India has emerged as a global leader in pump manufacturing and export. The Indian pump market was valued at over $18 billion in 2019. With over 800 pump manufacturers, the country produces more than 1 million pumps annually. Indian pumps are also exported to over 100 countries and the industry offers tremendous growth opportunities for international collaboration. It has been estimated that around 16 per cent of India’s pump manufacturing capacity will be used for exports and is bound to grow manyfold in the future. The domestic market for pumps has also witnessed steady growth over the years and is currently worth more than Rs 87 billion.
The pump industry plays a key role in different sectors such as agriculture, construction, water, wastewater management, power generation, oil and gas, and mining. Of these, the agricultural and construction sectors together account for the lion’s share, that is, 46 per cent, of market value. There are a large number of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in these sectors. State-wise, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh constitute the biggest markets for agricultural pump sets. The industrial sector comprises the remaining 54 per cent of the pump market. This segment requires higher investment due to its technology-intensive nature and, therefore, has fewer SMEs.
The domestic pump industry is highly fragmented and consists of a few major players and a large number of SMEs. The organised pump industry with over 300 players holds a 55 per cent market share, whereas the unorganised pump industry with over 600 players accounts for the remaining 45 per cent.
The organised pump market in India has a small number of large domestic and multinational players and a large number of mid-sized players. The main manufacturing clusters are located in Coimbatore, Rajkot and Ahmedabad. Imports account for less than 10 per cent of the pumps sold in India with countries such as China, Japan, Italy and the US being the key importing sources. Kirloskar Brothers Limited (KBL) is the market leader with a 14 per cent share in the organised pump market. Other leading players include CRI Pumps, KSB Pumps, Crompton Greaves, Grundfos, WPIL, Texmo and Shakti Pumps.
KBL mainly offers large and medium pumping solutions for complex fluid management systems through a range of 75 pump types. It also offers over 28 types of valves for industrial and large-scale applications. The company has collaborated with the governments of Angola, Cambodia, Egypt, Ghana, Senegal, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, and others to provide various pumping solutions. Another major player in the Indian organised pump market is KSB Pumps, which holds a market share of around 10 per cent. The manufacturing facilities of KSB Pumps are spread across six centres in India with each facility catering to a particular product line. The company provides pumping solutions to various sectors such as water, wastewater, construction, energy, and oil and gas. It supplies 35 per cent of its submersible motor pumps to the irrigation and building sectors, while the remaining 65 per cent are sold to the industrial segment. Crompton Greaves has also emerged as a key player in the organised pump market. The company mainly offers agricultural and residential pumping solutions with a market size of Rs 45 billion and Rs 30 billion respectively.
Pump manufacturers can also be classified on the basis of the type of pumps supplied. In India, centrifugal pumps have a market share of around 95 per cent, while positive displacement pumps comprise the remaining 5 per cent share. The key manufacturers of centrifugal pumps are KBL, KSB Pumps, Crompton Greaves, AquaSub Engineering, CRI Pumps, Grundfos, Flowmore, Mather & Platt, Sulzer, Shakti Pumps, Flowserve, WPIL and Jyoti Limited. The key suppliers of positive displacement pumps are SPX Corporation, Seepex India Private Limited, Colfax Corporation, Roto Pumps, Alfa Laval Corporation, Ingersoll Rand Corporation, Dover Corporation and NETZSCH.
While all major players in the organised pump market witnessed substantial growth over the past few years, the outbreak of Covid-19 brought the pumps and valves industry to a standstill. With a significant contraction in demand, the industry had to reduce production and adapt to the digitalisation of various processes. The industry is now gradually resuming operations and learning to work efficiently under the given circumstances.
Products offered
The players in the organised pump market offer a wide range of products. The pumps being manufactured in India can be classified into two broad categories – dynamic pumps and positive displacement pumps. Dynamic pumps can be further classified into centrifugal, vertical centrifugal, horizontal centrifugal, submersible and fire hydrant systems. Meanwhile, positive displacement pumps consist of diaphragm, gear, peristaltic, lobe and piston pumps.
Centrifugal pumps are used commonly as their working is simple, well described and carefully tested. These pumps are also economical and provide operational efficiency. Vertical centrifugal pumps, also known as cantilever pumps, use an exclusive shaft and maintain a design that permits the volume to fall within the pit. Submersible pumps are used in building services, domestic, industrial, commercial, rural, municipal and rainwater recycling applications. These pumps are suitable for shifting storm water, subsoil water, sewage, black water, grey water, rainwater, trade waste, chemicals, bore water and foodstuffs.
Diaphragm pumps are usually deployed in areas that lack adequate power generation sources or are in unstable regions. Gear pumps are rotating positive dislocation pumps that are capable of pumping high thickness fluids efficiently. These pumps do not contain valves and are not suitable for solids and harsh liquids. Peristaltic pumps mainly involve the processing of chemical, food and wastewater as they facilitate a stable flow for measuring and blending. Lobe pumps have superior pumping rooms as compared to gear pumps and can move slurries. These pumps are made with stainless steel and can handle high thickness fluids and solids. In piston pumps, a type of positive dislocation pumps, the high force seal responds through the piston. These pumps are frequently used for irrigation purposes.
Generally, positive displacement pumps offer operational efficiency as they are capable of handling variations in pressure, flow and viscosity. These pumps are also suitable for handling mediums containing high levels of solids, including wastewater and food particles. However, dynamic pumps are easier to use and more economical due to which they are preferred for various operations.
In the past few decades, concrete pumps have gained prominence over other methods of transferring liquid concrete. There are mainly two types of concrete pumps namely, boom pumps and line pumps. Boom pumps use a remote-controlled articulating robotic arm to place concrete accurately. These pumps are used on most of the larger construction projects as they are capable of pumping at very high volumes. Line pumps are either mounted on a truck or placed on a trailer and are also known as trailer-mounted concrete pumps. These pumps require steel or flexible concrete placing hoses to be manually attached to the outlet of the machine. Line pumps normally pump concrete at lower volumes than boom pumps and are used for smaller volume concrete placing applications. There are various challenges associated with designing a concrete pump as concrete is heavy, viscous, abrasive and solidifies if left idle. Hence, piston pumps are used, because they can produce hundreds of atmospheres of pressure and can push cylinders of heterogeneous concrete mixes.
Pumping systems account for an estimated 40 per cent of the electricity used in the industrial sector in India. It has been analysed that over 20 per cent of the energy consumed by pumping systems can be saved through changes to equipment and control systems. Hence, major players in the Indian pump market are expected to adopt energy efficient systems as these systems do not adversely affect operations, but lead to a substantial cost reduction in the long run.
The way forward
The future outlook for pump manufacturers in India is positive with the industry poised to witness major growth over the next decade. Factors such as population growth, industrialisation, growing public awareness about drinking water quality, lower water levels and environmental pressure from government bodies on wastewater discharge are expected to drive future growth in the Indian pump market. Indian companies are, moreover, looking to enter the overseas markets through technology collaborations.
Meanwhile, many small-scale pump manufacturers are providing economical offerings as alternatives to costly pumps. The government has also decided to promote the agricultural sector through various schemes that provide subsidised electricity and exemptions on the use of solar water pumps. All these efforts are expected to increase the demand for pumps in India.