India: Manufacturing base and export hub for energy equipment

Our endeavour to manufacture and supply superior quality products made in India has resulted in securing many overseas orders
Dr Katsutoshi Toda, Executive Chairman, Toshiba Transmission and Distribution Systems (India) Pvt Ltd

Dr Katsutoshi Toda, Executive Chairman, Toshiba Transmission and Distribution Systems (India) Pvt Ltd in an interaction shares how they manufacture and supply eco-friendly and world class products, export to global markets and contribute to the growth of industries For The Next India.

What was the initiative behind foraying into the T&D manufacturing business in India?
Toshiba has been associated with India’s energy sector for over half a century and is committed to help India achieve its energy security benchmarks. In a larger effort to offer complete energy solutions to India – from generation to transmission and distribution, Toshiba has identified India as its manufacturing base and export hub for energy equipment.

Toshiba Transmission & Distribution Systems (India) Pvt Ltd (TTDI) manufactures and exports distribution and power transformers products and solutions that deliver electricity to homes, commercial facilities and other users. Since inception, we have reinforced our power businesses in India to cater to both domestic demand and export market by bringing in technical know how and expertise from Toshiba Japan to our manufacturing hub in India to make Japanese quality at a competitive price.

Furthering our Make-in-India commitment, we invested $30 million to boost production capacity for transformers up by 50 per cent, and established new production lines for new technology switchgears such as gas insulated switchgears (GIS) and ultra-high voltage alternate current (UHVAC) transformers up to 800kV. We have a significant presence in these products in India and will further expand our geographical presence.

Our endeavour to manufacture and supply superior quality products made in India has resulted in securing many overseas orders from Kenya, Greece, Italy, Australia, UK, Finland, Bangladesh, and many other developing and developed economies. By manufacturing and supplying eco-friendly, world class and innovative products, we export to global markets and contribute to the growth of industries For The Next India.

What is Toshiba India’s current production capacity and product line expansion rate?
We have the widest transformer manufacturing range from 5kVA to 500MVA, 800kV class catering to the globe from our vertically integrated state-of-the-art manufacturing facility at Hyderabad. We have invested in new technologies such as GIS, special transformers for solar and wind application, Scott Connected transformers and enhanced capacity of distribution transformers and EHV transformers.

What are your thoughts on Electricity Amendment Bill 2018?
Electricity Amendment Bill 2018 aims at the changing market dynamics, increasing renewables capacity and the challenge of providing quality power. It provides direct benefit transfer of subsidy, gives consumers option to choose preferred electricity supplier, makes mandatory installation of smart meters, which help in proper accounting of power consumption. This will certainly help towards bringing in radical change in the infrastructure, grid network and will benefit towards industrial growth.

Please walk us through the Gas Insulated Switchgears (GIS) and its role in ‘smarter’ power grid?
TTDI has established manufacturing facility for manufacturing Gas Insulated Switchgears (GIS) up to 800 kV. Limited availability of space and increasing demand will result in shift from AIS to GIS substations in India. Focus on latest technologies in smart grid will also increase the use of GIS in the substations.

What kind of other new technologies are going to be introduced for the Indian market?
TTDI has secured a leadership position in India’s distribution transformer segment. With its vertically integrated state-of-the-art manufacturing facility, TTDI offers high quality and reliable transformers for distribution and transmission network of the grid.

With very high focus on the renewable energy segment, TTDI introduced solar inverter duty transformers to the solar sector and special transformers for wind sector, which is contributing significantly to the solar and wind segment growth plan in India. In the infrastructure sector, special transformers such as Scott Connected transformers have been introduced to contribute to railways for its dedicated freight corridor projects. Due to the challenges of space and the increased demand, requirement of GIS is increasing very fast accordingly TTDI has positioned the same to cater to such opportunity.

What are your expectations from the government and for the power industry in 2019?
With the current focus on various schemes on the transmission and distribution sector, we expect significant changes in the technology in the products, which will be deployed to improve supply reliability, quality, and reduce losses. This will certainly have more focus on the research and development in product design, manufacturing and testing facilities.

We are expecting very positive future for the power sector and confident that electrical industry will continue to grow in the coming years backed with proper industrial and sector specific policy, which will not only bring in investments in this sector but also transform it with latest technology and products.