Skipper Ltd to expand PVC pipe production to 100k tonne in 3 yrs

The company will be setting up three new production units in other parts of India within the current financial year

Kolkata-based Skipper Limited, a flagship company of the SK Bansal Group, is looking to to expand production of PVC pipe to 100,000 tonne in next three years from current 10,000 tonnes. Moreover, in order to cater to the western region of India, the company has commissioned manufacturing facility at Ahmedabad in Gujarat.

Apart from the newly commissioned plant in Gujarat, Skipper Ltd will be setting up three new production units in other parts of India within the current financial year.

"So far, we are mostly present in eastern parts of India. Now we are expanding our reach and planning to expand PVC pipe manufacturing to 100,000 tonne a year in next three years. Our national market expansion program has also started with our first facility in Gujarat, with further facilities coming up in various parts of the country," said Devesh Bansal, director of Skipper Ltd.

Currently, Skipper's production capacity is 10,000 tonnes in West Bengal. The company is also setting up production units in Guwahati, Ghaziabad and one unit in Andhra Pradesh, which will be commissioned this year itself.

Skipper Ltd. has invested about Rs 50 crore in Gujarat for setting up the production unit with capacity of 10,000 tonnes a year. The company plans to expand production of PVC pipes up to 40,000 tonnes in next three years in Gujarat, depending on market conditions especially in the western region.

"We will look to achieve at least 10 per cent market share of the Gujarat market within next three years. Our new plant in Gujarat will have the latest pipe extrusion machineries with world class infrastructure. We will have almost about 80 per cent automation in the plant, one of the highest in the industry," said Siddharth Bansal, director, Skipper.

According to the company, total market of PVC pipes in India is about Rs 15,000 crore annually. In Western India, Maharashtra leads with Rs 2,200 crore worth PVC pipes market, while Gujarat is around Rs 1,700 crore. The Indian PVC pipes and fittings market is pegged to be at Rs 20,000 crore by FY '19, growing by 7-8 per cent per annum.

Established in 1981, Skipper is one of the leading manufacturers and suppliers of Towers (telecom and transmission), PVC, GI, and SWR Pipes & Fittings in India.

The company's market reach spans the length and breadth of the country and its global presence spans across South America, Europe, Africa, Middle East, south and south East Asia and Australia. The company's turnover is about Rs 1,200 crore and it is expected to grow by 25 percent a year.