor reforms, R&D and better logistics infrastructurearesomeof thekeyareasof improvisationin thisdirection. n
Mr. Vikas Yadav, Director, Vikas Spool Pvt. Ltd.
In the post-COVID-19 era, there will be a short sluggish
period of 4-6 months across all major economies. However,Ifeelthatafterwards,themanufacturingsectorin India will witness a surge. There are immense growth possibilities for the nation, for individuals as well as for businesses. India's villages and towns are still underdeveloped by global standards. Huge investments, therefore, need to be made to bring our villages and towns on par with global standards – and that should happen over a period of 8-10years.
Investment in infrastructure directly drives demands of all types of cables – electrical and optical cables, wires and wire ropes. We believe that as a company, we are in an excellent position to support our customers with their growing demand today and post-Corona. We are already workingwithalotof clientsonnewspooldesigns.Theidea is to offer economical and safer packaging solutions for wiresandcables.
India is a price-sensitive market. B2B customers will buy local products only if these are priced competitively. In a few cases, when price is not a priority and quality is, most Indians prefer foreign and established 'brands' for their proven track record. I agree that there are other factors that influence purchase decisions but price and quality overrule mostof them.
We must dream of an Indian marketplace that prefers Indian goods. This dream can be realized through the manifestationof astrongsenseof nationalism–averylong process that demands a lot of commitment from the government and private businesses and support of all the citizens. Alternatively, the government can frame import policiesthatstrengthenlocalproducers.
We must always keep in mind that the way our economy is set up; we cannot isolate ourselves from the global economy. Our exports are a significant contributor to our GDP (to the tune of 20 percent). More interestingly, our imports are 24 percent of our GDP. The government has to ensure
thatitstradepoliciesdonothurtourexports.
We need to build a world class infrastructure, starting from something as basic as expressways and high-speed rails to inland waterways and high-performance seaports, from nationwide 24x7 electricity to well-located warehouses for an efficient supply chain. These are a must for boosting the existing trade and attracting foreign companies that want to set up factories in developing countries, outside China andelsewhere.
Then there is the skill side of the trade. Even for simpler jobs, MSMEs still find it difficult to get a skilled workforce. An MSME usually doesn't have budgets and the right infrastructure to train an unskilled workforce. Lack of skilled workforce makes MSMEs less productive and costinefficient. This is something that needs to be addressed by thegovernment.Theymustcreateahugetalentpool.
I have shared my observations, my dreams and my concerns. We have flaws and there are a lot of roadblocks and shortcomings. But the entrepreneur in me sees them as opportunitiestoservethenationandtogrowtogether–and therefore I stand very optimistic about the future of my nation,myindustryandmycompany. n
Bekaert Industries: Putting Sustainability into Practice
Srikanth Chakravarthy: Bekaert is active in 44 different countries with 80 production plants, 100 sales and distributionsites–includingsalessites integrated with the plants and all distribution branches in Chile – and 10 R&D or engineering satellites. The company has a total workforce of more than 28,000 employees. We are present in all the regions where our customers are active – and that's why we are able to quickly respond to their
In an interview given to Wire & Cable India, Mr. Srikanth Chakravarthy, Managing Director, Bekaert Industries Private Limited, talks about Bekaert’s manufacturing capabilities and product availability with regard to the company's plans for India.
needs. Our wide geographical coverage – EMEA, North America, Latin America and Asia Pacific –enables us to swiftly identify and respond to new trends and opportunities.
Bekaert has a product portfolio specifically manufactured for sectors liketireandautomotive,construction, agriculture, energy and utilities, equipment,consumergoodsandbasic materials. Our product range includes products like tire cord, bead wire, cluth spring wire, Dramix steel fibers for concrete reinforcement, Stucanet® plaster lath, welded mesh,
Mr. Srikanth Chakravarthy, Managing Director, Bekaert Industries Private Limited
steel strands for cable stay bridges, barbed wire, tensioning wire, steel wires and strands for overhead power lines, telecom armoring wire, profiled wires for wedge filters, hoisting ropes for cranes, Bezinal® XP/XC coated spring wires, Bezinal® XP/XC spring wire for medical instruments, wire for kitchen utensils, steel ropes for mining applications, Fleximat® steel cord fabricforminingbelts,etc.
SC: We create the highest possible value for our customers. This starts with getting an insight into what the customers really value, creating the product with a high level of passion and delivering it with a degree of excellence, which later becomes an industry benchmark. We continuously invest in innovation and people, andthatisthereasonwhywehaveone of the biggest footprints in most of the sectorsweoperatein.Thisallowsusto work efficiently at both the global and locallevels.
WCI:Couldyoutellusaboutyour activitiesinIndia?
SC: InIndia,weservetheautomotive, industrial, agricultural, power, utilities, construction and textile sectors with a range of state-of-the-art products delivered in a way that enhances the value our products offer to our customers. We have a manufacturing and sales scale of over 100K tonnes and are a technology and market leader in most of the segments we operate in. We have various capabilities that we use for catering to the needs of the Indian and global markets in domains such as manufacturing, engineering, technology and service such as finance and IT. We retain and build only those capabilitiesthatcreatecustomervalue.
SC: We want to grow with our customers in the sectors and segments we are present in. In some sectors of high maturity and market share, our growth depends a lot on market growth. But there are other areas as well where we see opportunities to widen our customer base and realize exponentialgrowth.
In the segment of rubber reinforced products, we offer solutions for motorcycle radial tires, passenger car, light truck, heavy truck, off the road and farm. We also cater to the hose
industry with a wide range of solutions for braided and spiral hoses. We havebothconveyorcordandFleximat as steel reinforcing solutions for conveyor belts and fine cords for timing belts. We are not yet present in the segment of bead wire in India, but cannot rule out the possibility of our gettingintoitinthenearfuture.
In the Agri sector, our solutions range from galvanized to corrosion-resistant products for tensioning, fencing and poultry cages. We have a portfolio of very interesting solutions here that offer enhanced performance with a lowertotalcostof ownership.
In the construction business, we offer Dramixâ steel fibers of various
specifications and designs that allow us to offer a wide range of solutions to our customers for underground as well as over-ground applications, from tunneling to joint-less floors for industryandwarehousing.
In the power sector, we have been present with ACSR but recently launched with success our Giga Tensile cables which offer superior value as compared to most other conventional alternatives. We sell steel fibers with diameters as low as 1 m and demonstrate their usefulness in various areas like glass manufacturing, diesel particulate filters, RFID, etc.
We also make/import wires for garage spring doors, two-wheeler suspension, clutch and valve wires with a wide range of specifications to suit the current and future needs of our customers. We also engage with the customers of our customers to understand better the value potential through the supply chain so we can playabetterroleinthevaluechain.
SC: Contrarytopopularbelief,Ithink the Indian customer is value-sensitive ratherthanpurelyprice-sensitive.This is seen across most sectors. We believe that in times to come, the industry will have to focus on leveraging scale, being cost-competitive, investing in innovation and fundamental knowledge build-up and being open to the windsof change.
WCI:Isthereanythingelseyou wouldliketoadd?
SC: In times to come, we will be compelled to think more seriously about sustainability than we do today. This issue is going to influence management decisions, investments, innovation needs, business models, government policy and, above all, consumer behavior. With steel being a recyclable material and part of our raw material (steel wire rod) being
made from recycled scrap steel, we do have opportunities to positively influence a circular economy in our supplychain.
Bekaert's high-end steel cord range, including super-tensile and ultratensile light-weight constructions, not only has a positive effect on the total cost of ownership for tire makers, but 2 also accounts for 1.5 billion kg of C0 reduction, because lighter tires result in lower fuel consumption and hence, lowerexhaust.
Another innovative solution is TAWI, a ternary alloy coating on our steel cords, which eliminates the need for tire makers to add cobalt in their rubber compounds – another example of how Bekaert puts sustainable innovations into practice. It is critical for the industry to be open and proactive to such innovations in order to ensure future success – both businesswise and in terms of more environmentally friendly products andsolutions.
Gloster Cables Limited: Expanding Its Business Operations
''We are planning to expand horizontally with an increased capacity of the existing product basket in the next 3-5 years with a view to increase our market share by duly utilizing our expertise and marketing team,'' said Mr. Vinay Rathi, Director, Gloster CablesLimited, in an interview given to Wire&CableIndia Excerpts.
VinayRathi: Gloster Cables Limited, one of the leading cable manufacturers and suppliers of cables to power utilities in India, was incorporated in the year 1995. On 13th March 2020, it celebrated its silver jubilee year. It is headed by Ashish Modi, a renowned business icon from Hyderabad, and Vinay Rathi, Director. Today, Gloster has as many as 17 marketing stations across PAN India with exponential growth in business. Its business journey started with a Rs. 5 crores turnover, which reached Rs. 400 crores in 2019-20. With further revamping, we expect to reach a turnover of Rs. 800 crores in the next fiveyears.
Mr. Vinay Rathi, Director, Gloster Cables Limited
In addition to our conventional product profile of LT and HT cables up to 33 KV, we have very successfully added various types of special cables viz., instrumentation cables, railway signaling cables, fire survival cables, solar cables with U/L certification, etc. The addition of new products has helped us to offer better services to our esteemed customers in meeting their special requirements in the quickest deliveryperiod.
WCI:Whatnewdevelopmentshave takenplaceatGCL?
VR: During FY 2018-19 and FY 2019-20 many developments took place in our plants, such as the installation of new machineries, revamping of test laboratories, additionof moderntestingequipment andconstructionof anewHTline.All these developments took place in consonance with the technological changes that have taken place in the cable industry. These developments are aimed at achieving a Rs. 500 crore turnover during FY 2020-21. Our testing laboratory is also under the process of awarding accreditation for NABLauthority.
VR: In the power segment, Gloster has been enjoying customers' appreciation of its product quality and postsupply service. The entire range of our product basket is made with our stateof-the-art technology. Till date, we do not have any plans for collaborating with any technology supplier. Our quality standard is ensured through stringent quality checks right from incoming raw materials to the level of
finished products with our wellframed quality assurance plan along with continued development of R&D activity both for raw material and finishedproducts.
VR: Our business share on the trade market in India is quite satisfactory. We are a favorite brand in some parts of the country. Over the years, the trend is well focused and established through our field force in almost all the major cities. We have a network of approximately 300 dealers. We currently have 17 field stations represented by field executives. We focus mostly on our network within India. We emphasize on buying quality raw materials from reputed manufacturers in India. We also supply our products to a few countries by partnering with contractors and exporters.
VR: As reported, our Union Government, in its budget for 202021, made budgetary allocation for the Ministryof PoweratRs.158.74billion keeping the figure unchanged. This is quite significant in terms of enhancement of growth in augmentation of various schemes announced, like DDUGJY, IPDS, UDAY, ADITYA, PM KUSUM etc. While village electrification at the national level has moved at a considerable pace, household electrification at the rural level has improved marginally. The slow pace of household electrification vis-à-vis village electrification was felt
due to lack of focus of these schemes. The private sector is expected to contribute to its implementation at a rapid pace, such as UDAY, Smart Metering, ADITYA, etc. In order to improve over T&D loss, the scope of the EHV cable business opportunity is expected to have an exponential rise. In our country, only a few new players from abroad are planning to take part inthisbusiness.
WCI:Whatareyourgoalsforthe next3-5years?
VR: Gloster Cable is planning to expand horizontally with an increased capacity of the existing product basket in the next 3-5 years with a view to increase its market share by duly utilizing its expertise and marketing team. In the power segment, we plan to increase our business volume multifold followed by the non-conventional energy segment. We believe in offering quality products, and our test laboratory is in process of obtaining NABL accreditation. We have expanded our production capacity to quicken delivery. Assuming that everything would move forward as planned, we would take up cable installation as well.
WCI:Isthereanythingelseyou wouldliketoadd?
VR: In our country, enormous developments are taking place in the domain of technology, both in design engineering and products. Yet, in the field of cable, being the prime carrier of power, connected equipment to perform, quality bar remains an aspiration. Therefore, the concerned authority must look into this aspect and proper benchmark should be standardized as a proof of quality in addition to the criteria of having the BISlicenseonly.
GEEKAY: Committed to High Standards
Established in 1975, G.K. Winding Wires Limited, a leading manufacturer of copper and aluminum enameled winding wires in India marketed under the brand GEEKAY, is now striving to become a Rs 1000 crore business and make GEEKAY a global brand.
In an exclusive interview given to Wire & Cable India, Sameer Agarwal, Managing Director, G.K. Winding Wires Limited, talks about his company, product range and future targets.
Mr. Sameer Agarwal, Managing Director, G.K. Winding Wires Limited (standing)
with four manufacturing locations –twoinGreaterNoida,oneinBaddiand oneinSriCity(AP)borderingChennai – we are one of the largest and most respected winding wire manufacturers in the country. Our journey has been the result of incredible entrepreneurship, long-term vision, deep-rooted values, continuous investments in technology and capacity development, a focus on quality and systems and a deep partnership and commitment to ourcustomers.
In the 1970s, setting up a business was really challenging, and it wasn't easy. The concept of “make in India” and ease of doing business were alien at the time. But we did it. Right from making our own machines to learning winding wire technology to training our workers in how to make good wires,weputitalltogether.
Withthesecondgenerationjoiningin, we were able to transition from a family business to sustainable systemoriented way of working without losing our strong value system and people-orientedapproach.
SA: The GEEKAY brand is well known for its high-quality range of Copper and Aluminium Enameled Winding Wires, made with 100 percent virgin materials using worldclass technology at our state-of-the-art manufacturing plants. Our products are available in industry standard specifications and can be customized to meet the unique needs of our customers. All our products meet international quality specifications andareULcertified.
Changing markets are seeing a shift in product mix for winding wire. Globally, Polyurethane (Self Solderable) is 16 percent of winding wire market, while India at present is only 3 percent, and the shift has started. Similarly, other specialty enamels are 8 percent of the global market, which is only 1percent in case of India.
We at GEEKAY have been at the forefront of developing and excelling in these new products including selfsolderable (Class 155, Class 180),
Solderable PEI, self-bonded wires (bonding using heat, resistance and alcohol) and corona resistant wires (especially when there is variation in input voltage and frequency for inverter-drivenmotors.
Corona resistant wires are the latest feather in our cap. They enhance the life of an inverter-driven motor by 710times.
SA: Today, we have three plants in the North and a new one coming up in the South, making the GEEKAY brand theonlyonewithapanIndiapresence in the winding wires industry; and our visionistobealeaderonthemarket.
We have two manufacturing units at Noida (U.P.) and one in Baddi (H.P.) and a fourth one is coming up at Sri City (A.P.) spread over a covered area of over400,000sqft.
India currently has a per capita consumption of around 500 gm for copper against an average of 4-5 kg in developed countries. We contribute to just 8 percent of the world winding wire market, while China contributes 30 percent. We have to cover the gap andthedistancefrom500gmto5kg.
This will need expansion of capacity and with the geographical segmentation that exists in India, we will have to keep in mind being omnipresent across the country, as proximity to the customer in a high value item like copper and aluminum is very critical. With this, we feel having more manufacturing capability is not a matter of choice but necessity. It is necessary for survival and growth and a part of the need for running to stand still in today's dynamic business scenario.
SA: We have always maintained complete transparency and honesty in all our dealings with our customers, and that has really helped us grow and nurture our partnership with them. We have been associated with Crompton since 1995, and when Crompton launched their new range of fans with higher warranty period, they visited all their suppliers and honoured us as the mostpreferredpartnertosupplyforthis new product, which really helped establish Crompton's leadership on the premiumfanmarket.
