Dr Kazuhiro Imaie, Managing Director of Hitachi Hi-Rel Power Electronics, on the company’s present performance and future plans in India.

How long have you been in India and with Hitachi?

I took over as Managing Director of Hitachi Hi-Rel Power Electronics (HHPE), India in April 2016. With a strong background in power electronics), I have been associated with Hitachi, Japan for more than 26 years and worked in different roles, in both technology and business areas. HHPE is now a 100% Hitachi Group Company and is recognised as a pioneer in power electronics, and is on its way to the next level of success.

How and why did Hitachi choose to first invest in and later take over Hi-Rel Electronics Pvt Ltd?

The demand for power electronics products is expected to increase in keeping with the development of various industries in India and Southeast Asia as well as the recent rapid growth of renewable energy market worldwide. We had acquired a major stake in this company way back in 2011, before deciding to take direct control of Hitachi Hi-Rel operations by acquiring 100% stake in Oct 2015. This was done mainly to reinforce the power electronics business through increasing product competitiveness and expanding application fields by enhancing Hitachi Hi-Rel’s R&D, design, and manufacturing structures with making full use of the Hitachi Group’s extensive sales & service network.

By further expanding power electronics business, Hitachi will contribute to the development of industry in India and throughout the world.

What is the vision for the company and the product range?

Having more than 3 decades of experience as Hi-Rel Electronics Pvt Ltd, we have garnered a significant level of trust in this segment and now with direct control of Hitachi management, we continue to offer world class power electronics products, value added services and customised solutions at Hitachi quality. Our vision is to be recognised as the most trusted power electronics company by supplying superior products and services.

We aim to lead all the current market segments – grid tied solar inverters, UPS systems for industrial (non-IT) and enterprise (IT and commercial) applications, medium and low voltage variable frequency drives and other products.

What are the manufacturing and R&D facilities in India?

HHPE has state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities, both at Sanand and Gandhinagar, to manufacture power electronics products conforming to global standards to cater to the Indian and global market. I am particularly pleased with the fact that we are contributing to the ‘Make in India’ initiative of the Indian government since 2011, much before its launch.

The ultra-modern Sanand Manufacturing Works spread over 26,000 sq.m is modelled on Hitachi’s Omika Works in Japan and is one of the most modern power electronics manufacturing facilities in India. This company is a key hub, for both manufacturing as well as R&D, within the Power Electronics division of Hitachi Group and we will leverage it to drive innovation and growth. This geographical advantage, value added solutions and technological leadership help us in serving customers in India and across the globe – USA, Africa, Middle East, South East Asia and Australia.

For solar, presently, we are operating at our maximum manufacturing capacity (150 MW/month). We have an expansion plan in place and our production capacity for both centre inverters and variable drives would be doubled in the next year.

What are the offerings for the solar power sector?

For solar power we offer highly optimised energy solutions based on Hitachi technology like grid tied solar inverter (HIVERTER NP 201i), which is available from 250 kW to 1.25 MW capacities. With 3 level IGBT technology and wider MPPT range, HHPE inverters are delivering considerably high reliability and maximum power generation.

The Hitachi 1.25 MW solar inverter is among the most popular grid tied solar inverters currently in India known for its various technical advantages and major saving in EBOP. We offer highly reliable after sales support from dedicated and decentralised after-sales-service centres located at strategic locations across the country.

How do you rate the performance of your inverters in India across different geographical locations and customer feedback?

Performance of our inverters is definitely good, with excellent generation. We have an installation base of more than a 1 GW in India with around 962 inverter units at different sites (65 locations) in all terrains. Yes, we did experience some challenges initially in terms of inverter breakdown due to differences in installation practice followed in India. We have overcome to this challenge and introduced some minor changes in new systems.

Any significantly important project or case studies of solar plants built using HHPE inverters?

I proud to inform you that we have been chosen as inverter partner for the world’s largest solar power plant in India (648 MW) by a leading business group and we have supplied 360 MW worth of inverters in record time of 3 months.

In last financial year, we had worked on another milestone project in the country and supplied inverters for 150 MW NTPC Ananthpur project through EPCs and successfully commissioned it within the time frame. This was the first solar plant of NTPC under UMPP scheme.

What is your vision and future plans for Hitachi Hi-Rel Power Electronics?

As the MD of HHPE, my vision is to take the company to a new height, to position it as one of the most admired companies in the world, the No. 1 power electronics company in India, and one of the top performing Hitachi group companies with power electronics business at the centre, contributing significant growth in revenue and profits. With expertise, experience and an efficient product line, we will always try to be a leader in power electronics sector. One of our core values – customer delight – encourages us to realise our customer’s expectations and to serve them better, all the time, every time.