KEC International Limited, headquartered in Mumbai, is the flagship company of the RPG Group. An engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) major, KEC delivers projects in key infrastructure sectors such as power transmission & distribution, railways, civil, urban infrastructure, solar, smart infrastructure, oil & gas pipelines, and cables. Established in 1959, Asian Cables, a part of KEC International Limited, takes pride in providing high-quality cables that can cater to diverse needs of their clientele across geographies around the globe. With the changes happening in the Indian and global infrastructure scenario, Asian Cables believes that substantial opportunities are emerging in the foreseeable future. In recent interaction with Wire & Cable India, Mr. Manjit Singh Sethi, Executive Director, KEC International Limited- Cables, shared about the company’s journey, sectors and industries catered to, product portfolio, and upcoming developments. He also shared his insights about the current scenario and ongoing challenges in the Indian and global cable market.
Wire & Cable India: Please tell us about your journey.
Manjit Singh Sethi: We take immense pride in our legacy of being part of brands such as KEC International Ltd and the RPG Group. The association gives us enhanced confidence and opens new business opportunities. Asian Cables was established in 1959, making it one of the oldest cable companies in India. RPG Group acquired Asian Cables in 1966. In due course of time, manufacturing facilities were established across multiple locations and now the manufacturing activities are consolidated at the state-of-the-art factories in Vadodara and Mysuru. The Mysuru plant was established in 1985 with a focus on telecom cables, and the Vadodara plant was established in 2012 with a focus on power cables. Notably, we are the pioneers of cross-linked polyethylene (XLPE) cables manufacturing and one of the early players introducing extra high voltage (EHV) cables in India. We ventured into the railway conductor business in 2018, further diversifying our portfolio. Today, we are one of the top cable companies of India, providing cutting-edge solutions to empower industries and communities across geographies covering around 90 countries.
WCI: Please tell us the sectors or industries where your products find their applications.
MSS: At Asian Cables, we take pride in providing high-quality cables that cater to diverse needs of our clientele. Our power cables find their applications in industries, utilities, and data centers. We tailored our cable offerings to meet specific requirements of various sectors, including metals, cement, oil and gas, pharmaceutical, data centers, etc. We cater to government projects such as DDUGJY and RDSS across the country. Our railway conductors are extensively used in the electrification of the Indian railway network. We are playing a prominent role in PM Gati Shakti contributing towards railway infrastructure development. Our OFC cables play a significant role in modernizing telecommunications across the country. Holistically, we have been at the forefront of modernizing the Indian infrastructure. We pride ourselves on the usage of high-quality raw materials and quality checks to ensure the best for the customers.
We also supply about 30 percent of our cable production to other businesses of KEC International Ltd. like T&D, railways, civil, emerging business, etc. The synergy allows other business units of KEC to be more competitive and ensure timely project execution while maintaining control over product quality.
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WCI: Can you please elaborate on your product portfolio?
MSS: Within our product portfolio, we encompass a wide range of offerings under power cables, telecom cables, and conductors. In these overarching categories, we actively engage in research and development to innovate and introduce new cable solutions. In line with our strategy of developing new products, we have successfully developed PV solar cables, cathodic protection cables, concentric cables, flat submersible cables, railway signaling power cables, and EV charging cables. In line with the overall objective of environmentally friendly offerings, we have developed green cables, which are RoHS and REACH compliant.
WCI: Kindly provide your insights on the current scenario and ongoing challenges in the Indian and global cable markets.
MSS: The cable industry has come a long way in terms of its utility, from providing electricity to providing a complex set of services like communications, control signals, data transmission, etc. We are currently witnessing huge demand for cables due to various infrastructure development projects like utility upgradation, dedicated freight corridor development, metro and high-speed rail projects, etc. Additionally, the rise in environmental awareness has promoted the adoption of renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind projects, which call for specific cables.
The cable industry holds significant potential; however, it has its own set of challenges. Raw material availability, fluctuation in metal prices, and logistic challenges are critical to this industry. Apart from these, the industry also faces challenges from global uncertainty, regulatory issues, and a shortage of skilled labor.
WCI: Kindly provide your insights on upcoming opportunities in the Indian and global cable markets.
MSS: The future holds a ton of promising opportunities and avenues for the cable industry. As we move forward, eco-friendly cable solutions are poised to become commonplace, aligning with evolving environmental concerns. Furthermore, the rise of smart-infrastructure and the surging demand for faster and highly dependable data connection, particularly in the context of 5G infrastructure, present substantial growth prospects. The increasing ubiquity of electric vehicles is expected to reshape the industry landscape. The demand for custom-engineered cables tailored to the unique requirements of EVs offers a potentially lucrative market. We can see that substantial opportunities are emerging in the foreseeable future.
KEC International Ltd is witnessing commendable growth across its various business units. As KEC International Ltd continues to grow, we foresee increased demand for our cable products from other business units such as T&D, railways, civil, emerging business, etc.
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WCI: What role does the organization’s principles play in your growth?
MSS: KEC International Ltd and RPG Group are known for their vibrant and equal opportunity work culture, keeping ethics and values at the center-point of all business. We always believe that happy employees are the base for happy customers. Every year, we conduct a happiness survey – an employee engagement effort to gather insights from our employees. Our steadfast commitment to employee centricity has resulted in a high happiness quotient, which is increasing every year. A workplace that fosters a culture of contentment yields heightened productivity levels.
Sustainability is engrained in the core ethos of our operations. Over the years, we have adopted various sustainable practices which have enabled us to deliver outperformance. Taking our commitment to the next level, we embarked upon a sustainability journey that is in harmony with the evolving business landscape in India as well as our other global operations.
WCI: What is your vision and plan for the future?
MSS: As part of KEC International Ltd and the RPG Group – Asian Cables’ vision is intertwined with the company’s and group’s vision. At Asian Cables, we are focused on delivering unique and high-quality products and solutions to our clientele across the globe, thereby actively contributing to the prosperity of mankind. We aspire to become a foundational cornerstone of India’s growth and development. Our multi-pronged plan involves expanding our dealer network, diversifying our product offering, and entering new markets— in terms of industry and geography, to ensure the company’s continued success.