Our biggest achievement took place was when an auditing team from Crompton, actually said that among all their suppliers of winding wire, they are proudest of their association withGEEKAYasasupplypartner.
SA: At GEEKAY, quality is a way of life and we strive hard to ensure that we follow quality processes and systems in all that we do to deliver the best in class products for our customer's needs. The GEEKAY Seal of Quality is our Trust Mark for their peaceof mind.
At GEEKAY, we have established our own set of standards, which are more stringent than the standards set by our customers and we try to continuously improve on the same. The idea is to continuously improve the product quality and make a better and more reliableproduct.
We feel that between cost and quality – cost is more important than quality, but quality is also the best way of reducingcosts.
Being a supplier to automotive companies at GEEKAY, we have a stringent 4M procedure (Man, Machine, Material, Method), and any change must be validated at various stages both by us and our customers before letting that change affect the product and our customers. We have a dedicated DOJO (Japanese word meaning a place for immersive learning) center to help train our people, world class technology, best global suppliers for metal and insulation who are leaders in their field and systems-driven processes where we measure not only the outcome but also the compliance to laidoutsystems.
We don't claim to being the lowest in price but promise that we will be fairly priced and most competitive when evaluated based on all aspects of cost including quality, cost, delivery, development, market returns, field failures,etc.
SA: We believe that the Indian market offers a very large opportunity with almost50percentmarketbeingserved by the unorganized sector. We are therefore focused on expanding our presenceinnewregions,workingwith large manufacturers in our core segments of automobile electricals, appliances, fans, pumps, power transformers, electronics and power tools.
We have set up new offices to serve customers in West and South India and expect to grow faster in these regions. We are also working towards growing our presence in the retail market and have been building our distribution network across the country for the same. We are also entering the export markets and have been setting up our sales channels for thesame.
SA: EV will surely drive the growth of winding wire as average consumption per vehicle of winding wire will go up by 9-10 times with the engine getting replaced by a motor. We need to be and are getting prepared to develop products suitable for this application as this product will take the quality requirementstoawholenewlevel. However, EV transition seems to be happening at a lower than expected pace. I feel that this is basically due to theneedforinfrastructurewhichtakes time to build, but we must not be fooled by the pace. There will be a point of inflexion when there will be a sudden increase in pace and unless we are prepared, we will not be able to catchtheopportunitywemaysomiss.
WCI:Whatareyourgoalsforthe future?
SA: The dream we had in 1973 has come to fruition, but we are not resting. We now have a bigger dream: To become a Rs 1000 crore business andmakeGEEKAYaglobalbrand.
We are embarking on this journey with a new mission: “To always be at the core of our customer's business by adding value through our systemsdriven, technology-based and innovativesolutionsapproach.”
Thisnewmissionisexemplifiedinour core values, which are imbibed in the soulsof eachoneof usatGEEKAY:
l Toservewithintegrityatalltimes
l To manufacture with highest qualitystandards
l To provide the best possible solutionstoourcustomers
l To find the most innovative solutionstoourcustomer'sproblems
l To be most responsive to our customer'sneeds
l To be committed to our customers, always
Our new brand logo is a representation of this strong commitment to our customers to partner with them and provide them with world-class solutions in copper and aluminium winding wires, delivering the highest quality products in the quickest possible time to ensure that we remain astheirpreferredpartner.
WCI:Isthereanythingelseyou wouldliketoadd?
SA: We stand by certain very strong values and feel the responsibility to improve conditions for the users and manufacturers in our industry as industry leaders. We regularly work in the direction of getting people together for common goals and
contribute towards developing new products and setting new benchmarks inourindustry.
Technology, quality and service –
these three elements work in harmony to deliver the product excellence our customers expect from us at GEEKAY.
Apar Industries: Providing Customised Product Solutions at Competitive Prices
Mr. Vijay
''We have been serving our customers with high quality products and customised product solutions at competitive prices and a high degree of delivery performance,'' said Vijay Kumar Bajaj, Chief Operating Officer, Apar Industries Limited (Unit - Uniflex Cables), in an interview given to Wire & Cable India.
Vijay Kumar Bajaj: Apar's cable division (erstwhile Uniflex Cables Limited, taken over in 2009) has been in the traditional business of LT & MV XLPE cable, a limited range of rubber cable, and optical fiber cables. In the last 11 years, the business volume for cables increased from about INR 100 crore to INR 1600 crore, a growth rate of over 25 percent CAGR, which took the company to a place among the top 5 power cable manufacturers in the country. This increase has come in all major segments of XLPE, Rubber and OFC. The company's profitability also improved significantly to EBIDTA about 11 percent comparable with the leading power cable competition. Our exports constitute about 18 percent of thetotalsales.
To meet this high rate of growth, the company has invested in upgradation of its manufacturing infrastructure time to time for additional space requirements and equipment. Starting with an original factory area of 9 acres, a greenfield infrastructure was built up nearby; it has now increased to over 54 acres and more additional area is planned to implement future business growth plans. There has been a commensurate increase in plant and equipment and testing infrastructure. The company has also added three Electron Beam Accelerators 1.5, 2.5
and 3 MeV, a very specialized equipment for cross linking of polymers.
Over these last 11 years, the company has built a strong marketing team backed by a very good production and technical team of personnel for new product development, cost reduction andproductivityimprovement.
These strategies have been working well and we shall continue with them. We should be able to maintain the high rate of growth in the coming years. The Corona pandemic cannot hinderourprogress.
VKB: Apar's Cable division has been serving its customers by providing high quality products and customised product solutions at competitive prices and a high degree of delivery performance. At the pre order stage, our technical team provides quality services; and quite often, we design cable products that meet the site conditions and reduce cost for our customers. Our marketing team keeps the customers involved and engaged, and that's how the customers gain confidence in our products and solutions. We even support our customers during their budgeting stage.
Apar Cables has focussed on growing market segments like Renewables, Railways, Defence, Nuclear, EPC, Utility and Exports to achieve high rateof volumegrowth.Ourmarketing team gets a lot to learn in terms of product knowledge and marketing strategies. That's why we are one of the most sought-after cable companies. The company has shown a high degree of growth in the last 10 years –thanks to the company's excellent marketing efforts and sound strategies.
WCI:Couldyoutellusaboutyour rangeofproducts?
VKB: We offer a very wide range of cable products, broadly categorized in threeverticalsviz.XLPEcables,rubber cable products and fiber optic cables besidesspecialtycableproducts.
The XLPE cables range includes 66 KV cables up to 1000 sq mm copper weight, medium voltage cables 3.3 to 33 KV cables, LT cables, aerial bunched cables, concentric core cables, fire survival cables, flexible aluminium/copper light duty cables, screened instrumentation cables and (newly developed) a range of covered conductors up to 110 KV (and 220 KV CC under development). Cables are offered with various compounds like PVC, FR/FRLS PVC, LSZH/HFFR, etc.
Rubber cable products use various compounds like EPR/EPDM, EVA, Silicone, CPE, PCP, CSP, etc., to make specialized products in the Chemical Cross Linking process or by the Ebeam Irradiation process. This is supported byplantcapacityof 900MT/monthof flexible copper, 600 MT/month of electro plating tinning and various other infrastructure. Our product range includesmediumvoltagerangeupto33 KV and low voltage cables for various applications. The company also offers highlyspecializedtrailingrubbercables withintegratedOFC.
The OFC range includes Unitube, Multitube/Loose Tube cables, Ribbon Cables, Armoured, Unarmoured, ADSS, Fig 8 Aerial cables, Tether and Umbilical cables, Torpedo cables, Tactical OFC and many more. The fibers used are Single mode G652B, G652D, G655, and Multimode (OM1, OM2,OM3,andOM4).
VKB: Apar's philosophy is “Tomorrows Progress Today”, and all the divisions of Apar work towards introducing new technologies in their working, be it in operations or new product development. Apar installed and commissioned 1.5 MeV and 3 MeV Electron Beam Accelerators in 2012, way ahead of several competitors. Others followed suit only after seeing Apar's rapid growth. These machines are ideal for high performance of polymeric insulation and sheath. All Solar DC cables, railway locomotive and coach wiring, ship wiring and a good range of automotive cables are produced using Ebeam technology.
Apart from Ebeam machine installations, Apar installed CCV line with Dry Cure Dry Cool features, a technology very few companies in India have gone for. As regards extruders, most of them are of most reputed makes like Mailleffer, Troester,Rosendahl,etc.
VKB: Apar has recently further added 2.5 MeV EBeam machine; and in fact, 5 MeV machine is on order and due for commissioning later this year. Another CCV line is being planned besides other upgrades of equipment. The company successfully introduced Medium Voltage Covered Conductors. Apar has already developed Covered Conductors of 66KV and 110 KV. Product development of 132 and 220 KV Covered Conductorsisongoing.
VKB: The marketing team has been continuously working on increasing
the market reach by getting more and more consultant and key customer approvals, thereby increasing the inflow of enquiries. The company's products are now very well accepted and have built a reputation for quality. This has helped to position our company and products in the top league. Several of the buyers now give us the right of last refusal. Similarly, for tapping export opportunities. we have identified focussed markets. We are exporting now to almost 30 countries spread over all the continents. We have very ambitious plans to reach export sales for cables to over USD100millioninnext2-3years.
VKB: HRDplaysaveryimportantrole in our organization. They know quite well about our business and marketing strategies;hencetheyalwayssupportus in identifying skilled personnel. Training and mentoring is another important area in our organization. Technical and soft skill training is arranged in-house as well as from
external faculty for most of the managerialpersonnelbasedontheskill gaps identified during performance appraisal. The factory's HR team mandatorily engages workmen in suitable training sessions and multiskilling training. We even got about 18 personnel trained for lead auditor certifications.
Prysmian: The Road Ahead
The COVID-19 crisis will encourage many industries to use more Artificial Intelligence to increase safety and improve productivity.
In an interview given to Wire &
Cable India, Mr. Benoit Lecuyer talks about the contingency plans the industry is making to handle the coronaviruscrisis.
BenoitLecuyer: This pandemic is the most difficult one since the Second World War. We have witnessed a large pause on projects, construction, and manufacturing. 'Work from Home' has, however, allowed managers to train themselves and perform online courses and e-learning with a few clients. The COVID crisis has forced cable manufacturers to adapt their workforce protection, the manufacturing and supply chain methods, to safeguardtheircash.
Cables production for essential industries and services such as power, defense, telecom, and hospitals is resuming in a gradual manner;
however, we foresee several weeks before we can return to the normal situation.
WCI:Goingforward,whatforces willshapethemarket?
BL: Manygovernments,includingthe Indian government, poured a large amount of money to support the economy and avoid bankruptcy. India has a big advantage with its young population, its optimism and its resilience during the difficulties to reboundfast.
BL: India is on a virtuous growth for many years – thanks to infrastructures investments, rolling stock, railways, renewable energies, fiber optic deployment, smart cities, marine, etc. These fundamentals are still present but on a slower pace now. Clearly, the year2020willbeaflatornegativeyear for many industries. Banks will play a fundamental role in the near future to ease money flow and allow SME's to restart.
Mr. Benoit Lecuyer, Chief Executive Officer, Prysmian India
BL: We have witnessedthe customers' will and questions for innovation, smart cables solutions, more environmentally friendly materials, and costs management. Increased productivity on cable installation, reduction of transportation costs, and smart grids arethekeyareas.
BL: This COVID-19 crisis will certainly encourage several industries to use more robotics means, Artificial Intelligence, to increase safety and improve productivity. Hospitals, hotels, factories, warehouses, and banks will use it to have safe deliveries and safe working, allowing people distance. For these needs, robots, cobots, and drones requiring light and smartcableswillbeneeded.
'Work from Home' entailing the large use of Skype, Slack, Zoom, and Citrix applications will boost fiber and telecom cable networks. In this field,
Prysmian has innovated in bend insensitivefibertechnologyenablinga larger packing of fibers into tubes. Equally, on Cat 6 10 Giga, Prysmian reached up to 35 percent reduction in cable size, allowing 20 percent lighter product easing installation. Productivity is increased with up to 50 percent more cable in a conduit.Fixed assets management will be addressed withcablesinventorymanagement.
BL: Tremendous improvements, localization of technologies with the ''Make in India'' program, happened during the past years in the Indian cable industry. Some identified next steps are the use of more environment solutions such as welded aluminum sheath instead of lead on EHV cables, the use of lighter material i.e. synthetic armour in submarine cables. ROHSisbeingappliedwidely.
The use of chips and fiber optic in some cables can also help maintenance anticipation in some applications. We have worked in these fields as well as on new generation of raw materials. LSOH new compounds
lower energy consumption. The use of natural and bio-derived polymers sharply reduces the hazardous content. Also, some innovative manufacturing processes allow conductor diameter reduction and outersheathreduction.
BL: Electric vehicles have a bright future in India. EVs will reduce India's oil import, pollution and noise. The FAME2 plan has mapped out a great roadmap. Tata, Hyundai, Maruti, and Renault have announced the launch of several models, including in partnership with some taxi operators. The States' decision to have a charging station every 30 kms on highways, in several malls and hotels, will boost the power cable industry. It will also be beneficial for DC cables and liquid cooled cables required for high-power charging up to 400 Kw. The emergence of standards in the e-mobility industry will also secure the quality of cable connectionsinchargingstations.
HUBER MARTINSWERK
Rosendahl’s Next Generation Power Cable
Insulation Technology for MV Cable Production with Polypropylene-Based Compounds
A number of forward-thinking cable makers, along with major utilities worldwide, are already producing and testing polypropylenebased insulation systems (PPC) for MV and HV applications, both in AC and DC.
March18,2020
PPC systems are characterized by excellent properties: lower carbon footprint, no degassing needed, no byproducts, recyclable, equal or better electrical properties, higher operating temperature, to name just a few. These cables can also be installed in the XLPE-based network using the same accessories as XLPE cables.
Medium-voltage AC cable properties with RoSET Rosendahl conducted both internal and test institute tests, which reveal excellent electrical performance at both the AC breakdown and impulse tests. The successfully passed fullelectricaltypetestalsoshowedverylowlossfactor(Tan Delta) values, even when compared to the so-called referenceperoxideXLPEgrade.
RoSET Polypropylene based Compound-Press
What is Rosendahl actually comparing? Their new RoSET insulation system is tailored to MV cable production. Therefore,itshouldbecomparedtosimilarkindsof grades. Quite often these are water-tree retardant XLPE compounds with different properties than HV/EHV XLPE grades. As is well known, the thermal conductivity of pure polypropylene is much lower than that of polyethylene. With polypropylene copolymers, however, the difference is nolongersogreat.
Together with their development partner HV Cable Solutions, they made some ampacity calculations with different XLPE and PPC grades for a single 20 kV cable. The results showed that the polypropylene compound cable can have better current carrying capacity, transmission capacity and lower electrical losses at 90° C and that the cable can also be run at 110° C, if necessary. This was also the case in auxiliary tests when a similar MV XLPE cable was compared to a MV PPC cable.
Does one need a dedicated production line for PPC?
Rosendahl has extensively tested RoSET MV PPC in their laboratory in Pischelsdorf and also with complete production runs on an installed line. Over the past 18 months they have had a dedicated extrusion setting for the RoSET insulation system compounds with high and stable performances.
