In advance of the 31 ISSCT congress, Vivek Bhatia is the MD and CEO of thyssenkrupp Industries India, reflects on the company’s history in India, its presence in the global sugar industry and participation at the 31^st ISSCT congress in Hyderabad, India.

We have seen thyssenkrupp Industries India products in a variety of locations the world over. What is the size of the company, and what does it do in the sugar industry? 

thyssenkrupp Industries India is a group company of thyssenkrupp AG a German Engineering conglomerate, generating over 41 Billion Euros in revenue annually, operating in 48  countries and specialising in industries such as steel, automotive components, material services, submarines, plant technology, and so on. Sugar plants and machinery are part of the plant technology business vertical, through which we provide complete turnkey solutions for sugar plant setup.

How did thyssenkrupp Industries India get started in the sugar plant technologies business vertical?

thyssenkrupp Industries India was founded in January 1947 when India gained independence. The government’s intentions were to increase farm output and achieve self-sufficiency in food production. As sugar is an important ingredient in many foods, this fuelled the growth of the sugar machinery market while also mandating indigenous sugar machinery manufacturing in India. All these government policies provided us with numerous opportunities to grow as a leading manufacturer of sugar plant equipment.

In the 1990s, India emerged as a global manufacturing hotspot, but how did thyssenkrupp Industries India identify these opportunities in the 1970s?

Our former leaders are great visionaries. Back then, when exports were difficult, they began exporting complete sugar plants to the global market through their global market network, trustworthiness and proven expertise in the domestic market. Our first export journey began with a 6000 TCD sugar plant to one of Malaysia’s leading business houses, followed by export to other countries in Asia, Africa, Europe, South America, and Australia. We have since exported numerous sugar plants and machinery to over 35 countries.

Being a German- subsidiary, how has your parent company helped you in engineering?

Our parent company had been in the engineering business for over 200 years, and their technological expertise was outstanding. It was also in our DNA, which ignited our minds for various developments from the grass root level. thyssenkrupp Industries India has developed several technologies for the sugar industry, including two roller mills, double fold FFE, vertical continuous pans, TKB and TKC centrifugal machines (figure 1), Travelling grate boilers and so on. Each product was created in our R&D cell with the help of our unique combination of Indian and German engineering provers, which emphasizes performance and reliability. All of these products were created to address issues in the sugar industry, such as energy conservation, efficiency, and reliability, which aided in the development of long-lasting products for the sugar industry.

Figure 1. TKB and TKC centrifugal machines

How do you see the global supply chain crisis, which has recently become a major issue?

We cater to a wide spectrum of industries covering cement plant machinery, energy (boilers and power plants), mining equipment, material handling, and O&M services, in addition to sugar machinery. Everything is a captive good. Despite the complex global environment, we remain optimistic about India’s growth because of the government’s strong emphasis on the sugar industry, infrastructure development, and a favourable business environment. Yes, inflation impacts all input costs, but with a strong execution team, we are confident of 15 to 20% YoY top-line growth as well as a strong bottom line.

What are the most recent developments in the sugar industry?

We engineer for the needs of tomorrow together with the industry We have strengthened our team with experts from various key functions over the last few years, enhanced our product portfolio to meet modern-day needs, and developed a customer service portfolio to meet the demand for services. As a result, our sugar machinery business has tripled, and we have completed numerous projects of varying magnitude. We have commissioned the following, to name a few.

• 2R milling tandem in Zambia
• 130 TPH boiler with 24 MW co-gen plant in Australia
• 1500 TCD sugar plant along with 5MW co-gen plant in Tanzania (figure 2)
• 1050 TPD sugar refinery in India
• 15000 TCD steam efficiency project in India

All these projects were completed on time and to the customers’ satisfaction. Several projects are currently in various stages of completion.

Figure 2. Bagamoyo Sugars, Tanzania

Where do you see thyssenkrupp Industries India’s sugar machinery business in the next five years?

Honestly, we are quite excited about the future. Firstly because of the current GOI policies relating to ethanol blending, the sugar Industry in India has received a substantial boost. At the same time, new cane varieties have improved cane output. On the other hand, we find customers have matured and are giving due consideration for performance and quality, for which thyssenkrupp Industries India is highly regarded. Given the macro trends, we are quite optimistic about the industry’s future development.

It’s been nice talking to you on thyssenkrupp Industries India’s journey over the last 75 years At this juncture, another historical event is coming to India; the 31st ISSCT congress is scheduled in Hyderabad during 3rd week of February 2023. What are your views about ISSCT in India after 24 years?

thyssenkrupp Industries India has been associated with ISSCT for a long time & it’s a proud moment for India to host the 31st ISSCT (a 100 year old association of sugar industry) congress. thyssenkrupp Industries India has published various articles in ISSCT in the past, and this time also, we are publishing an article on our 2Roller milling technology.

To honour the contribution of ISSCT to the sugar industry, we are actively participating in the event as an exhibitor. I take this opportunity to invite the readers of ISJ to visit our stall No. 20 at the ISSCT congress. Our team of sugar experts will be there to cater to your needs through a single window with their vast expertise in areas such as Customer Solutions, Audits, Renovation, Spares Supply and Operation & Maintenance, apart from sharing the latest developments in sugar plants and equipment that we have to offer.

For more details, visit: https://thyssenkrupp Industries India-industries-india.com/