Bhel Unit Pbt Increases To Rs 312 Crore

The Ramachandrapuram unit of the Bharat Heavy Electricals (Bhel), posted a turnover of Rs 1,466 crore in 1997-98, an all time high for the unit, and 22.7% of corporate turnover with a profit before tax of Rs 312 crore, highest ever in Bhel units forming 31% of corporate PBT.

This has given the unit the much needed bounce to shed the deepening crisis of confidence into which it had found itself following the first few years of liberalisation of the economy.

We are now geared to meet the competition and cross the Rs 2,500 crore turnover point in the next three years, said unit s executive director P Sasamka Babu.

This the Bhel proposes to achieve by upscaling the size of its gas turbines from the existing 70 mw to 240 mw, and concentrating on design optimisation, better procurement practices and improved technology of manufacture, Babu told mediapersons.

The process was set in motion last year itself and it helped the unit in a big way to achieve an all time high profit before tax in the face of falling international prices of power equipment which eroded the company s margins as well.