With the government planning to devote Rs 100 lakh crore on infrastructural development in the next five years, the demand for wire and cable is likely to witness robust growth. In this interview, Anil Gupta, CMD, KEI Industries Ltd, explains importance of wire and cable in the economic development and KEI’s growth plans.

 

Budget 2020-21 will be presented soon. What would be your suggestions to the government for boosting demand for wires & cables?

 

As you all know the government has recently announced various measures to bring glory in the Indian economic scenario to achieve the $5-trillion mark for the economy just ahead of the Budget 2020-21. It will be best to make agreeable investments in the power sector to achieve 100 per cent electrification in our country moving forward keeping in mind the aim that we have in the next coming years. Also better and strong investment in the power sector will definitely boost the demands for the wires and the cables industry in this competitive and growing scenario. We are optimistic about the growing market of house wires as they are energy-efficient and meet the highest level of safety standards for domestic and commercial usage.

 

What is driving the demand for wires & cables in India?

 

The wire and cable industry in India has been developing very well because it is positively connected with the growth of the economy. The government is planning to devote Rs 100 lakh crore on infrastructural development in the next five years. As we all know, the wire and cable industry is directly connected with infrastructural development, which includes railways, metros, power, renewable energy, hospitals, government exhibition centres, public centres and national highways, are bound to push up the demand for wire and cable in India. The boom in the industrial sector also increases the demand for wires and cables. In the last three years, huge investments have been made in infrastructural development. Up-gradation of motor vehicle fuel to BS VI has prompted refineries to upgrade themselves with an investment of approximately Rs 2 lakh crore. 

 

With India aiming to become a $1 trillion manufacturing economy, what role do you foresee for wires & cables industry?

 

The wires and cables industry will be playing a major role in the Indian economy with the country aiming to make manufacturing a $1 trillion sector by 2025. Technological advancement and better investment in the wire and cable industry will help in accelerating the growth of the economy. Indian cities will witness huge expansion in underground cables.  

 

What are your growth plans for KEI Industries?

 

We are expecting to grow more than 15 percent in the coming years. Our company had witnessed growth substantially in the past 2-3 years. We at KEI Industries have grown at an annualised rate of 73 percent over FY14-19 and is the fastest growing cable and wire maker, supported by strong institutional and retail sales as well as exports. We have significant pan-India presence in the retail division and have achieved phenomenal progress in this segment over the past few years. We have increased our distribution strength to 1450 channel partners from 1284 in the previous year and the retail sales have grown to almost 43 per cent. We also offer three wires under the house wires segment namely; Homecab-FR, Conflame-FRLS and Banfire-ZHFR. 

 

Any message to the industry on the eve of Elecrama 2020...

 

As you all know ELECRAMA is a platform to connect the world with Indian industry in respect of technology, new trends and innovation for future energy transition. It is also a stage where all global leaders can meet and share their ideas to develop cost effective solutions for the world.