During the real cable runs, they also found that they had to advise cable producers to take care of cross contamination when changing from one material to another and to be particularlycarefulwhenhandlingthematerialsingeneral. On this basis, a special material handling system has been developed. Rosendahl strongly recommend a dedicated horizontal MV PPC insulation line to avoid any problems and to ensure successful test and production runs to serve the forerunners on the market with a best available quality. As the PPC technology develops towards higher voltages and different properties, Rosendahl will continue to be part of thatdevelopment. n
& Exporters of all types
Plastic &Cable MACHINES
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 CableMachineryworldwideandiscommi edtofosteringExcellenceinthisfield.
We have the pleasure to introduce ourselves as one of the leading manufacturers and exporters of all type Plas cs & Cable machine of wide rangingsizes/specifica onsinIndiahavingexperienceofoursixdecades.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&environmentfriendlytechniques.
Our exper se in following areas :
• 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.
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
Triple Extruder
Flyer
Auto Changeover
175mm Extruder
Sioplas Extrusion Line upto 33 kv
Payoff & Take up
Caterpillar
Sikora’s Purity Scanner Advanced for Inspection and Sorting of Plastic Pellets
The Purity Scanner Advanced is a unique system for 100 percent online inspection and automatic sorting of plastic pellets.
Introduction
Black specks and color deviations often lead to increased scrap rates in the production of plastic injection molded parts, but also in the manufacture of profiles, cables and pipes. The sameappliestometalinclusionsinthe pellets, which leave traces in the end product and the processing machines and cause costs. As far as black specks are concerned, this type of material contamination is often caused by thermal overload, whereas metallic contamination often originates in the cuttingtoolsof thepelletizingplants.
The cause is often sought in the machines and processes, while the raw material is rarely included in the analyses. Risks resulting from contamination are breakdowns in high voltage cables and damage to the mold in injection molding systems. In this respect, a continuous quality control in the production process that fulfills a 100% control of the amount of pellets to be processed is essential. SIKORA AG has developed a special online inspection and sorting system
that combines X-ray with optical technologiesand,therefore,automatically detects and separates color deviations and metal inclusions down to a size of 50 µm. By using the system, repairs and follow-up costs can be avoided and costs for machines and personnel as well as down times and scrap can be significantly reduced.
Quality assurance at plastic manufacturers, compounders and processors
Smallest process variations in compounding plants can already cause changes in the technical and optical characteristics of the pellets and the future product. Thermal and
mechanic overloads of the polymer, contamination caused by the production environment or a work overload of the staff can result unnoticed in contaminated pellets in the form of black specks, yellowing, burns, metal, dustetc.
During pellets sampling, which is a common method for the industry, contamination often remain undetected because the sample amount in relation to the delivered quantity and to the actual amount of contamination is too low. Furthermore, contamination can occur pooled in one or several bundles and also homogeneously spread over many bundles. Therefore, the taken samples are mostly used for simple offline incominggoodsinspection.
In the past, plastics with optical defects or contamination were often sold with discounts to compounders
or processors. The goods were modified or processed into other compounds with lower dosage. Alternatively, they were processed into products with non or only small optical demands. Charges with metallic contamination were demetallized by means of inductive metal separators and reapplied for a new purpose. While first optical sorting systems were primarily designed and used in Europe in case of an emergency scenario at the manufacturers, a service sector in the area sorting has been developed since the 2000s. The pellets to be sorted are transported to the service provider in their target packaging, where they are optically sorted, newly packed in original bundles and picked up again from the manufacturer a few days later.
This procedure is inconceivable for manufacturers of high quality and extremely pure raw material such as polyethylene for cable applications. The quality demands in the area of e+e (electric + electronic), in medical oraerospacearethathighthatanyrisk of foreign contamination must be eliminated in order to avoid image and consequential damages in the millions. In addition, for mass production of plastics with very high quality demands and for compound-
ers of technical raw material, a 100% online inspection with automatic sortingisrequired.
Online inspection and sorting of plastic pellets
The online inspection and sorting system developed by SIKORA AG doesnotonlyuseopticaltechnologies, but also combines those optionally withanX-raycamera.Therefore,even the smallest, in raw material included metal particles can be detected by the system. Furthermore, black specks and color deviations are detected by the optical cameras. Faulty pellets are separated immediately after detection viacompressedair.
The integrated software provides the operator with a statistical evaluation with information about the size, area and number of the detected contaminants during production. In addition, impurities are saved in an image gallery. The image information often gives a conclusion about the reason for contamination and support the operator in the optimization of the production processes. The recorded data is permanently retrievable and can be separately evaluated at any time.
The relevant size for the detection of pellet defects required by manufactur-
ers and compounders has been approx. 100 µm since the 1990s. Due to further technical developments, resolutions from 35 µm or even lower have been possible for some years now. A high resolution, however, is not a guarantee for the elimination of black specks, color deviations and metal inclusions. A safe subsequent sorting process firstly requires a high detection probability. SIKORA AG offers this as a unique feature by using up to four optical cameras and an Xray unit. Depending on the expected contamination and application, the system is configured before dispatch
Manufacturers & Exporters of: Hot Foil Marking Tape for Cable & PE Pipes
according to the requirements of the operator. It detects andsortsoutcontaminationdowntoasizeof 50µm.
Benefits of optical separation and demetallization
With the described system, manufacturers and processors of plastic pellets can test the produced or purchased goods to 100 % and separate optical defects as well as metal inclusions.Thearisingbenefitsleadtoareductionof:
l Productionrejects
l Machinedowntimes
l Repairsandpost-processingof machinesandtools
l Electricalbreakdowns(forcables)
l Hot channel damages and distribution blockage (for injectionmolding)
l Replacement purchase, additional freight, energy costs, setuptime
l Anewprocessingof replacementmaterial
l Additionalpersonnelcostsduetoextraworktime
l Recyclinganddisposalcosts
l Imagedamageandcustomerdissatisfaction
Consequently, the delivery capability can not only be obtained, but can also be improved because unpredictable risks due to metallic contamination or no longer melting polymer burns can be eliminated. This is an important aspect especially for safety relevant products in the medical,aerospaceandautomotiveareainordertoprevent product failure. Furthermore, for the e+e section, it can be pointed out that with the reduction of black specks also a reduction of breakdowns can be achieved. Therefore, black specks are not only responsible for visual defects, but often alsoforfunctionaldefects.
Conclusion
Manufacturers & Exporters of: Hot Foil Marking Tape for Cable & Plastic Pipes
Only if flawless raw materials are being processed, common subsequent defects in subsequent processes can be reduced or avoided. Consequently, the highest possiblecleanlinessof plasticpelletsisof significantimportanceforcompoundersandprocessorsalike.Itistheprerequisitetoavoidwasteandtoprotectnatural andeconomicresourcesaswellastheenvironment.Simultaneously,thequality canbesignificantlyimprovedforprocessorsandfinallytheconsumers.
In this respect and due to the continuously increasing quality requirements of the plastic processors, the demand for online inspection and sorting systems will further grow. New tooling technologies as well as ever decreasing cross sections in the hot channel and distribution system set higher criteria regarding the raw material to be processed. These requirements can only be fulfilled by future oriented technologies such as the system developed by SIKORA AG. By means of optical cameras and X-ray technology, the system detects online and automatically sorts out black specks, color deviations and metallic contaminationdowntoasizeof 50µm,andthusguaranteessofarunmatched quality. n
Sterlite Technologies Reopens Manufacturing Units in China, Europe and India
Sterlite Technologies Limited (STL), a Pune-based predominant optic fiber maker, has been able to restart operations, following the Coronavirus shutdowns, and aims to fulfil an order book worth Rs 10,000 crore by the end of FY2020.
May 3, 2020
Pune-based Sterlite Technologies Limited (STL), an
optic fiber maker has restarted its manufacturing operations in China, Europe and India, following a shutdown due to the novel Coronavirus outbreak, and the companyaimstofulfillnearlyRs10,000croreworthoforder book,andexpectshigherinvestmentsintelecomnetworks.
As reported in a leading daily, Mr. Anand Agarwal, CEO, STL Group, said that “for us what happened is that our China unit went into shutdown in late January and that came out in midMarch. Plant in Europe has also started operating. Now, our facilitiesinIndiaarealsorunningforthelasttwoweeks.”
“We had some degree of preparedness for the rest of the world. We could move the distribution and load between our different units elsewhere. So, any commitment that we had was for shipment, we usually did it through China,” Mr. Agarwalsaid.
The recovery is also sort of started, according to Mr.
Anand Agarwal, CEO, STL Group
Agarwal who said that the company could move distribution andloadbetweendifferentunitselsewhere.
“Our order book is good, which at the end of FY20 will be almost Rs 9,000-10,000 crores. We have good visibility of whatwehold,”Mr.Agarwaladded. n
Polycab India to Acquire 50% Stake in Ryker from Trafigura
The transaction is subject to fulfilment of certain conditions by both parties.
May 4, 2020
Cable and wire manufacturer Polycab India Limited
(PIL) has inked an agreement with Trafigura Pte Ltd of Singapore to buy 50 percent stake in Ryker Base Private Limited (Ryker), thereby terminating the existing joint venture (JV). The purchase consideration is likely to be aroundUSD4million(Rs30crore).
Polycab India had entered into a 50:50 JV with Trafigura in 2016 to incorporate Ryker with an aim to strengthen backward integration of its operations and improve the qualityofitskeyinput,i.e.,copper.
Post Trafigura's global strategic decision to exit from valueadd manufacturing businesses in India where it is a JV partner, PIL decided to acquire balance 50 percent stake in Ryker from Trafigura making Ryker a wholly owned subsidiary of PIL. The purchase consideration is likely to be aroundUSD4Million(Rs300million).
Mr. Inder T. Jaisinghani, Chairman and Managing Director, Polycab India Limited, said, "This strategic buyout reflects Polycab's unwavering focus on strengthening its core while readying the business for its future. Enhanced control on our manufacturing operations will generate operational efficienciesandhelpusdeliverbetterqualityproductstoour consumers. I am confident that this deal will fortify
Mr.
Mr. Inder T. Jaisinghani, Chairman and Managing Director, Polycab India Limited
Polycab's market position in the Electricals space and creategreatvalueforallitsstakeholders.
Copper is an important element of Polycab's business and is used extensively in wires, cables as well as most of fastmoving electrical goods (FMEG) products. Ryker is involved in the manufacturing of copper wire rods with a total annual
capacity of 225,000 MT and commenced its commercial production in FY20. The transaction will further allow Polycab to have complete control of Ryker's manufacturing operations. Currently, India is a net importer of refined copper and value-added copper products due to the huge supply gap. Rykeriswellplacedtoservicethisdemand. n
CTC Global Announces ACCC InfoCore™ System and First Commercial Deployment
The
ACCC InfoCore™ System
®
uses optical fibers embedded into the ACCC Conductor's Core along with an emitter, detector and control/recording device.
March 30, 2020
In a major advancement of conductor
technology, CTC Global has launched the ACCC InfoCore™ System. This system provides fast, accurate assurance that the ACCC® Conductor has been installed properly.
The ACCC InfoCore™ System reduces real-world conductor installation risk experienced by utilities, contractors and lineman across the globe. These dedicated professionals know that even with the best tools, equipment and field conditions, accidents can happen. By using a proprietary infrared light system, special fibers in the core, and a robust data-capture methodology,
Manufacturers & Exporters of: Hot Foil Marking Tape for Cable & PE Pipes
the InfoCore System can confirm the post-stringing integrity of the conductor in minutes. This capability is uniquely valuable to utilities and contractors because of the added confidenceitprovides.
“CTC Global and its manufacturing partners have supported the installation of roughly 100,000 kilometers of ACCC Conductor at over 750 projects, for more than 250 utilities in over 50 countries and in virtually every type of terrain and ecosystem imaginable. This massive body of experience has taught us two things – first, ACCC Conductors are easy to install with proper tools and use of simple handling guidelines. And second, the real world is an unforgiving place for every engineered product and project,” said J. D. Sitton, CTC
Global's CEO. He continued, “CTC Global's utility customers asked for a fast, accurate and simple-to-use method for confirming postinstallation integrity of their ACCC Conductor installations. The InfoCore System does this very effectively.”
Anne McDowell, VP, Commercial Operations for CTC added: “Our team worked closely with CTC's manufacturing partners and key utilities to develop, test and optimize the InfoCore System.” She continued, “I am pleased to announce the first fullscale commercial deployment of ACCC InfoCore Conductor for Elia, on the upgrade of a 66 kV line near Mons, Belgium. The upgraded line serves an important new data center in the region. The InfoCore System has exceededallexpectations.” n
CTC Global launches ACCC InfoCore™ System.
Motherson Sumi Explores for New Acquisition Prospects at Low Valuations
Motherson Sumi Systems (MSSL), the leading global automotive component manufacturing company, has announced its preparedness to tackle the Covid-19 impact, and is exploring growth opportunities that lie ahead.
April 17, 2020
According to the media reports, Motherson Sumi has
taken a holistic approach to protect the interest of various stakeholders including employees, customers, investors and societies where it is present. In response to Covid-19, the company says it has instituted many measurestoprotectthehealthandwell-beingofitsemployees.
Motherson Sumi is in close contact with all its customers and is receiving regular updates on plant reopening dates and customer schedules. At present, it does not see any change in contracts or programs, and most of its customers are looking to catch up on the lost production time in the comingmonthsduetopentupindemand.
The company is seeing positive development on demand coming from its China plants, which were first to shut down (on the back of Covid-19 impact) but have since recovered production levels to nearly pre-Covid-19 times soon after starting.
MostofMotherson'splantsinIndia,EuropeandtheAmericas are at present temporarily closed, but the company has received positive reopening dates for the majority of the plants by end of April or early May. The company has also created multiple internal task forces to monitor the situation on a daily basis across all plants. It says it is in constant touch with various government organizations, customers, suppliers and employees to ensure for getting the latest updates and is ready to commence production in alignment with its customers. However, since it is a dynamic situation, there could be further delays in reopening plants in case the local governments extend lockdowns, of which there are no current clear indications.
Commenting on the present situation, Mr. Vivek Chaand Sehgal, Chairman, Motherson said, “Our team has done a phenomenal job in almost doubling MSSL's turnover over the last 5 years to $9.6 billion (Rs 63,000 crore) on an unaudited basis. Our aspirational 5-year plans cannot be timed perfectly, and the unprecedented Covid-19 situation has hindered us in closing many target acquisitions. However, we believe that these same opportunities have become more attractiveinvaluationssincetheCovidcrisis.”
“Secondly, with our strong financial position and with customer faith intact, we are also being asked by many of our customers to look at more specific companies which are in trouble and we believe can be acquired at low valuations. We wanted to showcase our plans to the investors in June
but keeping in mind the current environment, we will probably do so in October. We are grateful to all the customers, government bodies and our financing partners fortheirsupportinthesetryingtimes.”
Motherson Sumi says that keeping in perspective the changing environment since the onset of Covid-19 in China, it had instituted many projects globally, aimed at cost rationalization, controlling non-critical business investments and optimizing working capital to conserve and generatecashflows.
It is actively working with various governments to further reduce fixed costs during this period of non-production. Furthermore, its future capex is aligned with the launch schedule of OEMs and will only get reduced or deferred if thereareanychangesincustomerlaunches.
As reported in a leading daily, the company is monetizing engineering working capital by actively working with customers. And is working closely with them for realization of receivables as well as with supply chain for smooth continuity of operations as lockdown restrictions are removed. It is working towards ensuring upkeep and maintenance of facilities during the lockdown period. As a result of these measures, Motherson reports that as of March 31, 2020 its netdebtlevelshavebeenthelowestin11quarters.
