Kirloskar Bros eyes China

Kirloskar Brothers Ltd. (KBL), a leading pump manufacturing company, plans to enter China with at least one plant. The Pune-based company has plants in UK and Africa. At present, KBL supplies its pumps to China through Hong Kong.

The company may also go for acquisition or merger in the US similar to its acquisition of a UK-based company in 2003.

KBL also aims to be one of the world's top 15 pump manufacturing companies within this year and one of the world's top five companies by 2015.

Sanjay Kirloskar, chairman and managing director, said, "KBL plans to strengthen its international presence. We have a manufacturing facility in UK and in the African continent. We are now looking at China as we don't have any direct presence there." he said.

He, however, did not elaborate on when it would enter the Chinese market and how much it would invest.

The company had acquired UK-based SPP Pumps Ltd in 2003, which was part of the Thyssen Bornemiscza Group.

The company manufactures and exports pumping packages in a variety of market segments like construction, irrigation, fire-fighting, water supply and sewage.

About the earlier acquisition, Kirloskar said, "SPP has a dominant market share in the United Kingdom fire-fighting market. It is recognised in Europe and Commonwealth countries in Asia and Africa as a supplier of quality equipment. It is also a significant player in the West Asian markets for the water supply, sewage and the oil field sectors."

On the company's business he said they had orders worth Rs 1,500 crore in and outside the country.

"We have recently signed a Rs 344-crore contract with the Andhra Pradesh government to construct pumping stations at Vasanthavada as part of the Peddavagu project and the Bandarugudem tank, including electro-mechanical and hydro-mechanical works. The contract also includes site development for the Indira Sagar Lift Irrigation Project (Polavaram)."

The company also has an order to set up a pumping facility for a power station project in Texas, US, besides ongoing projects in Egypt over the river Nile, he said adding they had over 50 projects in Egypt.