Marc Jarrault, Managing Director, Lapp India Pvt, traces the successful journey of Lapp India.

Lapp India, a 100% subsidiary of the LAPP GROUP Germany, is a leading supplier of integrated solutions and branded products in the field of cable and connection technology. Seeing the potential of the Indian market in terms of rapid growth in infrastructure and industrialisation 20 years back, the founder of the company Mr Andreas Lapp decided to set up Lapp Group operations in India. In 1996, Lapp India started its very first manufacturing unit outside Germany, at Jigani, Bangalore. Having made an investment of 2.1 million euro, the Jigani plant is the second largest manufacturing unit of the Lapp Group. The plant has a capacity to manufacture about 120,000 km of multi core cables and 78,000 km of single core wires per annum.

Lapp India reached another milestone in the year 2012, with the establishment of another manufacturing unit at Pilukedi, Bhopal. The Bhopal manufacturing unit has been helping us to strengthen our base in the single core wires segment as well as cater efficiently to growing customer demands in India. It has an existing capacity of 1,000 km of single core cables daily, catering mainly to the Building segment. Bhopal facility also produces 36,000 km of multi core cables resulting in overall capacity increase of 60% in Multicore cables which is used in major industries today, in addition to the existing 216,000 km capacity in single core wires.

Lapp Group’s further invested a total of 5 million euros in the manufacturing plant in Bhopal and expansion of the production unit at Jigani, Bangalore.

And the journey continues…

Lapp India has always been synonymous with Innovation and we strive to develop cables and cabling solutions that assist industries in creating innovative products. Lapp India provides integrated solution to wide industry segments such as oil and gas, automation, textile, cement, steel, infrastructure and construction sectors, renewable energy, process industries as well for machine and building.

A few flagship products of Lapp India are:

>> ÖLFLEX® universal cable used in control applications – besides being the first multi core cable to be manufactured in the world, these cables are suitable for 3 axis rotation applications and also for applications with very high linear bending stress.  ÖLFLEX, FD cables can resist 8-10 million bending cycles of operation. ÖLFLEX cables are the only choice when it comes to machine tool applications as these are oil and chemical resistant. Just to add on, this world renowned cable recently celebrated 50 great years of success.

>> UNITRONIC® data transmission cable- is highly effective in avoiding leakage of signals during data transmission. This is achieved by using tinned copper braiding as a screening material against EMI interference. This is the brand of choice if you want fast, safe and forward-thinking solutions for transferring data. The range includes data cables for all electronic applications, from tiny cables in coffee machines to those transferring huge amounts of data in supercomputers.

>> HITRONIC® fibre optic cables are designed to transfer large volumes of data. Communications media via fibre optics are fast, efficient, and secure. Not even electromagnetic interference can affect HITRONIC fibre optic cable. The HITRONIC range of products includes cables for office communications, industrial applications, simplex, duplex, hybrid wiring, or cable chain applications.

>> ETHERLINE® Ethernet technology-based networks are playing an increasingly important role. We therefore offer reliable system solutions for network technology. The range includes products, software solutions and services for total security and availability.

>> SKINTOP® cable glands guarantee secure connections every time. Simply thread the cable and twist. That’s all! Your cables are perfectly centred, secured, hermetically sealed, and ready for action. Choose from a wide range of models in plastic or brass, for EX and EMC applications, halogen-free types or anti-kink protection, metric, PG or NPT.

>> EPIC® connectors - are used in multiple terminations (no. of wires to be connected), can effectively withstand harsh and dusty environment. It can take up to 216 pins in one connector and has a configuration range of 4 -216 pins. You will find EPIC® rectangular or circular connectors in any machine and plant engineering or drive technology application used for measuring, control, regulation or drive. It is a flexible system consisting of casings, inserts, contacts and accessories which is perfectly suited to any requirement.