Lastly, to further enhance liquidity in these uncertain times, Motherson's Board of Directors have accorded in-principle approval to raise up to Rs 1,000 crore and delegated its Committee of Directors to evaluate and decide on various borrowingproposals.Itisalsoproactivelyworkingtoleverage variousgovernmentsupportschemestoenhanceliquidity. n
Mr. Vivek Chaand Sehgal, Chairman, Motherson Sumi Systems Ltd.
Power Discoms to Receive INR 90,000 Crore Liquidity Support to Fight Covid-19 Crisis
This one-time time liquidity infusion will be used to pay the central public sector power generation companies, transmission companies, independent power producers and renewable energy generators.
May 14, 2020
As part of its strategy to bring India's battered economy back on track, the government will provide INR 90,000 crore liquidity injection for the fund-starved electricity distribution companies (DISCOMS) under the 'Aatmanirbharpackage'.
This was announced by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman as one of the 15 measures in the first tranche to combat the economic disruption from the Corona virus lockdown, which has worsened the already precarious financesofpowerdiscoms.
This fund will help in clearing the outstanding dues of discoms by state-owned financial institutions. Mint reported abouttheproposedpowersectorpackageearlier.
The liquidity injection for the discoms will work like this. State-owned Power Finance Corporation (PFC) and Rural Electrification Corporation (REC) will infuse the liquidity by raising an amount of about INR 90,000 crore from the market against the receivables of discoms. The state governmentswillprovideaguarantee.
Tramev Restarts the Engines
These loans would be disbursed in two tranches and will be linked to certain reforms, such as increasing digital payment interfaces, prepaid metering in government departments and making action plans for loss reduction amongothers. n
The COVID-19 pandemic has severely affected all industrial sectors and in particular the steel sector across the world, forcing the industries to shut down.
May 4, 2020
The Italy-based manufacturer of wire and cable shears, drawing lines, unwanders and supplier of machines for thewireindustry–Tramev–hasresumedtheproductions.
Tramev, with its commercial partners, supplies useful equipment to reduce costs in the processing of wire and cable.
In addition to the well-known shears, the LCM800 stearate powder regeneration machine (supplied in collaboration with PWT) it's a concrete example of what has just been shown. The LCM800 is capable of regenerating 70 percent of the stearate and reducing both its purchase and disposal. The gripper (with 2 jaws) for the management of coils and reels allows the loading and unloading of the truck with
forklift or crane quickly as well as a safe management of the warehouses. n
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman
Tramev Restarts the Engines
LAPP to Expands its Operations in Africa with New Sales Network
In order to increase the market opportunities in Africa, LAPP will be opening new sales companies and plans to expand its operations in East Africa in near future.
March 10, 2020
Experts have been already predicting that the African market will be among the world's fastest growing markets in just a few years. With its 54 countries, wealth of raw materials deposits and around 1.3 billion inhabitants, Africa offers great potential. In some countries, growth rates (GDP) of between 6 and 10 percent were achieved in 2018. German companies are still under-represented in Africa, especially small and medium-sized companies. For this reason, LAPP views the African Continental Free Trade Agreement establishing an African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) very positively. The Agreement was recently signed by 52 African member states and is intended to create predictable framework conditions for trade and investmentbyGermancompanies.
“For us, Africa is a sleeping giant. We see great opportunities for growth in the long term. We want to be a part of that,” says Andreas Lapp, Chairman of the Board of LAPP HoldingAG.
Expansion of the sales network
All the indicators are pointing to growth: This is why LAPP is continuing the strategic expansion of its sales network this year. Andreas Lapp knows that the almost important thing for a successful entry into the market is to establish longterm and trustworthy relationships: “Africa is anything but homogeneous. While some countries are already very developed, others are not even connected to a power grid. Some countries are currently developing so rapidly that they are skipping whole stages of technological development. This makes access to this market a major challenge for us at LAPP. At the same time, we also benefit from the enormousprospectsthatcomewithsuchdiversity.”
The demand for connection solutions from LAPP is constantly growing: In some regions of Africa, LAPP was able to achieve up to 50 percent turnover growth in the last financial year. The demand is particularly high for automation, the food industry and the energy sector with the expansion of power grids and the use of renewable energiessuchaswindandsolarenergy.
LAPP has had its own subsidiary in South Africa since 2010, which its 30 local employees use as a base to serve seven countries in southern Africa. At the end of the year, LAPP Southern Africa moved to a new location in Johannesburg. With 2,700 square meters of storage space, itisfourtimesaslargeasitsoldlocation.
In North and West Africa, sales have so far been handled by the Portuguese company LAPP Policabos. In these regions, LAPPis supported by sales partners and local staff in Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Egypt, Senegal, Ivory Coast, GhanaandNigeria.
In order to increase the market opportunities in Africa, a separate sales company will be opened in West Africa. In the near future, LAPP will also expand in East Africa. At the same time, the company's network of partnerships and digitalpresencearebeingcontinuouslyexpanded.
Investment in education and training
Last autumn, the “Collège Andreas Lapp” was opened in Galebre, Ivory Coast. The initiative for establishing the school first came from LAPP employee Désiré Kope, who works in the company's logistics and service center in Ludwigsburg. Désiré saved for many years to set up a school in his home in Ivory Coast. Thanks to additional financial support from Andreas Lapp, his dream has now becomeareality.
Andreas Lapp finds it extremely inspiring that an employee wants to use money earned in Germany to do something useful in his home country that will help the local people in the long term. “Mr. Kope's commitment is fantastic. It's something that we simply have to support”, he comments, adding: “I very much hope that one day, many young Africans will have the chance to seek their fortune in their own country. We need to invest much more in people's education and give them access to technology and skills development. This will create local prosperity and enable young African people to have a good life and good career developmentintheplacewheretheywereborn.” n
LAPP plans new sales companies and expansion in Africa.
Maillefer Launches PM 265 Pay-off for Fiber Optic Cable Production
The latest model of fiber optic pay-off is sized for 50 km reels and is equipped with features like the PM 305 model.
April 22, 2020
Maillefer has launched a new PM 265 Pay-off which has similar features like the PM 305 model. This highspeed motor driven fiber pay-off is designed for a wide variety of fiber optic secondary coating lines. The six-reel position frames can combine into several configurations to handle a total of up to 24 fibers. The PM 265 controls fiber tension accurately with pneumatic dancers. By default, the reels are behind doors. This improves operator safety at highspeedlines.
A quick set-up feature shortens set-up times by 70 percent when splitting the fiber count. The pay-offs operate on either the upper or the lower section at any one time. While one section is running the other section is in preparation for thenextrun.
The new PM 265 pay-off comes with a compact frame layout for a reduced machine footprint and has precise pay-off
PM 265 Pay-off
tension for accurate EFLcontrol at high speeds. It has similar features and performance as the PM 305 model. The latest pay-off'squicksetupfeatureoffersimprovedOEE. n
Jindal Steel & Power Achieves Highest Exports in April 2020
The consolidated steel production of Jindal Steel and Power stands at 655,000 MT in April.
May 5, 2020
Jindal Steel and Power Limited reported its highest ever exports of steel & related products during April 2020. The company exported 248,000 MT of steel and related products, which is a growth of 109 percent (m-o-m). Export contributedto74percentofitstotalsalesvolume.
JSPL India reported 5 percent growth (y-o-y) in the production of steel and granulated pig iron to 550,000 MT during April 2020. The Group has recorded 655,000 MT of consolidatedsteelproductioninApril2020.
India's largest Blast Furnace at JSPL-Angul has recorded the highest ever production of 298,000 MT of hot metal during April 2020. Blast furnace maintained an average productionof~10,000MT+onaworkingdaybasis.
As mentioned in a leading daily, JSPL reported standalone sales of 335,000 MT, the balance production is under shipment and stocked at the port waiting for vessels, which will be accounted in the month of May 2020. JSPLrecorded consolidatedsalesof456,000MTduringApril2020.
JSPL's Oman Steel plant reported 106,000 MT of steel
production while steel sales stood at 120,000 MT in April 2020.
JSPL has also developed R 260 Grade of rails for Indian Railways, these rails have carriage capacities of 75 ton per wagon, as compared to 64 ton per wagon for ordinary rails. JSPL has also developed a sour grade application plate androundbillets. n
New Prototype Launched by Strategic Partnership Between Cimteq and AESA Cortaillod
The partnership between Cimteq and AESA Cortaillod will provide customers with the combined skills, knowledge and products to provide a complete integrated solution.
March 30, 2020
trategic partners, cable industry experts Cimteq and
SAESACortaillod, have announced the launch of a new prototype which integrates Cimteq's cable design software, CableBuilder, with AESA Cortaillod's quality management software,CIQ.
Since the announcement of a strategic partnership between the cable industry experts over 18 months ago, the two companies having been working together to develop this prototype which is the culmination of the companies combiningtheirsixtyyears'cableindustryknowledge.
As a global leader in cable metrology, AESA Cortaillod provides state-of-the-art measuring systems, devices and
quality-performance services from its factories in Switzerland, Germany and China. Wales-based Cimteq is an industry leader in cable design and manufacturing software. The two companies identified that a partnership could develop even greater benefits for customers on both sides through increased profitability, improved quality and savingsinmaterials.
Ali Shehab, President, Cimteq, said, “By seamlessly interconnecting CableBuilder and CIQ through a single and universal interface, it is possible to simplify the overall handling of large design and production data pools. The power of CableBuilder, with its bespoke management of all cable manufacturing product and process data, provides a one-stop shop for controlled delivery and transfer of test
JSPL reported standalone sales of 335,000 MT.
plans to the shop floor, connecting directly with the test devices.
“This represents a quantum step towards the 'smart factory' with the ultimate goal of closing the loop from the initial cable design concept all the way to production and delivery,
resulting in significant raw material savings, improvements inquality,andmajorproductivitygains.”
Amanda Shehab, Director, adds: “In future, we also plan to integrate our CableMES with AESA's CIQ, as it provides a highly sophisticated analysis tool. It is vital that CableMES knows the quality status of every piece of material, finished and semi-finished product on the shop floor. This can be done through CabeMES's own quality module, or through a third-party system like CIQ. The benefits of integrating with CIQ is that we would then have direct integration to AESA's ownmeasurementsequipmenttoo.”
AESA Cortaillod's CEO Vincent Arbet-Engels, Ph.D, said, “Accurate, reliable measurement data is at the heart of any cable manufacturer's drive for continuous improvement. Enhanced quality and process of course in turn lead to competitor advantage. The CIQ quality management system supports traceability features as well as extended quality improvement and data management capabilities. In very real terms, it opens a window on to the shop floor by tracking process and test data, not to mention production history.
It's integration with CableBuilder will have significant benefits for our clients; not least that automatically pulling data from CableBuilder will mean a lot less data to set up insideCIQ.” n
Cimteq and AESA Cortaillod have entered into a strategic partnership in the field of design engineering, manufacturing and quality control.
Innovative Drying Solution for Extrusion Manufacturing Market
Designed for intricate and specific profiles, the solution is capable of drying extrusion of up to 65 millimeters in diameter.
UK-based ACI, a world leader in industrial air movement
solutions, has launched an innovative new profile drying solution that is set to revolutionize the extrusion manufacturingindustry.
Providing a custom drying solution for complex plastic and rubber extrusions, the Profile Dryer is a compact and efficient system, designed to draw out moisture from unusually shaped profiles such as EPDM rubber extrusions, asymmetric profiles and silicone seals during manufacture.
An important innovation for the extrusion manufacturing industry, the profile dryer uses vacuum technology to remove water without damaging or distorting the extrusions rather than compressed air – which often contains oil and water. In addition to achieving high levels of drying efficiency, ACI's profile dryer offers major reductions in running costs through lower energy consumption – utilizing a 1.5 Kw or 3Kw motor – and the ability to capture coolant on the extrusion.
The Profile Dryer unit is fully enclosed with a small footprint of just 1,300 mm long, which easily fits into most production lines. The main enclosure contains a side channel blower and cooling fan as well as a water separator which collects coolant for recycling. The unit is made from stainless steel with ceramic rollers, eliminating the risk of corrosion. To suit
STL Grows Its Patent
customers' requirements, the drying head can be configuredtomeetindividualspecifications.
Designed for intricate and specific profiles, the solution is capable of drying extrusion of up to 65 millimeters in diameter and is particularly suited to production lines where water collection or spray containment is essential. Drying speed varies with profile size, but smaller profiles of 0.2-6 mm can achieve a drying speed of up to 100 meters per minute. n
Portfolio by 34% and Increases Global Patent Portfolio to 358 Patents
The company has evolved from an optical fiber company to industry's leading integrator of data networks.
April 18, 2020
Sterlite Technologies, an industry leading integrator of
data networks, announced it now has a global patent portfolio of 358 to its credit, including 93 patent applications filed in FY20 for its optical connectivity, network services, and virtual mobile edge solutions. The company filed these patentsglobally–India,theUS,Europe,andChina.
While the world is rapidly evolving with technological advancements, patents enable the creation of unique solutions that can be implemented across global markets.
STL's patents enable the customers with unique applicationdrivensolutionsbasedonSTL-developedtechnologies.
The company has four innovation centers for core research in optical fiber ultra-high speed connectivity and applied research on data networks – Optical Fiber Center of Excellence, Aurangabad, Cable Design Labs, Silvassa, Center for Smarter Networks, Gurgaon, and STL Cloud Labs, Ahmedabad. STL has also partnered with leading research institutions like IIT, Chennai, for 5G and Rutgers to beattheforefrontofinnovation.
Innovative Drying Solution for the Extrusion Manufacturing Market
STL won the CII National Innovation Award 2019 and Manufacturing Today Award 2019 that is a testament to the company's culture of innovation. Also, STL has joined the prestigious Open Invention Network (OIN), a global patent pool, which has the world's leading tech companies as its members.
Commenting on this announcement, Dr. Badri Gomatam, Group CTO, STL, said, “We have evolved from an optical fiber company to industry's leading integrator of data networks. One of the key drivers and building blocks for this transformation has been our undivided focus on developing unique solutions for the evolving converged network. It has empowered us to deliver disruptive end-to-end data network solutions for our customers worldwide. Our longstanding focus on Intellectual Property (IP) creation with our four innovation centers strengthens our position in the marketsweoperate.” n
IndiGrid Completes Acquisition of ENICL from Sterlite Power
According to the press release, with the acquisition of East North Interconnection (ENICL) from Sterlite Power, IndiGrid's assets under management (AUM) will increase by 10 percent to USD 1.6 billion.
The acquisition has been funded by internal accruals.
March 24, 2020
The acquisition has been funded by
internal accruals, proceeds from the preference issue done in May last yearandnewdebt.
Power transmission investment trust IndiGrid has completed the acquisition of its ninth transmission asset from Sterlite Power at a value of USD 134 millionorRs1,020crore.
Its portfolio will increase to nine power transmission projects with a total
network of 20 power transmission lines spanning across more than 5,800 circuit kilometers across 13 Indianstates.
Commenting on the acquisition, IndiGrid CEO Harsh Shah said, "This acquisition is in line with our strategy to acquire accretive assets with longterm certainty of cash flows. Our focus is to not only ensure stable distribution to unit holders by owning assets with long-term contracts but also grow it withaccretiveacquisitions."
The acquisition has been funded by internal accruals, proceeds from the preference issue done in May last year and new debt. For the purpose of refinancing the existing debt in ENICL, IndiGrid has availed funding of Rs 900 crore from Axis Bank. With this acquisition, IndiGrid's net debt/AUM willbeat49percent. n
Manufacturers & Exporters of: Hot Foil Marking Tape for Cable & PE Pipes
STL's patents enable the customers with unique application-driven solutions based on STL-developed technologies.
