US-based IDEX Corporation, an applied solutions company specialising in fluid and metering technologies, health and science technologies, dispensing equipment, and fire, safety and other diversified products built to its customers' exacting specifications, has commissioned its new manufacturing plant at Savli near Vadodara. Owned by the wholly owned Indian subsidiary, IDEX Fluid & Metering Pvt Ltd, the plant measures 40,000 sq.ft, and has an office structure adjacent to it, measuring 500 sq.ft. A multi-product facility, like the one the company has in China, the Savli plant is and arguably the first fluid and metering plant in India.

"IDEX Corporation is a $2 billion company with a growth target of 15% per year growth. Over 50% of our revenue comes from international regions. We are very excited about India and its growth potential, it free market policies, democracy and positive business environment. We hope to achieve two or three times our global growth target in India," said Mr Andrew K Silvernail, CEO, IDEX Corporation, speaking at the inauguration of the plant. "India is a key market. We have had fantastic growth in India, and the reason we invested here is because we believe in India, and are looking forward to an impressive growth," he added. Appreciating the efforts of the Indian team in erecting the plant in a short time span of nine months, starting February 2011, Silvernail stressed upon the fact that IDEX Corporation is a customer centric company, and wants to be a premier provider of heavy engineered products.

Vice President Group Executive Mr Kevin Hostetler said,"We started our journey in India about 13 years back and with a handful of people. We have since then grown seven times in India and employ over 100 people in India. We have invested about $4 million in the first phase of this facility and we will continue to make investments in India in phased manner. Our fluid and metering products, dispensing equipments and fire and rescue tools out of this facility will cater to nice market applications in oil and gas, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, food processing, water and waste water applications, paint tinting machines, rescue tools."

Managing Director, Mr Rajesh Prasad, said,"We are very excited about this investment in India, it will provide opportunity for our business units to cater to the needs of our customers and distributor partners in the country. We hire 15 to 20 % more people every year and see that continuing over the next several years as we build our capabilities here. We also source locally and provide indirect employment in the region. India is growing fast and Gujarat provides us the infrastructure and business environment to make this investment in Savli, Vadodara. We have had a historical presence in this city and are happy to expand here."

Situated over a plot of 19,600 sq.m, the Savli plant, according to Mr Dhiraj Pandit, Director - Operations at IDEX Fluid & Metering, will manufacture flow meters that are used to accurately and consistently measure the flow of liquid, often hard to handle kinds, and find application in oil refineries, and paint industries.

The plant will also make flow metric valves, and Corken pumps that find use in Pharma and refrigeration industries. The Corken range also includes gas compressors with a unique leakage avoiding technology, and air operated double diaphragm pumps.While the manufacture of Lukas fire rescue tools will commence at the plant in the near future, according to Dhiraj, the other prominent products made at Savli include dispensing and shaking and measuring machines that are used by the paint industry - companies like Asian Paints, Shalimar Paints, and Akzo Nobel. The dispensing and shaking and measuring machines are usually installed at the point of paint sale, and enable mixing and matching of colourants to arrive at the exact shade.

The company, supplying operating software, and active in application engineering give the industry sector it deals with, has team of application engineers based out of the Mumbai office. Having entered the Indian market 14 years ago, it currently employs 125 people in India. Ironically, the Savli plant is not the company's first plant. It is a modern plant alright, but the first plant was the one the company came to acquire at Vadodara a few years ago. Rapid growth gave rise to space constraints, and the operations of the old plant were transferred to the new plant at Savli. Terming the current set up at Savli, which includes seven production cells and common cells for machining, painting, and grinding, as Phase I of the manufacturing project, Mr Mark H Kohler, Vice President, ContinuousImprovement said that the old plant on the other side of Vadodara is being shut down, and the money received from the sale of that property would be used to fund the expansion of the Savli plant.

An export hub apart from manufacturing products for local consumption, some of the products made at the Savli plant are assembled from parts sourced from USA. The flow meters, in comparison have a 60 to 70% local content, according to Dhiraj Pandit, supported by a vendor base the company has come to develop at Vadodara and Ahemdabad. More vendors will be developed as production and growth picks up. Averred Mark, "We will increase localisation going into the future. Will increase sourcing." With a smooth process flow, from west to east, the highlight of the Savli plant, an interesting aspect is the material handling areas. Each production cell has its own material handling area. This helps to minimise the down time. With stress on eliminating non-value processes, the Savli plant, according to Silvernail, represents three (Fluid & Metering, Dispensing, and Fire & Safety/Diversified Products) of the four segments IDEX Corporation is into.

Engineered to have plenty of natural lighting, and effective ventilation, insulation and air circulation to keep the temperatures down, especially in summer when it can get uncomfortably warm, the Savli plant includes a Kaizen cell, a paint booth, and a quality and calibration lab. Enabling products like flow meters to deliver accurate metering results time and again, and under demanding conditions, is the calibration lab. A blend of IDEX calibration facilities the world over, the lab follows both, the US and European standards.

With 15% ROI expected, the Savli plant adds to IDEX Corporation's presence and commitment towards the Indian market. The plant, apart from elevating the capabilities of the company, is certain to go a long towards assuring the clients and distributors that IDEX is here to stay. That IDEX Corporation is listening to needs of its Indian consumers and the team.