Lapp India has developed a new portfolio of products for the Indian market such as:

>> Field Bus Foundation Cables – These cables play a key role in process industries worldwide. Field Bus Foundation Cables transmit digitized data related to diagnoses in process plants. The cables are consistent with the data handled by the medium. The Foundation Field Bus Cable which is manufactured in India complies with the Field Bus Foundation Global Standard FF – 844.

>> OLFLEX Instrum – OLFLEX Instrum Cables are generally used in industrial process manufacturing plants for communication, data and voice transmission signals and services, typically in oil and gas industry. Cable carries signal/data from field instrument, sensors or equipment to the processing unit.

>> OLFLEX Power LV – Cables are ideally required for transmission and distribution of Electric Power. These cables are designed to have high tensile strength and good resistance at high temperature. This will help the power cable in maintaining its electrical properties, in the event of any sudden temperature rise caused during short circuit. This is an important factor to be considered while transmitting Power to Utility load centres, measuring and control in tool machines, production lines, process Industries and electrical substations. The cables conform to IS 7098: (Part1) - 1998 and IS 1554: (Part1) – 1998 tested in CPRI (Central Power Research Institute) India.

>> OLFLEX Fire – These cables provide the optimum solutions under fire by maintaining the circuit integrity for temperatures up to 650 degrees Celsius, 750 degrees Celsius or 950 degrees Celsius. The inner and outer sheaths are specially designed with halogen free compound which reduces emission of fumes and acid gases in the event of fire. The product is available in different construction variants – power, control and instrumentation application.

On the renewable front…

Electricity generated through coal plants is becoming expensive with every passing minute. Frequent power cuts are on the rise as Municipal Corporations and the electricity utilities are finding it difficult to cope with the rapid rise in demand, resulting in severe electricity shortages across most cities and towns. According to Mckinsey India continues to grow at an average rate of 8% for the next 10 years, the demand for power is likely to increase from 120 GW to 315 GW to 335 GW by the year 2017, which is 100 GW more than the current estimate. So hence electricity would become very expensive at this rate.

To keep the consumption as well as the cost under check, The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) is encouraging growth in solar power installations under the auspices of the National Solar Mission. Close to 2,000 MW which would be installed during the course of time which also includes installations of roof top solar. Lapp India saw renewable energy as a great potential for India. Keeping that in mind Lapp India developed a wide range of products for this sector to such as:

a) Solar PV Cables: OLFLEX SOLAR XLR-R®/OLFLEX SOLAR XLR WP®

Some of the features are:
>> Halogen-free and flame-retardant
>> Good notch and abrasion resistance
>> Weather/UV-resistant and Ozone-resistant
>> Reduced outer diameter enable space and weight saving installation
>> Olflex Solar XLR WP can be used for underground installation in conduits in which water, heat and moisture can accumulate

b) MODBUS: UNITRONIC Li2YCY (TP)®

Features:
>> Flame-retardant according IEC 60332-1-2
>> Overall braid minimises electrical interference
>> Decoupling of circuits by means of twisted-pair(TP) design (crosstalk effects)

c) LAN cable: UNITRONIC LAN OUTDOOR®

Features:
>> Transfer of digital and analogue data signals
>> Suitable for outdoor use and direct burial
>> UV-resistant longitudinally and laterally watertight
>> LAN cables for structured building cabling

d) FO Cable: HITRONIC HQW Armoured Outdoor Cable®

Features:
Central loose tube with up to 24 fibres
Colour-coded fibres
Longitudinal watertight
Excellent rodent protection
Robust, halogen-free outer sheath

e) AC cables: OLFLEX POWER LV CABLES®

Features:
Available in both armoured and un-armoured variants
Single, twin, three, four and multi core cross-linked polyethylene (XLPE) or Polyvinylchloride (PVC) insulated with PVC tapped/extruded inner sheath with Polyvinylchloride(PVC) Outer sheath.
More than 10,000 different constructions which serve the purpose of Power and control application as per end users need.