STL Records Highest Ever Revenue at INR 5154 crore, Strengthens Mid-to-Long-Term Outlook
All the industries around the globe witnessed uncertainty and sluggish growth; however, STL continued to perform and grow its revenue by delivering end-to-end data network solutions.
May 12, 2020
Sterlite Technologies has announced the consolidated financial results for its fourth quarter and financial year ending March 31, 2020. The company reported INR 5,154 crore in revenue and an order book of INR 10,037 crore, backedbylargedealwinsglobally.
The global environment witnessed uncertainty and sluggish growth, followed by a lockdown due to COVID-19. However, STL continued to perform and grow its revenue bydeliveringend-to-enddatanetworksolutions.
l New global wins build a robust Order Book for STL across all customer segments – global telcos, cloud companies, citizen networks, and large enterprises. Key deals include: T-Fiber for rural broadband in Telangana, Telekom Albania digital transformation and multi-milliondollarcontractsinIndia,EuropeandMiddleEast.
l Strategic Transformation to Solutions driven Account Based Organization with four end-to-end solutions –optical connectivity, fiber deployment, FTTx Mantra for Access Networks and Network Modernization. This has expanded the total addressable market including large scaletransformationalprojects.
l Established Ecosystem for Make in India Next-Gen Solutions by assembling a strong ecosystem of partners in hardware manufacturing, cloud computing and academia.
The company also acquired IDS Group, invested in ASOCS andpartneredwithVMware.
Sterlite Technologies also contracted with VVDN – developer of focused radio hardware solutions and aligned with IIT Madras – for research and technical advancements in 5G. This will enable self-sufficient indigenous solutions for 5Gforallmarkets.
The company has also invested in technology and grew patents portfolio to 358 patents for optical connectivity, networkservices,andvirtualizedaccesssolutions.
STL drove sustainable business practices and helped the community:
l World's first ZWL integrated optical solution. Achieved ZeroWastetoLandfillcertificationacrossglass,fiberand cablemanufacturing.
l Global industry recognition: Awarded the Behaviour
Based Safety Corporate Award and British Safety Council International Award 2020, Frost & Sullivan 2019 ConvergedNetworkSolutionamongotheraccolades.
l COVID-19: Implemented a robust and agile Business Continuity Planning (BCP) model to ship products or immediate mission critical requirements of customers during the lockdown. Currently, STLis operating facilities in China, Brazil, Italy and India, while safeguarding employeehealthandwellness.
FY21 – STL reorganizes for the emerging New-gen Network
The dominant trend of growth in data network use has been enhanced with social distancing due to COVID-19. Remote work has resulted in a massive surge in the Internet traffic across home and enterprise segments. Today, we see three definitive global trends driving robust network investments, andarepreparingSTLtoforthisfuture.
l Three dominant global trends will evolve the network: Driven by the need for connecting everyone with high quality broadband, we see that (a) Telcos are driving significant fiber network creation, (b) cloud companies, enterprises and governments are creating large-scale networks for edge data centres, Industry 4.0, IoT, and other use-cases, and (c) new players, like STL, are providing agile open source software that is disaggregatedfromOEMhardware.
l Global leaders are accelerating investments towards virtualized infrastructure: As network creators amplify investments, they will need a disruptive software-driven architecture that is designed, built and managed as an end-to-endsolution.
l STLSolution Ecosystem uniquely positions it to deliver on
STL continues to grow amidst worldwide lockdown.
these investments: STL has been strengthening its capabilities with technology investments and ecosystem partnerships. With its end-to-end solutions that integrate optical interconnect, network software, access network products and system integration services, STL is uniquely positionedtogeneratevalueforitskeycustomersglobally.
“In the current times, we have focused on keeping our employees and communities safe, while continuing critical operations and deepening customer relationships”, said Dr. Anand Agarwal, Group CEO, STL. He
added, “As we start FY21, we have a more robust business. We are seeing an accelerated shift towards digitalization and data network investments from all our customer segments. The next generation of networks are shifting towards network densification, edge compute, open source and virtualization. As STL transforms to an end-to-end solutions provider, I am confident that we are uniquely positioned to address a much larger opportunity and help our customers achieve their network objectives”. n
Borealis and Borouge Launch New Flame-Retardant
Jacketing Grades
Halogen-free grade FR8101 enhances safety of low voltage cables used in highly demanding environments.
April 16, 2020
Borealis and Borouge are expanding their existing
portfolio of flame-retardant (FR) jacketing grades with the launch of FR8101. This new, halogen-free solution is based on metal hydrate technology and is intended for the production of low voltage building cables used in highly demanding environments. Thanks to FR8101, cable manufacturers can offer an even safer product with better performance while at the same time achieving increased productionefficiency.
The new FR8101 is based on a highly flame-retardant metal hydrate technology. In the event of a fire, the material actually releases water to reduce the intensity of the flames. Jacketing made with FR8101 is resistant to the flaming droplets which often cause fire to spread within buildings where cables are installed inside walls and roofs. By retaining its shape even in intense heat, FR8101 jacketing stays on the cable, even if the cable is burnt. In fact, depending on the type of construction, FR8101 can even earn the best possible rating of “d0” in the Construction Products Regulation (CPR) Euroclass scale for flaming droplets. This highest level of flame retardancy makes it possible for cable industry partners to fulfil the stringent CPRcablestandardsinEuropewhenusingFR8101.
Up until now, cable manufacturers have been bound by certain limitations when using conventional halogen-free flame-retardant (HFFR) cable compounds. For example, material decomposition during the extrusion process can result in lower production speeds and inferior cable performance. The use of FR8101 eliminates these issues altogether by allowing cable makers to run production lines at high speeds, thanks to the excellent mechanical propertiesofferedbythisgrade.
When used in tandem with a crosslinked polyethylene (XLPE) insulation solution provided by Visico™/Ambicat™, the new grade is a simple way for Borealis and Borouge customers to fulfil CPR requirements without having to use other FR insulation or bedding. This makes for more efficient processing during production, but also lighter cables, and thus easier installation. It also helps raise manufacturers' own sustainability standards with regard to healthandsafety.
“The launch of FR8101 provides an innovative and more effective solution that addresses important industry challenges,” explains Bart Verheule, Borealis Head of Marketing, Energy. “Borealis and Borouge are committed to bringing energy all around by supplying new ways for our partners to make safer and more sustainable cables. This in turn helps raise standards in health and safety for everyone.” n
Halogen-free grade FR8101 enhances safety of low voltage cables used in highly demanding environments.
Dr. Jörg Wissdorf Joins SIKORA as New Member of the Executive Board
Dr. Wissdorf has earlier worked in several leading positions in sales and marketing as well as managing director of national and international companies.
April 3, 2020
SIKORA AG, manufacturer and global supplier of
innovative measuring, control, inspection and sorting technology has appointed Dr. Jörg Wissdorf as a new member of the executive board since March 1, 2020. He is familiarized for succeeding executive board, Harry Prunk, who will retire in a few months after 45 successful years with SIKORA.
“It was important for us to approach the succession at an early stage in order to ensure a smooth transition,” says Prof. Dr. Thomas Sikora, chairman of the supervisory board of SIKORA AG. He further said, “We are delighted to have won our ideal candidate with Dr. Wissdorf.” Jörg Wissdorf will be responsible for the areas Sales, Marketing and Service after a transition period together with the longstandingboardmember,HarryPrunk.
Before, the graduated aerospace engineer worked in several leading positions in Sales and Marketing as well as managing director of national and international companies. “I look forward to the new responsibility and want to further expand the growth of the company in the existing as well as
in the younger markets,” says Jörg Wissdorf. SIKORA's portfolio includes future-oriented systems that offer the customer an added value with regard to process optimization, sustainability and efficiency. “To bring the specific advantages of SIKORA onto the markets in order to further increase the success of the company will be one of my core activities,”explainsWissdorf. n
ZTT Begins Work on “Super Projects” of China Three Gorges Corporation
ZTT claims that its ± 400 kV flexible DC submarine cable breaks through technical bottlenecks such as low-crosslink system soft joints and is the world's highest operating voltage cable capable of 1,235 kV.
March 5, 2020
China-based Jiangsu Zhongtian Technology Co (ZTT) has started work supporting China Three Gorges Corporation with the construction of its Jiangsu Rudong 800MW(H6#,H10#)“SuperProjects”.
It is reported that Jiangsu Rudong 800MW (H6 #, H10 #) project is the first ± 400kV flexible DC transmission offshore wind power project in China. The DC submarine cable has a transmission distance of about 100 kilometers, which is currently the highest voltage flexible DC submarine cable withthelongesttransmissiondistanceinChina.
This ± 400kV flexible DC submarine cable is precisely the first in the world to be successfully developed by ZTT with the support of the China Three Gorges Corporation in 2019. It breaks through technical bottlenecks such as lowcrosslink system soft joints and the world's highest cable operating voltage of 1235kV. It has passed the technical appraisal by China Electricity Council and the Jiangsu Industry and Information Technology Department, reaching theinternationalleadinglevel.
In addition, in order to serve this "Super Project", ZTT cable ships like Zhongtian 7, Zhongtian 8, Zhongtian 9, and
New SIKORA AG Executive Board Member: Dr. Jörg Wissdorf
ZTT starts China's offshore wind Super Projects
“Yuanwei No. 8” and “Zhongtian 5” built by Shanghai Yuanwei Construction Engineering Co., Ltd., which is under ZTT, are fully responsible for laying 220kV and 35kV
submarine cables for Rudong H6 # wind farm, and for the foundation construction and hoisting of 100 sets of wind turbines. n
ADNOC Launches Tender for Subsea Power Grid to Cut Costs and Replace Gas
The UAE wants to free up gas used in power generation for other industrial uses. The UAE, where currently power is mostly generated from gas, wants to produce 44% of its power from clean energy by 2050.
April 27, 2020
Abu Dhabi National Oil Co, the UAE's biggest energy producer, has launched a joint tender with electricity and water company ADPower to develop a 3.2 GW subsea power transmission network for its offshore facilities that will helpcutcostsandreplacegasusedforpowergeneration.
ADNOC is partnering with ADPower to replace its gas turbine generators at its offshore production facilities with different sources of energy, including renewables and nuclear power, it said in a statement on Monday. ADNOC's offshore facilities will be linked to ADPower's onshore electricitygrid.
"The project also offers potential for ADNOC to more effectively utilize its rich gas – currently used to power the
offshore facilities – for higher-value purposes, allowing ADNOC to generate additional revenue for ADNOC and AbuDhabi,"thestatementsaid.
Abu Dhabi, the oil-rich emirate in the UAE, is developing various sources of energy, including nuclear reactors to become the first country in the Gulf region to harness nuclearenergyforpowergeneration.
"Equally, the project will deliver operational expenditure reductions in the long run as well as lasting strategic benefits as we continue to drive sustainable value and responsible investment opportunities," said Yaser Al Mazrouei,ADNOCUpstreamexecutivedirector.
ADNOC and ADPower have sent requests for proposals to international companies to develop a total installed
capacity of 3.2 GW, which should be operational by 2025. The transmission system will include two independent subsea HVDC transmission links and converter stations that willbeconnectedtoADPower'sonshoreelectricitygrid.
“The project is to be executed on a build, own, operate and transfer(BOOT)basis,”ADNOCsaid.“Thesuccessfulbidders, alongside ADNOC and ADPower, will develop and operate the transmission system, with the full project being returned toADNOCattheendofthetransmissionagreement.” n
The
Google to Build USD 400 Million Blue-Raman Subsea Cable
Connecting India, Israel and Italy
As reported in a leading daily, the cable is split into two parts not due to any technical reason, but for a geopolitical one: To ensure that the cable going through Israel and the cable going through Saudi Arabia are not the same.
April 15, 2020
Google is planning a submarine cable connecting India
and Italy, via Israel. According to the media reports, the USD 400 million Blue-Raman cable is expected to reachIsraelin2022.
Raman, named after Indian Nobel Prize laureate Venkata Raman, the Omantel cable will start in Mumbai and travel across the Indian Ocean and overland across an unidentified country, before ending at the Jordanian port of Aqaba.
At Aqaba, Raman will link with the Blue portion of the cable developed by Telecom Italia's Sparkle, which will run up through Israel, go along the Mediterranean, and connect to Genoa,Italy.
By using Israel as the Middle Eastern interconnection point, Google also avoids Egypt, home to a significant number of submarine cables (the Suez Canal is too shallow for cables).
“Egypt is the biggest single-point-of-failure in the entire world," industry expert Sunil Tagare wrote in his blog Open Cables. "With 15 cables crossing Egypt and another six or so waiting to be signed, almost a third of the entire world's populationisdependentonEgyptforitsInternetaccess."
Crossing Egypt is also extraordinarily expensive, Tagare notes, with the country charging a premium on cable deployment. "So, Google's planning of the Blue Raman cable is the biggest news in the submarine cable industry sincethestartoftheindustrythreedecadesago.
"Not only will this cable provide the ultimate route diversity going through Israel, it will also decrease the cost of Asia to Europe traffic by at least 50 percent. Google gets all the creditforachievingtheimpossible."
"At the time of the fallout, it seemed that Google was in a fix since Jio was so powerful in India," Tagare writes. "But Jio did not realize that Google has become politically very savvy in the global submarine cable industry with more than 10yearsandbillionsofdollarsbehindit."
Instead, Google turned to NTT to lease fibers on the MIST cable from India to Singapore and began working on the Blue-Raman cable "which will completely change the economics and make Jio's IEX cable economically obsoleteevenbeforetheysignthesupplycontract. n
Google to build USD 400m Blue-Raman Subsea cable
Vodafone-Idea Receives Interest from PE Players for its Optic Fiber Business
The company has inter and intra city fiber spread across 160,000 kms in India. It has been looking at selling this business as a part of its plan to monetize assets and raise capital.
May 6, 2020
In what could be a lease of life for Vodafone-Idea, the company has received interest from a few PE players including marquee names like Brookfield Asset Management and KKR for its optic fiber business, sources toldCNBC-TV18.
The company has inter and intra city fiber spread across 160,000kmsinIndia.Ithasbeenlookingatsellingthisbusiness asapartofitsplantomonetizeassetsandraisecapital.
"The company has been talking to investors to gauge interest. So far Brookfield and KKR expressed interest but in the two, Brookfield is the most interested party. In fact, Brookfield teams have already started due diligence on the deal which is expected to take between 2-4 months' time," saidasourcefamiliarwiththedevelopment.
In the quarter ending December 31, 2020, Vodafone-Idea hadanetdebtofRs1.03lakhcrore.Itslargestliabilityatthis point is the AGR dues which the government pegs at Rs 53,000 crore. Of this, Vodafone has paid Rs 6,854 crore which it says is the principal amount. As per Vodafone's assessment,itsAGRduesstandatRs21,533crore.
Vodafone-Idea has been looking at selling this business as a part of its plan to monetize assets and raise capital.
"Vodafone is hoping to get between $1.5-$2 billion via the sale," said a second source asking not to be named. "The optic fiber portfolio of Vodafone is very lucrative and even on a conservative note, Vodafone-Idea should not get lesserthan$1.4billionforthebusiness,"headded. IfVodafone-Ideagetstherightvaluationandisabletocomplete the deal, this could be the much-needed push it needs to be abletosurviveandtakebusinessforwardinthecountry. n
Telecom Sector Enabling 35% of India's GDP in COVID-19 Times
The new normal will see increase in enablement through telecom as the sector braved the conditions to keep the networks up and implement necessary changes on-the-go to augment capacities due to unprecedented increase in the demand for digital services enabled by telecommunications.
