bauma CONEXPO INDIA can help us to showcase our new filtration technology and to enhance our contacts with OEMs

– SANJAY AGARWAL

Director, Filtrec Bharat Manufacturing

What are your plans for bauma CONEXPO INDIA in terms of product display?

We will be displaying our wide range of products such as Pressure Line Filters, Suction Filters, Return Filters, and Accessories. Furthermore, the focus will be on the products for the excavator segment such as breathers, suction filters etc.

From your company’s perspective, please offer your views of bauma CONEXPO INDIA as a business generating platform for the CE sector and what do your feel are the strengths of the exhibition?

As one of the renowned platform, Bauma Conexpo INDIA can help us to showcase our new filtration technology and to enhance our contacts with OEMs and aftermarket customers. Certainly, it is a good learning platform to exchange ideas between corporate customers, corporate suppliers and end-users like owners, mechanic and drivers.

How do you look at the current market in India for your range of Filters?

The Hydraulic Industry in India is growing rapidly and the Hydraulic equipment market is expected to grow at a CAGR of nearly 6.2 percent from 2020-2026. The expansion of aerospace, defence industry as well as new construction projects are offering an opportunity for market growth. Hence, the future of filters in India is quite promising and India has already become a manufacturing hub for filters, also reason being high import costs and duties. Therefore, we have noticed an increase in the number of clients coming in. We are growing as a company and as a part of the construction and mining industry, which accounts for 10% percent of the country’s GDP. In the following years, there will be furthermore upward trend.

How have the sales been for the company this year, and given the ongoing and upcoming building and infrastructural opportunities, what are your sales projections for FY23?

The sales have been growing by 25-30% YOY due to the excellent product performance & feedback and we are expecting a similar growth rate for FY23 as well.

What are the emerging technological trends in your range of Filters?

Filtrec has produced seven-layer elements, an advancement from the existing five-layer elements. The new technology offers high performance in terms of life cycle as well as filtration efficiency. The high dirt holding capacity (DHC) together with low pressure drop increases element life. The new Filtrec technology for filter elements is based on three decades of filter element manufacture knowledge. Filtrec has offered anti-ESD solutions for some years, but our clients may now rely on our new Absolute-BETA product line. BETA may be used to create a broad variety of Filtrec filter components. Our Absolute Beta Technology Filters are smarter and greener in the following ways:

• Lower Energy Consumption
• Economical
• Eco-Friendly

Apart from this, the application of IOT is also being explored in the Hydraulic Filtration Industry for monitoring the oil contamination etc.

What are your investments made in the Indian market in terms of manufacturing facility, distribution network and other aspects?

In the coming months, we will be focused on expanding our production facility to produce certain components (end caps, spiral tubes, inner core, etc.) locally for in-house consumption, along with tapping the existing market potential. We also plan to produce a variety of products (Spin-on filters, etc.), targeting the specific demands of OEM’s and the hydraulic industry’s growth in India. Since we are already OE suppliers to several construction equipment manufacturers for their spare markets, we would emphasise the importance of integrating our filter assemblies into the production chains of the OEM’s.

What are the challenges / bottlenecks that you are facing in the sector?

As the demands for picking up due to the several Government initiatives and growing public spending, we see a challenge in augmenting the Components supplies and quality level for all filter companies, hence we decided to come up with our own Filtration Component Company for servicing all sort of Filtration components requirement across Hydraulic, Diesel and oil. This will give us the control over consistent quality and enable us to support the sudden surge in market demand.

How do you access the future potential for filters in the Indian market? 

The government of India has set ambitious targets for key infrastructure ministries/ departments, including highways, railways, aviation, ports, shipping, petroleum and renewable energy. India is home to the world’s largest road network. In the next five years, the Ministry of road Transport and Highways wants to complete 60,000 km of NH at an average daily construction rate of 40 km. With an average construction cost of about Rs. 30 Crore per kilometer and a conservative inflation rate of 3 percent for road building costs, the total funding requirement over five years to attain this target will entail a good deal of investment from the government. This will be directly proportionate to the increase in the demand of Hydraulic Filtration Industry in the Construction and Equipment sector as well as other Industry segments.

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