Creating smart, innovative, and high-quality products is critical to our expansion

Abhishek Gupta, Joint Managing Director, Gupta Power Infrastructure Limited. In an interview with EPR magazine.

What are some of the new and promising technology trends that are shaping the power cable industry? 

Time is changing rapidly, and Gupta Power strives to keep up with it. Global investors are labelling India as the next big thing in the high voltage (HV) and extra high voltage (EHV) cable industry. That can only be facilitated by the plethora of technology trends that are fast emerging in the country. With an increased focus on renewable, the power cable industry is looking forward to supplying cables for solar and wind power applications on top of oil, gas, railways and an array of other specialised segments. 

Besides emerging trends such as ‘Smart Grids’ or ‘Distributed Generation’ have infinite potential to change the demand for cables. Although their long-term commercial viability is yet to be fully realised, they seem promising. Another area where substantial developments are being made is E-beam power cables. They are the cables of choice in sectors like railways, shipping, and solar as they are high-temperature applications and their cross-linked polymeric insulation with lower insulation thickness properties proves to be a game-changer. 

What are the key issues and challenges impacting the cable industry and what are the ways forward to address these? 

There are a number of challenges that obstruct the growth of the cable industry in India today. Foremost among them is the volatility in raw material prices, which is another major challenge that can eat into profit margins. Any slight spike in the prices of raw materials such as steel, zinc, copper, and aluminium has an adverse effect on business and can prove to be a huge setback.  

In addition, the wire and cable industry is heavily dependent on imports from countries such as China, the UAE, Russia, and Japan, and exchange rate variations can affect the industry considerably. The sector is prone to such vulnerability due to these factors. On top of all that, companies looking to provide quality products at a relatively low price will always remain a challenge. 

Besides, delays in giving a green signal to projects due to the multiple clearances and approvals that are required and the scarcity of manpower due to COVID guidelines are all primary hindrances to the growth of the industry.

Gupta Power is committed to its customer service and hence cost reductions to more reasonable figures without compromising on quality. Developing high-quality and innovative smart products that are safe and dependable is the only way to gain credibility in the current market. 

What are your top priorities for Gupta Power in the next 1-2 years? What are the company’s growth plans? 

With power come huge responsibilities, and more so in the power sector where things can change in a matter of time. As the captain of the ship, my role is to guide and navigate my team through tough times. From a small setup in Bhubaneswar in 1961 to handling a team of about 1800+ employees across various cities in India, we sure have come a long way.  

In the coming years, our focus will still be on the big fundamentals of business, which is delivering quality products at a low price. The future roadmap entails making Gupta Power a Rs. 5000-crore turnover company. Increase in production capacity and focus on the latest developments in smart cables, smart conductors, smart LED lighting, smart optical fiber cables, and smart GIS substations up to 400 kV. Future alliances, partnerships, and expansions are also another part of the plan that we are not ruling out and will plan to the best of our strategic interests. Hopefully, the results will be desirable for our long-term viability. 

Please tell us about Gupta Power’s presence in the power sector, key projects undertaken, clients, etc. So far, our perseverance and hard work have paid off. Gupta Power has been awarded as the best supplier of smart conductors by PGCIL and the Import-Export Dept. of the Govt. of India and has won many national awards as well. Currently, we have 3 manufacturing units located at Khurda (Odisha), Kashipur (Uttarakhand) and Gummidipoondi (Tamil Nadu). 

Our product portfolio is diverse and includes an impressive list of products ranging from EHV Power cable, mining cable, fire survival cable, instrumentation cables, aerial bunched cables, to more specialised wires for panels, railway signalling cables as per RDSO specifications, and an array of other cable products that do not compromise on quality and add value.

The company forayed into the house wire segment of the market under the brand name “Rhino”. In 2016, Rhino launched the widest range of LED products – commercial, domestic, road lighting, landscape and industrial lighting. With the rise in emphasis on Digital India, Gupta Power also introduced a complete range of end-to-end terrestrial optical fiber cables in 2017. In recent times, the brand “RHINO” has become synonymous with quality and innovation thanks to our in-house dedicated R & D team.

The EPC division started with the objective of empowering lives by offering an integrated turnkey solution. The division has a dedicated team of designers and engineers for successful project execution. Our projects range from massive rural electrification schemes like Rajiv Gandhi Grameen Vidyutikaran Yojanan (RGGVY), Biju Gram Jyoti Yojana (BGJY), and Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana (DDUGJY) to urban electrification schemes like the Integrated Power Development Scheme (IPDS) and other central and state government’s flagship SMART CITY projects. Gupta Power has made its presence felt across India’s terrain, starting off from the chilling, unruly terrain at Leh-Ladakh to the contrasting sunny and rainy weather at Thummilla in more than 60 projects. Gupta Power’s most prominent achievement has been the bagging of the first EPC project in Bhutan for an ACCC conductor. 

To deliver advanced and durable conductors, Gupta Power has started manufacturing ACCC and HTLS conductors in technical collaboration with CTC Global, USA. Gupta Power has also collaborated with Trefilados De Navarra SA (TREFINASA) in Spain for the manufacturing and supply of GAP product lines. The specialties of these conductors are that they have high current carrying capacity and low sag-tension property. Installation of these conductors is easy and rapid.

What is the company’s outlook for the power sector in India for the next few years? 

We, at Gupta Power, believe in Touching Lives. Empowering People. Rapid urbanisation and growth in building infrastructure are the major factors driving the market. These two factors have impacted the energy and power demand in the residential, commercial, and industrial sectors. Increased investments in smart grids and upgradation of power transmission and distribution systems are expected to drive the market further. We believe that these trends will continue in the coming years.

With dream projects like the development of 100 smart cities and our Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call for Aatmanirbhar Bharat, I see a lot of growth opportunities for the sector in the near future. The government’s announcement to boost renewable energy, solar energy corporation, enhance public transport, higher reform in power, and digital and physical industry would help us frame the sector very differently and efficiently. The wire and cable industry aggressively looks forward to achieving promising growth in the coming decade while India is eyeing becoming a $5 trillion economy.