May 3, 2020
As the telecom players ensured their networks were up and running to meet the unprecedented surge in demand during lockdown times, the sector is currently enabling 30-35 percent of the GDP in the COVID-19 lockdownandsocialdistancingperiod,otherthanthepresent 6percentdirectcontributiontotheGDP,anewreporthassaid.
According to the report prepared by research firm techARC in collaboration with the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), the telecom leaders saluted the central government as well as the state governments for providing allsupporttotheindustryduringthesetoughtimes.
"With the timely intervention of the Department of Telecommunications and coordination with various state and local authorities, the defunct base transceiver station (BTS) sites were brought down from 800 to 70, increasing the capacitiessubstantially,"saidRajanS.Mathews,DG,COAI.
Applications like tele-medicine, e-education, drone surveillance and Industry 4.0 are going to see a surge in consumption, along with new technologies like 5G and IoT taking more significant roles in the near future, thus aiding thenewnormal.
"We swiftly extended all global best practices and learnings to the India telecom ecosystem by realigning the portfolio on the three principles of Secure, Scale and Stimulate, giving the operator community an immediate resolution of the challenges and linking them with the likely future requirements," said Amit Marwah, Head of Marketing and Corporate Affairs for Nokia India, during the first virtual techFLIXspecialseries.
The leading industry experts said that many of the patterns and trends that have emerged during the pandemic situation are going to stay and the telecom sector needs to getpreparedforthat.
"While connectivity and apps are available to the consumers, device fulfilment is a challenge impacting the productivity of people directly," said Sachin Kalantri, Senior Director, ProductMarketing,QualcommIndia.
According to the report, the government must look into the
requests of the sector empowering them to serve the customersmoreefficiently.
"Going forward, technologies like 5G shall play a vital role in further enhancing work from anywhere experience," said FaisalKawoosa,FounderandChiefAnalyst,techARC. n
The Ailing BSNL has Floated a Tender Seeking Vendors to Build 4G Network Across the Country with a Capex of Around INR 11,000 Crore.
The ailing BSNL has floated a tender seeking vendors to build 4G network across the country with a Capex of around INR 11000 crore.
April 12, 2020
BSNL has come out with a tender for deploying 50,000 new 4G sites in north, east, west and south zones of India and around 7,000 new sites for Delhi and Mumbai zones (for MTNL) for an investment of Rs 8,697 crore.
BSNL will also upgrade around 43,000 2G and 3G sites to 4G,costinganotherRs3,500-Rs4,000crore.
Telecom network makers such as Huawei, Nokia, Ericsson andZTEwillbeseekingashareintheBSNLtender.
BSNL had signed a network modernization agreement with Nokia, the second largest telecom network maker, to support BSNL's launch of 4G and Voice over LTE (VoLTE) services in western and southern regions of India, a Reuters report said in February 2018. BSNL has opened the tender at a time when several telecom network suppliers and telecom tower companies in India have approached the state-run telecom operator to clear their duesimmediately.
BSNL, according to the bidding document, will offer the choice to the network company with the lowest evaluated priceofthetechnicallyandcommerciallyresponsivebids(L1) toselectanythreeofthefivezones.TheL2bidderwillbeable toselectanyoneoftheremainingtwozonesatL1price.
L3 bidder will be able to select the zones if L2 declines to
The government will provide Rs 23,814 crore towards administrative allocation of 4G spectrum to BSNL and MTNL.
accept the offer — at the L1 price. L1 bidder will be forced to choose one of the remaining two zones at L1 price if all remaining participating bidders refuse the offer. BSNL will give the remaining fifth zone to state-run ITI against reservation quota at L1 price. The L1 bidder will need to accept this zoneonL1priceifITIrefusestoaccepttheofferfromBSNL.
The India government in October approved a nearly Rs 70,000crorerevivalpackageforBSNLandMTNL.
BSNL has written to the India government to provide a sovereign guarantee of Rs 15,000 crore in order to arrange for funds for 4G network. The guarantee is part of the revival packageapprovedbythegovernment. n
The telecom sector is facilitating 35% of India's GDP during country wise lockdown.
LS Cable & System Wins € 100M Contracts in the Netherlands for Submarine Cables
LS Cable & System is proactively preparing for market expansion by newly established EU HQ and expanding production subsidiaries.
April 21, 2020
LS Cable & System's President & CEO Roe-Hyun Myung has laid the foundation for market expansion by winningtwolargecontractsinEurope,thehomeofcables.
LS C & S entered into two contracts with TenneT, the Dutch electricity transmission system operator, for the supply of submarine cables worth 100.7 million in a consortium with marineconstructioncompanyJanDeNulGroup.
LS C & S says that the bidding was conducted according to a comprehensive evaluation method that evaluated technical capabilities, quality of business operations in combination with pricing. The evaluation of the bid shows that the winning consortium has the most economically advantageousproposaltocarryoutthechallengingproject.
The Netherlands is in the process of constructing offshore wind farms with a total capacity of more than 11 gigawatts by 2030, with the final aim to achieve 100 percent renewable energy supply by 2050. As part of these contracts with TenneT, LS C & S is supplying 210 km of submarine cables to two offshore wind farm areas with a total capacity of 1.4 GWintheDutchcoastalwatersby2023.
Since the introduction to the UK market in 2012, LS C & S has supplied submarine power cables for renewable projects in Denmark (2013), the Netherlands (2013) and Belgium (2016). The company expects that the European submarine cable market will be worth billions of euros over the next 5 years. LS C & S is planning to build on this major project and to do everything in its power to win more contracts for submarine cable projects in Western Europe includingtheNetherlands. n
DoT to Defer 5G Sale, Will Auction Only 4G in 2020
Digital Communications Commission, DoT's highest decision-making body, has recently discussed auctions. While Reliance Jio hasn't publicly backed a move to delay 5G auctions, all three operators have said the base price, Rs 492 crore a unit, was too high and wouldn't attract bids.
May 13, 2020
As reported in a leading daily, the government plans to split the next telecom spectrum auctions by offering 4G airwaves sometime this year and 5G probably in 2021, people familiar with the matter said. The move would benefit Vodafone Idea and Bharti Airtel, which want the 5G spectrum sale to be delayed, citing stretched finances and anunderdevelopedecosystem,analystssaid.
Officials from the Department of Telecommunication pointed out that a 5G spectrum auction this year would have attracted few bidders, indicating the reason for the U-turn. However, industry executives said lack of clarity on whether Chinese vendors Huawei and ZTE can deploy their next generation mobile communication standard technology in India prompted the government to postpone the spectrum auction.
DoT to Defer 5G Sale
The company is capitalizing on in-house technology to win the first large contracts from Europe, the home of cables.
“Discussions are on to hold the 5G auctions later as some of the telcos need to buy spectrum but 5G may not be the priority now,” said a person aware of the developments. The proposal,ifagreed,willneedCabinetapproval.
Government officials also said there is uncertainty over the quantum of 5G airwaves available for telcos after agencies such as the Department of Space and the defence ministry aresaidtohaverequestedpremiumspectrumforuse.
However, according to an industry executive, the biggest
reason for the delay in auctioning 5G airwaves is the “lack of clarity on whether Huawei will be allowed to deploy 5G networksinIndia.”
Unless this issue is resolved, India's mobile phone operators won't be able to build their business cases while preparing to bid for 5G airwaves, executives said. “Putting 4G before 5G will help the government to maximize monetization of spectrum,” said Rajiv Sharma, head of researchatSBICapSecurities. n
HUBER+SUHNER Unveils Modular High Voltage Distribution Solution for Electric Vehicles
The mHVDU offers a multitude of benefits to automotive manufacturers, from validation to international automotive standards and specifications to space, weight and cost savings through its simplified housing design and standardized components.
May 1, 2020
HUBER+SUHNER, a leading global supplier of electrical and optical connectivity solutions, has launched its latest off-the-shelf High Voltage Distribution solution for every type of electric vehicle (EV): the modular High Voltage Distribution Unit (mHVDU). Managing up to 800 Volts DC, the mHVDU is effective in cases of extreme usageinharshenvironments.
The configurable nature of this modular solution offers a great benefit to automotive manufacturers, with the box being able to fit into the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) development process (APQP) due to its compatible fuseconfigurationandcompleteinteroperability.
The harmonized system of the mHVDU, designed and equipped with a wide-range of standardized components, can be configured to meet the individual requirements of all types of electric vehicles, whether on land, in the water or in theair,inwhichhighvoltageneedstobedistributed.
Malte Frohberg, Head of Product and Portfolio Management, Low Frequency Automotive at HUBER+SUHNER said, ''The mHVDU's standardized components offer space, weight and cost savings and have resulted in a reduction in lead time from twelve weeks to just two to four weeks, which makes a huge difference to the manufacturingprocessofEVs.''
''When it comes to the performance of EVs, it can be challenging to ensure an EV holds the HV power during a wide range of driving conditions. To be most effective, HV
automotive connectivity solutions must be able to withstand temperature fluctuations, vibrations and mechanical impact to ensure the HV cables and components that are operating within the vehicle are secure and protected.''
''The mHVDU is designed to withstand the roughest and harshest environments, while its harmony with the extensive HUBER+SUHNER high voltage portfolio offers manufacturers a complete cable system with a truly plug andplay,ready-to-usesolution.''
Due to its extensive experience in the automotive industry, HUBER+SUHNER is an expert in transmitting, connecting and distributing power within electric vehicles and is the goto partner for high voltage applications. Its technology solutions cover the entire automotive ecosystem, including cables, charging systems and charging cables and are designed to work across autonomous, hybrid, electric and conventionalvehicles. n
HUBER+SUHNER mHVDU
Jingye Group Completes Acquisition of British Steel's Assets
The completion secures the future of approximately 3,200 jobs and follows the agreement of new terms with customers and suppliers.
March 9, 2020
Chinese steelmaker Jingye Group has completed the
purchase of British Steel's UK and Netherlands assets fromtheOfficialReceiver.
Jingyehaspledgedtoinvest£1.2billiontoplacethebusiness on a more competitive and sustainable footing. Jingye plans to return the company to industry comparable margins within five years. The initiative includes development of an Electric Arc Furnace in Teesside, construction of a new 250MW power plant to serve the Scunthorpe site. The new plant is expected to be around a third more efficient than that it replaces, investment in the rolling mills to produce highquality steel products to optimize the product portfolio, build a newrebarlineandenhancethecurrentrailmill.
Li Huiming, CEO, Jingye Group said, “It has not been an easy journey since we first announced our intentions in November but the longer I have spent in Scunthorpe, the more I have come to believe in the successful future of these steelworks and the employees that have made them famous throughout the world. Together, we can forge a new partnership that will mark the beginning of a new illustrious chapterinthehistoryofBritishsteelmaking.”
Ron Deelen, CEO, British Steel, said: “This is a momentous day for our business, and I'd like to thank everyone for their dedication during a challenging year. I'm confident we'll
seize the incredible opportunity Jingye have given us to build on 150 years of heritage, and further cement British Steel'sreputationasamanufacturerofworldclasssteel.”
As previously indicated, assets included in the transaction include British Steel's steelworks at Scunthorpe and UK mills at Teesside Beam Mill and Skinningrove, as well as subsidiary businesses FN Steel in the Netherlands and TSP Engineering. It does not include British Steel's French operations at Hayange, the acquisition of which is still subject to further negotiations with the relevant authorities inFranceandishopedtobeconcludedseparately. n
STL to go Slow on Rs 300-Crore Expansion of Cable Manufacturing Units
The expansion, which was slated to begin in June this year, will now start around March 2021, when there is greater clarity on the business environment, said Sterlite Technologies Group CEO Anand Agarwal.
May 11, 2020
Data network solutions provider Sterlite Technologies has said it will go slow on the proposed Rs 300-crore expansion of cable manufacturing units in India and Italy duetoglobalcoronaviruspandemic.
The expansion, which was slated to begin in June this year, will now start around March 2021, when there is greater clarity on the business environment, Sterlite Technologies GroupCEOAnandAgarwaltoldPTI.
"We have a plan of expanding cabling facility but we have
slowed that down, we are currently looking at the supplydemandscenario,"hesaid.
The Rs 300-crore expansion blueprint of cable manufacturing units in India and Italy entailed increasing the capacity from 18 million to 33 million fiber kilometers, he said adding, "we have delayed that plan by 6-9 months...it was supposed to start by June 2020 but we delayed by 6-9 months. Now,itwillstartbyMarch2021.”
With its portfolio spanning optical fiber and cables, network design and deployment as well as network software, Pune-
Li Huiming, CEO, Jingye Group
based Sterlite Technologies positions itself as integrated solutions provider for global data networks, with optical preform, fiber and cable manufacturing facilities in India, Italy,ChinaandBrazil.
It is currently operating at 60-65 percent of its global production capacity and has put in place measures to ensure that staff on duty at its units adhere to social distancingnormsandcomeinstaggeredshifts.
The data network solutions provider is hopeful that its global production capacity will reach near pre-COVID levels by May-end, if calibrated moves to reopen economiesandbusinessesproceedasperexpectation.
The company, which designs and deploys high-capacity converged fiber and wireless networks, has also said exports from India have commenced to Europe, Middle EastandLatinAmerica.
The manufacturing units in India produces preform, fiber
and cable, while China unit focuses on fiber, and Italy and Brazil units on cables. In India, economic and business activities are now restarting outside containment zones, and partial movement has resumed within states, in the thirdphaseoflockdown. n
Covestro and Teknor Apex Announce Cooperation Agreement on Compounding TPU
® Products will be marketed under the name Desmoflex.
May 6, 2020
Materials manufacturer Covestro and global plastics
compounder Teknor Apex intend to cooperate closely on compounding thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) and have signed a cooperation agreement to this effect. TPU is an extremely versatile plastic, which Covestro has been producing in pure form for many years for use in various industry sectors. Through compounding, i.e. mixing with other materials, the array of achievable properties can be increased considerably further. This is a particular strength ofTeknorApex.
“We are happy to team up with such a competent and complementary partner for processing TPU on a global scale,” says Dr. Thorsten Dreier, the new global head of the TPU business at Covestro. “Together with Teknor Apex, we want to develop customized products to grow together with our existing and new customers.” Covestro supports the marketing of the jointly developed products by Teknor Apex withitsDesmoflex®brand.
“We are excited to become Covestro's preferred global compounding partner. The combination of Covestro's expertise in TPU resin with Teknor Apex's custom formulation and compounding capabilities provide a compelling value driver for our combined customers worldwide,” says Sachin Sakhalkar, Vice President, TPE Division, at Teknor Apex. “This new cooperation strengthens our promise to our customers and partners who depend on us to bring tailoredsolutionsfortheirapplicationneeds.”
Thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) is used in the automo-
and Teknor have teamed up for processing TPU on a global scale.
tive industry, in sports and leisure articles, the IT and electronics industry, medical technology and other sectors and can be made with various properties, ranging from soft to hard and from elastic to stiff, depending on customer requirements. All products have in common a high abrasion and wear resistance as well as chemical and weather resistance. The plastic granulate can be processed into profiles,strips,hoses,fibers,filmsorfoams.
Formulating and compounding steps can be used to create an additional value proposition compared to just a neat resin. For instance, specific end-use requirements such as flame retardancy, adhesion, appearance and haptics, etc., can be enhanced through specific formulation and compoundingtechniques. n
Covestro
Sterlite Technologies slows down expansion of cable production unit
Wires Role in Manufacturing COVID-19 Testing Kit and Ventilator
The Meerut-based Maheshwari Wires Private Limited has been serving all tool room center in India for the development of testing kit to be supplied for diagnosis of Corona virus.