Some of the accessories that Lapp India manufactures for roof top solar are:

>> EPIC DATA 90 RJ45 Cat.6®

Features:
Cable outlet in 4 different 90 degree angles possible
Qualified for 10 Gigabit Ethernet
Suitable for use in industrial applications

>> Protective Conduits: SILVYN RILL PA 6®

Features:
Halogen and cadmium-free
Abrasion-resistant
High resistance to oil, petrol, acids and other chemicals

>> Cable ties®:

Features:
High resistance to bases, oils, greases, oil derivate, solvents containing chlorine
Good UV-resistance of the black cable tie
High tensile strengths

>> Cable lugs: Tube cable lugs KR/KRT/KRF®

Features:
With inspection hole (starting from 4 mm2)
High-quality electrolytic copper ensures a good crimping quality
Mainly for connection to rails and to copper connectors

>> Solar connector: EPIC SOLAR 4 Splitter®

Features:
Splitter for parallel connection of PV-modules and strings
Easy plug and play
Fixing option for a clear installation with a 5mm mounting hole

Lapp India: Achievement’s…

Lapp India in efforts of protecting the environment and the contribution to sustainability, received the ISO 14001: 2008 certification in 2015.

Some of our solar project success stories are:

>> Partnership with Welspun for the largest Solar PV plant at Neemuch, Madhya Pradesh of size 130 MW
>> 50 MW MAHAGENCO PV project done by ABB.
>> 100 MW PV project by Sun Edison executed through L&T and Sterling & Wilson
>> 30 MW PV project of Solaire Direct through ABB
>> 30 MW PV project of Hero Future Energies through Sterling & Wilson

In terms of product innovation, Lapp India has won the trust of customers and this can be seen through our milestone that the company achieved in terms of supplying 1 GW grid connected solar project since its inception in 2010 and also has bagged orders for more than 350MW of PV projects since October 2014.

Way forward…

India’s current economic environment is vibrant and conducive for higher growth for the company. Welcoming business policies, skilled manpower base and its burgeoning market have all combined to enable India to emerge as a viable investment partner to the global industry. The Make in India Initiative will be our primary focus and we tend to drive this initiative in line with our expansion plans at Jigani, Bangalore and second manufacturing plant at Bhopal.

With the buzz around ecommerce, Lapp India will be expanding the e-shop – ‘L app e-Shop’. The e-Shop is a first-of-its kind dedicated digital channel offering the widest range of cabling solutions to the customers in India. Target audience are customers across Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MROs) industry, Research Institutes (for prototype creation), Engineering Companies and Institutes, Laboratories, SMEs. In addition to the existing traditional sales channel, the portal opens up a new avenue for customers to avail the Lapp products through e-purchase. With the launch of e-Shop, Lapp India aims at enabling a perfect integration of the online and physical stores to enhance customer experience and drive growth in sales.

Lapp India aims to further strengthen their position in the control cables segment and penetrate deeper into the market by establishing a stronger brand image in the industry. Lapp India is also strengthening the base in the single core wires segment as well to cater efficiently to growing customer demands in India.

Specialty cables have started to become a significant market, with the growth in applications in many vital sectors of the economy. The Indian Government’s thrust on non-conventional power generation sources such as wind, solar and nuclear power has led to a push in demand for special cables required for these applications. The growing prominence of renewable energy provides a huge opportunity to the wire and cable industry. Solar installations in India are on the course of exceeding 2500 MW in the year through March 2016, topping the 2500 MW target for wind. With only a few states with abundant wind, solar power seems to be a viable option for India, and a good bet for the cable manufacturers.

Expanding our operations in India has been a key focus for us, mainly due to promising growth opportunities presented by the country. In–depth knowledge and the understanding of the Indian industry has provided a thrust for us in the Indian market. We have reoriented our business by focusing on diverse sectors like Cement, Building, F&B, Pharma, which have facilitated in sustaining the growth.