April 22, 2020
The Indian Council of Medical Research has instructed to engage tool room and other industries to manufacturetestingkit,ventilators,etc.
Maheshwari Wires will be using EDM wire to prepare die on CNC wire cutting for production on molding machine along with centers like IDTR-Jamshedpur and Central Tool Room andTrainingCentre,Bhubaneswar.
IDTR is manufacturing parts of the Testing Kit for COVID-19 as this project has to be finished within stipulated time. Maheshwari Wires will be supplying the required quantity of brasswires. n
Sterlite Technologies Awarded with Zero Waste to Landfill Certification
To ensure zero waste goes to landfills at each of these units, STL has trained and spread awareness around effective waste management amongst its employees.
Sterlite Technologies awarded with zero waste to landfill certification by US-based Intertek
April 6, 2020
Sterlite Technologies Limited, a global data networks
innovator, announced today that it has been awarded a 'Zero Waste to Landfill' Certification by Intertek (US), a
FORM IV
Statement about ownership and other particulars about Wire & Cable India
1. Place of publication : New Delhi
2. Periodicity of its publication : Bi-monthly
3. Printer's Name : Parveen Kumar Jain Nationality : Indian Address : F-14/22, Model Town-II, New Delhi-110009
4. Publisher's Name : Parveen Kumar Jain Nationality : Indian Address : F-14/22, Model Town-II, New Delhi-110009
5. Editor's Name : Parveen Kumar Jain Nationality : Indian Address : F-14/22, Model Town-II, New Delhi-110009
6. Names and addresses of individuals who own the newspaper and partners or shareholders holding More than one per cent of the total capital : Parveen Kumar Jain Address : F-14/22, Model Town-II, New Delhi-110009.
I, Parveen Kumar Jain hereby declare that the particulars given above are truetothebestofmyknowledgeandbelief.
Date: 01 March, 2020
Signature of Publisher
COVID-19 Testing Kit
leading Total Quality Assurance provider to industries worldwide. With this accreditation, STL's manufacturing plants in India have become the world's first integrated optical fiber cables, specialty cables, and optical fiber manufacturingfacilitiestowintheinternationalcertification.
Manufacturing waste and its disposal is one of the biggest environmental challenges across the globe. In India, landfilling continues to be a major cause of environmental problems and health hazards. To address these rising concerns, STL is making efforts to drastically reduce waste by having extensive recycling programs. Across STL's facilities, by-products generated are also being increasingly repurposed for industries that can further use them as inputsfortheirmanufacturingprocesses.
These sustainability initiatives have also ensured proactive action towards global issues like water management and climate change. Waste unique to the industry was diverted
by using waste to energy (WTE) technology. Moreover, to ensure zero waste goes to landfills at each of these units, STL has trained and spread awareness around effective waste management amongst its employees and larger communityarounditsfacilities.
Commenting on the achievement, Akanksha Sharma, Head-Sustainability and CSR, STL said, “Sustainability is core to us at STL and a strong part of our integrated ESG framework. With a vision to ensure 100 percent waste reduction and reuse, we have been efficiently working towards managing waste and also bring innovation into practice through a circular economy. The Zero Waste to Landfill program has encouraged us to continuously work towards improving our processes, both up and down stream. It is our endeavor to drive responsible business practices across the value chain and we are committed towardsthis.” n
Primetals Technologies Sells Steel Rod Mill to HBIS Shijiazhuang Iron & Steel Co. Ltd.
The new plant will provide improved tolerance and mechanical properties for high-quality carbon steel products.
April 6, 2020
To comply with environmental regulations and improve
production, HBIS Shijiazhuang Iron & Steel Co. Ltd. has signed a contract with Primetals Technologies for a new steel rod mill in Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province, China. The plant, which is being relocated from within Shijiazhuang City limits because of environmental protection rules, will feature high-capacity Morgan Reducing Sizing Mill (RSM) technology for thermo-mechanical rolling of larger diameter products.Start-upisexpectedinlate2020.
The mill will include a high-speed rod outlet with 250 “V” pre-finishing mill, 680 shear, eight-stand 250/230 Morgan Vee No-Twist Mill, 250/150 RSM, Pinch Roll/Laying Head, an 11-zone Morgan Stelmor Conveyor and a stepless reform station. The plant will have an annual capacity of 400,000 tons and is designed for output speeds of 115 meters per second. Rods ranging from 5 to 25 millimeters in steel grades including alloyed structural, bearing, spring, free cutting, tire cord, welding wire, cold heading quality (CHQ), and tool steel will be manufactured from billets of 200millimeterssquareand150millimeterssquare.
HBIS Shijiazhuang Iron & Steel Co. Ltd., which is based in Shijiazhuang, produces quality carbon steels, spring steel and bearing steel for automotive, cold heading applica-
tions, welding wire and wire rope. The company is a subsidiary of HBIS Group Co. Ltd., which was founded in 2008. The company also has purchased a bar mill from Primetals Technologies that is in operation and is not part of the relocation. HBIS Group has several rod mills from PrimetalsTechnologiesinHandanandXuanHua.
No-Twist and Stelmor are registered trademarks of PrimetalsTechnologiesLtd.incertaincountries. n
Morgan Stelmor Conveyor from Primetals Technologies in use during production.
Hyderabad's Durgam Cheruvu Cable Bridge in Last Stage of Construction
Works on Hyderabad's first cable-stayed bridge at Durgam Cheruvu are in the last lap and it would be thrown open on July 30 for public.
May 12, 2020
Works on Hyderabad's first cable-stayed bridge at Durgam Cheruvu are in the last lap and it would be thrown open on July 30 for the public. 96 percent civil works pertaining to the structure were completed and 5 percent works on side railing and 20 percent of architectural lighting works unfinished would be completed by the targeted deadline.
There is not much work left to do but around 2-3 percent of side railing works and installing modern crash barriers on structures are under process. Cable bridge railing and painting works are also pressed into fast track mode. Though cable bridge construction works were finished long back, the major bridge is getting ready to wish Hyderabad with vibrant colours, around 2-5 percent works of the bridge leftover except lighting works will be completed by the deadlineofJuly30.
Multi-colored lighting with different themes on cable bridge is a China-based technology designed with the crash barriers to operate the lightings automatically through specialsoftware. n
Viraj Profiles Offers Employment for Family Members of Frontline Corona Warriors
Viraj Profiles Ltd. is a leading global stainless-steel producer with integrated manufacturing facilities, located at Tarapur, Maharashtra. Viraj exports its stainless-steel products (wires, wire rods, welding wires, flanges, fasteners, bright bars and profiles) to more than 92 countries spread over 6 continents.
April 28, 2020
Viraj Profiles has announced a value creation initiative in
its response and as support to the government and communityinitscontinuingfightagainstCOVID-19.
The company is offering priority in employment opportunities for the immediate relatives of all Palghar district frontline COVID-19 warriors inter alia health workers, police, government officials who are fighting the pandemic selflessly in an effort to curb the spread of the virus and therebykeepingcitizensandresidentssafe.
Announcing the initiative, Mr. Neeraj Kochhar, Chairman & Managing Director, Viraj Profiles Limited, said, “Viraj Group expresses its sincere gratitude and appreciation to the District Administration and various government departments and agencies dealing with COVID-19. We are
Durgam Cheruvu Cable Bridge
Mr. Neeraj Kochhar, Chairman & Managing Director, Viraj Profiles Limited
grateful for the actions taken by the administration and the efforts made by all medical personnel and administration people in this continuing effort. As an expression of solidarity and gratitude, we are announcing this initiative which we believe will create long-term value for the families of all those working tirelessly on the frontlines helping to securethehealthandwell-beingofthepublic.”
Elaborating further about this special initiative, Mr. Kochhar said, “We will offer priority employment opportunities for the immediate relatives of frontline Covid-19 warriors and support personnel who are engaged in the frontlines. Dependents of these remarkable individuals who are currently unemployed can apply for a position at Viraj's website or mail their CV to the company. We are currently looking for machine operators, crane operators, grinding machine operators, wire drawing machine operators, peeling machine operators, diploma holders (mechanical,
electrical, and metallurgy). We have deployed a special recruitmentteamwhowillscreensuchprofilesonpriority.
“We stand together with the district administration and state and central governments in this unprecedented and difficult time. While we pray for the situation to return to normal soon, we are inspired to do everything we can for those who put others' lives ahead of theirs and are being role models forthecommunity,”Mr.Kochharadded.
Viraj Profiles Limited has been closely working with the local administration and health department to ensure a safe working environment for its employees. The company has been actively reaching out to the people in the remote areas in and around Palghar district to distribute food packets to them. So far, the company has distributed more than 8,000 food packets across Boisar, Palghar, Vasai, Jwahar and Mokhada. n
NKT Awarded Major Share of SuedOstLink HVDC Corridor Projects in Germany
NKT has been awarded a large turnkey contract of approx. EUR 500 million by the German transmission system operator 50Hertz.
May 5, 2020
The contract comprises supply and installation of 525 kV XLPE high-voltage DC (direct current) onshore cable solution for a significant portion of the SuedOstLink transmissionlineinroutelengthsofapprox.275km.
SuedOstLink will be the world's first large commercial 525 kV XLPE high-voltage DC 2GW transmission line and forms part of the so-called German corridor projects aiming to significantly increase renewable energy supply in the country. NKT has a strong footprint in Germany, with facilities in Cologne, Nordenham and Berlin and is therefore ideally located to supply and install the needed solutions for theselargecorridorprojects.
The 525 kV XLPE high-voltage DC cable solution to be delivered by NKT for SuedOstLink comprises three lots of a total of five, which constitutes the full cable part of the project. The NKT contract value of approx. EUR 500m in market prices, corresponds to approx. EUR 400m (approx. DKK 3bn) in standard metal prices. NKT expects to start production of the high-voltage DC power cables and accessories end-2021 with installation in mid-2022 and withfinalcompletionin2025.
NKT President and CEO Alexander Kara said, ''I am very pleased that we have booked our largest high-voltage DC order ever by getting a significant part of the SuedOstLink project. This underlines our role as a key partner in the green transformationofGermany.Wehaveworkedwith50Hertzon a number of large high-voltage power cable projects over the
The award of the SuedOstLink project does not change the 2020 financial outlook for NKT.
years, and I am excited that our leading expertise and knowhow within 525 kV XLPE high-voltage DC technology is once againrecognizedbyoneofourkeycustomers.''
SuedOstLink is the first of three long-distance power transmission lines in Germany to transport renewable energy from the Northern parts of the country to the South. These transmissions lines are often referred to as the HVDC corridor projects covering a large proportion of the country and they are key to realize the 'Energiewende', Germany's long-term strategy for switching to renewable energies by 2050. The SuedOstLink 2 GW transmission line will link the federal states of Saxony-Anhalt and Bavaria andisexpectedtobecommissionedby2025. n
Prysmian Secures Over EUR 500 Million Contract for A-Nord Power Cable Link in Germany
Prysmian will deliver a fully qualified ±525 kV high voltage DC (Direct Current) cable system consisting of copper cables, insulated with their own proprietary P-Laser technology.
May 11, 2020
PrysmianGrouphasbeenawardedacontractbyAmprion GmbH, the German grid operator, for the A-Nord underground cable connection, part of the 2GW German Corridor “A” electricity transmission project. Worth over EUR 500 million, Prysmian will design, manufacture, supply, lay, joint, test and commission a 1GW underground cable system alongtheentireNorthernrouteofthisGermanCorridor.
“This award, almost coinciding with the recent SuedOstLink project award, also in Germany, recognizes yet again our commitment in the development and upgrading of power grids to support the energy transition. It is a source of great satisfactiontoseethatourundeniableknow-how,projectexecutionand innovation capabilities are gaining fully acknowledgment” saidValerioBattista,CEOofPrysmianGroup.
Prysmian will deliver a fully qualified ±525 kV HVDC cable system consisting of copper cables, insulated with their own proprietary P-Laser technology, complete with a separate insulated metallic return cable. The Group will provide all related accessories and integrated PRY-CAM monitoring system, carrying out the design and installation works with a dedicated local project engineering and management team. The route, with a total length of around 300 km, runs from Emden in Lower Saxony to Osterath in Nordrhein-Westfalen. Construction of the HVDC system is scheduledtocommencewithin2023.
“We are delighted to be working with Amprion on this project: The A-Nord project will be one of the main arteries of the German transmission grid, connecting the key generation sites in Northern regions, characterized by many onshore and offshore wind energy sources, to southern regions, especially in west Germany, where more conventional power plant capacities are located,” stated HakanOzmen,EVPProjectsBU,PrysmianGroup.
P-Laser, Prysmian's fully recyclable, eco-friendly highperformance cable technology based on HPTE (High Performance Thermoplastic Elastomer), is suited for the highest voltage levels, being able to deliver enhanced thermal performance, high intrinsic reliability and higher environmental credentials compared to more conventional technologies. n
Sumitomo Electric Secures EUR 500 Million Corridor
A-Nord High Voltage DC Underground Cable Project
SEI has been leading the international power cable industry with its own-developed HVDC XLPE insulation technology.
May 11, 2020
Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd., with the support of its technology partner, Südkabel GmbH, will deliver the highest voltage 525kV XLPE Insulated HVDC underground cable system for German Corridor Project to supply renewable power generated in the North Sea of Germany to thecentralandsouthernpartofthecountry.
Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd. (SEI) has been awarded a major HVDC underground cable project, Corridor A-Nord,
by the German Transmission System Operator, Amprion GmbH. The project will form part of the so-called German HVDC corridor projects and is considered one of the most critical power transmission infrastructure projects in the country to support the “Energy Transition” of Germany to introduce more renewable energy to consumers and reducethecountry'sCO2emissions.
There are two projects; “Corridor A-Nord” in the northern part and “Ultranet” in the southern part. Both are part of a
Prysmian will deliver a fully qualified ±525 kV HVDC cable system
Multiterminal HVDC-Link which connects three converter stations in the cities of Emden, Osterath and Phillipsburg. SEI will be responsible for the design, manufacture, logistics, installation, jointing works, commissioning and maintenance of the approximately 300 km long cable route for Corridor A-Nord. Start of Construction activities is scheduledfor2023.
“It is a great honor for us to be awarded a project of this magnitude that will provide such important infrastructure for the German society. We are pleased that Sumitomo's stateof-the-art and innovative DC525kV cable technology has been recognized and highly regarded by Amprion, and we are committed to working together with Amprion to complete the project in a safe, timely and reliable manner” statement by SEI's Managing Executive Officer, Yasuyuki Shibata.
SEI has been leading the international power cable industry with its own-developed HVDC XLPE insulation technology.
In 2019, SEI successfully commissioned the NEMO Project; the HVDC interconnector between UK and Belgium, with 400kV XLPE technology which is currently the highest commercial operational voltage of such insulation in the world. With realization of Corridor A-Nord project, SEI will further strengthen its leading position in the HVDCindustry. n
NKT Wins Order to Connect Large Danish Solar Farm to the Power Grid
The Danish utility N1 is preparing to connect the Danish solar farm Vandel III to the power grid to support the transition to renewable energy. NKT has won the order of approximately 135 km of high-voltage power cables to reinforce the local power grid to ensure efficient distribution.
May 14, 2020
NKT has been awarded the order for 135 km 72 kV XLPE power cable to connect the Danish solar farm Vandel III to the power grid. When fully operational, Vandel III will be one of Europe's biggest solar farms with a production capacity of 152.000 kWh, which is enough to cover the supply for 34,000 households. For NKT, the project win marks one of the biggest orders for solar power and it clearly highlights the importance of reinforcing the power grid to meet the growing amount of renewable energyintheenergymix.
We are proud to support N1 with an upgraded infrastructure for one of the most ambitious solar power projects in the Nordics. A reinforced power grid is essential if we are to make the global transition to renewable energy a success and huge infrastructure investments are required in all areas of the power grid to ensure sufficient capacity for efficient power distribution, says Stefan Persson, Head of Sales in Applications covering low- and medium-voltage power cables in NKT. For the utility N1 reinforcing the power grid is essential as more renewable energy needs to be integratedinthegrid.
The transition to renewable energy is a natural part of our everyday life in N1 and we see more and more projects like
Vandel III. To ensure a successful integration, it is important for us to constantly reinforce the power grid to support the green transformation as well as maintaining our high distribution security to our 750,000 grid customers, says Daniel Skovsbo Erichsen, Director and VP for Business ManagementandMarketSupportinN1.
NKT will produce the power cable at the company's factories in Asnæs, Denmark, and Falun, Sweden, with expected delivery in 2020 to N1 which is one of the largest utilities in Denmarkpowering750,000householdsandbusinesses. n
Sumitomo Electric to deliver HVDC cables
NKT has been awarded the order for 135 km 72 kV XLPE power cable
Anil Ambani Puts up Delhi Power Distribution Businesses for Sale
Reliance Infrastructure has hired KPMG to find buyers for its 51% stake each in BSES Rajdhani Power Ltd. (BRPL) and BSES Yamuna Power Ltd. (BYPL), the people said on condition of anonymity.
May 12, 2020
At least eight investors, including Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ), Actis LLP and Brookfield Asset Management, have showed initial interest in buying Reliance Infrastructure Ltd's Delhi electricity distribution businesses, said three people aware of the development. The other potential investors are Greenko Energy Holdings, Enel Group, I Squared Capital, Torrent Power and Wade Capital Group LLC, the people said on conditionofanonymity.
Reliance Infrastructure has hired KPMG to find buyers for its 51 percent stake each in BSES Rajdhani Power Ltd. (BRPL) and BSES Yamuna Power Ltd. (BYPL), the people said on condition of anonymity. The two power distribution businesses cater to around 4.4 million customers in the national capital. Reliance Infrastructure's plan to sell the businesses follows the sale of its Mumbai city power distribution business to Adani Transmission Ltd. for Rs. 18,800 crore in August 2018. Reliance Infrastructure is part of the Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group, which is trying to sell assetstopaydowndebt.
While a Reliance Infrastructure Ltd. spokesperson did not
respond to Mint's queries emailed on Friday night, a KPMG spokesperson declined to “comment on any companyspecific matters”. Queries emailed to CDPQ, Actis Llp, Brookfield, Greenko Energy Holdings, I Squared Capital andTorrentPowerremainedunanswered.
While announcing the March quarter earnings, Reliance Infrastructure said it “aims to be zero debt in the next financialyearbasedonliquidityevents”. n
Telecom Group Red Flags Chinese Fiberhome, Seeks Termination of PowerGrid's Purchase Order
PowerGrid telecom network is being used by various government agencies such as the National Informatics Centre (NIC), Intelligence Bureau (IB), and Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) for transmission of critical data and information, as mentioned by the Telecom group in a letter raising doubts over the Chinese company.
May 6, 2020
elhi-based group that represents homegrown
Dcompanies has sought cancellation of a purchase order issued to Chinese optic fiber maker Fiberhome for enhancing national telecom backbone and access network by state-run PowerGrid Corporation of India Limited (PGCIL).
In a letter dated April 29 to PGCIL Chairman, a copy of which was also sent to the National Security Advisor (NSA), and Secretaries of Power and Home departments, the Telecom Exports Promotion Council (TEPC) said that telecom equipment coming from China could pose "serious threat"toIndia'snationalsecurity.
Fibrehome is a Wuhan-based producer of fiber optic and
Anil Dhirubhai Ambani, Chairman, Reliance Group (also known as Reliance ADA Group)
PowerGrid Corporation of India Limited
had bagged the mega pan-India fiber-based network program worth nearly Rs 3,500 crore by the state-controlled
company that aims to offer broadband services and further resellbandwidthtopublicdepartments.
The domestic industry group in its letter also alleged that Fiberhome was a Chinese state-run company, spun off in 1999 after the transformation of Wuhan Research Institute ofPosts&Telecommunications.
Both PowerGrid and Fiberhome India unit did not respond toe-mailedqueries.
TEPC, citing unfair trade practices by Chinese companies and further inclusion of a reciprocal clause by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) to the public procurement (Make in India) order in February 2020 has asked the state-owned company to wind up the telecom initiativeandinvitebidsafresh. n
Envisaged as part of the Inter State Transmission System project, the Gurgaon Palwal Transmission Project (GPTL) will meet the peak energy requirements of Haryana.
April 14, 2020
Sterlite Power has announced the commissioning of
Gurgaon Palwal Transmission Project (GPTL) worth INR 1,027 crore, that will enhance the power capacity of Gurugram and Palwal areas in the state of Haryana by ~2000MW.
Envisaged as part of the Inter State Transmission System project, the Gurgaon Palwal Transmission Project (GPTL) will meet the peak energy requirements of Haryana, which is expected to reach more than 12000 MW in FY 20-21 from 9000 MW in 2014-15. The project will evacuate ~2000 MW to Haryana Vidyut Prasaran Nigam Ltd. (HVPNL) ensuring access to reliable power for more than 3 million households inthestate.
With more than 10,000 high capacity diesel generation (DG) sets installed in Gurugram, the project will play a pivotal role in minimizing their usage and subsequent reduction in pollution levels brought on by combustion of diesel.
Commenting on this significant milestone, Pratik Agarwal, Managing Director, Sterlite Power, said, “We are proud to have completed the GPTLproject which will help bring 24x7 power to the Gurugram area. This project will not only benefit the people of Haryana by providing reliable power supply but will also bring cleaner air to NCR by reducing the useofdieselfiredgeneratorsets.”
The project consists of four 400 kV double circuit transmission lines with total length of 143 kms, 3 Gas Insulated Substations (GIS) at Prithla, Kadarpur and Sohna Road, 2
bay extensions at Dhanonda and a LILO connecting the 400 kVDC Gurgaon-Manesar transmission line. The company had won this project through tariff-based competitive bidding process and executed it under the Build, Own, OperateandMaintain(BOOM)model.
The project implemented one-of-its-kind innovation with India's first vertical GIS substations being built at Prithla, Kadarpur and Sohna. These 400/220 kV GIS substations are multi-storied substations with a rooftop 220 kV open switchyard. A conventional GIS substation of similar capacity generally requires 12 acres of land, but this innovative solution is built only on 3.8 acres resulting in 75 percent reduction in land size. Apart from the vertical substations, Multi Circuit Monopole towers have been built to optimize the space challenges related to the project. Apart from saving land, all these innovations have resulted in offsetting more than 18,000 tons of CO2 emissions each year as compared to a conventional layout for a similar GIS substation. n
The project consists of four 400 kV double circuit transmission lines with total length of 143 kms.
REC Board Approves Incorporation of 7 SPVs to Facilitate Evacuation of Renewable Energy
RECTPCL auctions these transmission projects and hands over the incorporated entities to successful bidders for development and operation.
April 9, 2020
State-owned shadow banking firm REC Ltd. board has approved a proposal to incorporate seven power transmission projects which would facilitate evacuation of renewable energy. These projects will evacuate clean energy from Maharashtra, Madya Pradesh, Karnataka and Rajasthan.
"The board of directors of REC Ltd. in its meeting held on March 25, 2020, inter-alia approved the proposal for incorporation of seven project specific special purpose vehicles (SPVs) as wholly-owned subsidiaries of REC Transmission Projects Company Ltd (RECTPCL), a whollyownedsubsidiaryofREC,"accordingtoaregulatoryfiling.
RECTPCL auctions these transmission projects and hands over the incorporated entities to successful bidders for development and operation. The seven transmission projectsareallocatedbythepowerministry.
These seven SPVs include a transmission system for evacuation of power from RE projects in Osmanabad area (1gigawatt)inMaharashtra.
Besides, the board has also approved three transmission systems for evacuation of power from RE projects in Rajgarh (2,500 megawatts) SEZ in Madhya Pradesh; in
These projects also include three transmission systemstrengthening schemes for evacuation of power of 8.1 GW each from solar energy zones in Rajasthan. The companies to be incorporated will also be wholly-owned subsidiary companiesofRECLtd.,itstated. n
Prysmian Group Announces World's First 180µm Fiber Cable for FTTx and 5G Networks
With these cables, Prysmian Group continues to prove that it truly is a global manufacturer that leverages on its worldwide knowledge and capabilities.
April 27, 2020
Prysmian Group has launched the world's first
commercially available 180µm fiber cable. Further to previous announcements for BendBrightXS 180µm fiber and Sirocco HD cables, Prysmian combines the two technologies to launch its Sirocco Extreme microduct cable with 288 fibers in a diameter of 6.5mm, providing world record diameter and fiber density for a blown microduct cable of 288 fibers. With a fiber density of 8.7 fibers per mm2, it is possible to install the cable into an 8mm ID duct where previously it was only possible to install up to 192 fibers.
Sirocco Extreme microduct cables utilize Prysmian Group's BendBrightXS 180µm single-mode bend insensitive fiber (ITU-T G.657.A2), providing a solution that's ready for evolvedsystemsandfuture-proof.
“Prysmian's BendBrightXS fibers are capable of providing the necessary standard of cable density, and of supporting the necessary fiber spectrum demanded by new PON technologies” states Ian Griffiths, Director, R&D Telecom Business at Prysmian Group. “Bend-insensitive fiber's resilience gives manufacturers the ability to design cabling solutions which were previously impossible to create, but are now demanded by today's rapidly changing environ-
Solar Power Projects
Gadag (2,500 MW), Karnataka-Part A and in Bidar (2,500 MW),Karnataka.
ments. With their extreme fiber count and reduced diameter, Sirocco Extreme microduct cables make installation faster, more cost-effective and environmental friendly. Designed for installation into microducts, they are perfectly
fitforblowinginhighdensityaccess,FTTxand5Gnetworks and offer a scalable solution that's high-density, physically compact,andeasilydeployableforafuture-fitsolution.”
Sirocco Extreme is currently available in a fiber count of 288 with further fiber counts to be available later in the year. The cable conforms to international standards for optical and mechanical performance and benefits using Prysmian's PicoTube technology making them up to 40 percent smaller than Sirocco microduct cables. This makes it possible to install more fibers into congested duct space and enables the use of smaller ducts for new installations, resulting in lower installation costs and the use of less raw materials. This provides benefits for both the total cost of network deploymentandtheenvironmentalfootprint.
As the world's demand for information continues to increase, fiber networks are becoming more dynamic, crowded, and limited for space, and Sirocco Extreme product enhancements show once again the Group's commitment to respond to these evolving needs of the market. n
Larsen & Toubro Wins Significant Contracts for Power Transmission, Distribution
Though the company did not mention the value of the contracts, a 'significant' contract ranges between INR 1,000 crore and INR 2,500 crore as per its specification.
April 20, 2020
Engineering and construction giant Larsen & Toubro
(L&T) has won 'significant' power transmission and distributioncontractsinIndiaandabroad.
Though the company did not mention the value of the contracts, a 'significant' contract ranges between Rs 1,000 croreandRs2,500croreasperitsspecification.
"The power transmission and distribution business of L&T Construction has bagged orders in India and abroad. The business has won an order to modernize the power distribution network in a subdivision of the Bangalore MetropolitanAreaZone.
With the scope involving conversion of high-voltage overhead lines into underground cables and creation of additional feeders for load bifurcation, the project will enhance the reliability of the power system," the company saidinastatement.
Similar distribution network strengthening orders have been received in the northern and western parts of the subcontinentaswell.
L&T Construction has bagged orders in India and abroad.
The statement said the business has also bagged orders to establish 220 kilovolts (kV), 132 kV substations and 132 kV cablenetworksinIndia,theMiddleEastandAfrica.
In a consortium, another order has been secured for the rehabilitation of substations and transmission lines associatedwithhydropowerplantsinMyanmar,itsaid.
Additional orders have been received in the ongoing substation, transmission line and renewable energy jobs in India,itadded. n
180µm Fibre Cable Representational Image
L-com Expands Fiber Product Offering with New Bulk Fiber Cables
The company has launched new products in its stock of bulk fiber cable line. May 7, 2020
The US-based L-com has expanded its in stock offering
of bulk fiber cable and fiber connectors to address high speedvoice,videoanddatanetworkingapplications.
L-com's new bulk fiber cable line consists of single-mode and multimode (OM1, OM2 and OM3) fiber cable that is sold in intervals of one meter. Options include OFNR, OFNP and LSZH cable jackets, simplex, duplex and breakout cable styles as well as tactical military-style cable options. To address a wide breadth of applications and installations, these new fiber cables are available in 1.6mm, 2.0mm,2.5mm,and3.0mmcableO.D.s.
Additionally, bend insensitive bulk fiber is now available in 3.0mm cable O.D.s and with a 2.5mm cable O.D. Bend insensitive fiber is a perfect solution for tighter bend radius installations since it offers less attenuation than standard fibercableswhensubjecttoatightbendradius.
To complement their new bulk fiber cable offering, L-com has added a variety of 900um, 1.6mm, 2.0mm, 2.5mm and 3.0mm multimode and single-mode fiber connectors to address new cable builds and repairs. Fiber connector
L-com's new bulk fiber cable and fiber optic connectors are all in stock and available for immediate shipment.
types include FC connectors, SC connectors, LC connectors as well as Multimode and Single-Mode ST connectors. Also included are Versatile Link plastic optical fiber HFBR connectors.
“Our new line of bulk fiber cable and associated connectors provides a perfect solution for new build-outs, retrofits and cable repair applications that require high-quality, highperformance fiber solutions. By offering a wide selection of in stock fiber cables and connectors we are able to meet the urgent needs of our customers,” said Paul Hospodar, ProductLineManager. n
Sterlite Power Commissions 765KV Khandwa Substation in
Madhya Pradesh
Sterlite Power won the INR 1,370 crore Khargone Transmission project in 2015 through tariff-based competitive bidding process and is executing it under the Build, Own, Operate and Maintain (BOOM) model.
April 29, 2020
Sterlite Power, a leading global power transmission
player, commissions the 765kV Khandwa substation in Madhya Pradesh, which is part of the Khargone Transmission Limited (KTL) project. This will play an important role in stepping down the high voltage 1320 MW power from Khargone Power Plant to further distribute it downstream to 50 million households across the states of MadhyaPradesh,MaharashtraandGujarat.
Sterlite Power has so far commissioned 5 out of 6 elements in the project – 765kV substation at Khandwa, 765kV DC Khandwa-Indore transmission line, 400kV DC KhandwaKhargone transmission line, 400kV LILO and Dhule bay extension. With these elements charged, KTL is already generating55.55percentrevenueintariffs.
Sterlite Power Commissions 765KV Khandwa Substation in Madhya Pradesh
Sterlite Power won the INR 1,370 crore Khargone Transmission project in 2015 through tariff-based competitive bidding process and is executing it under the Build, Own,OperateandMaintain(BOOM)model. n
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Vol.: 9 / No. 03 Mar-Apr, 2020
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