RR Kabel Limited enjoys a global footprint, and its dedication to increasing awareness for quality products is also admirable. On the business front the company has received SEBI approval for IPO, and on innovation front R&D efforts are continuing for quality maintenance and new product development. Mr. Shreegopal Kabra, Managing Director, RR Kabel Limited, shared with Wire & Cable India, his reflections on company’s journey, efforts towards sustainability, and current issues of fire safety. He also put forward a plethora of challenges that the Indian electrical industry is facing and possible ways to resolve them.
Wire & Cable India: Kindly share the business journey of RR Kabel’s cables division, major achievements, and manufacturing capabilities.
Shreegopal Kabra: RR Kabel started its journey in 1999 by setting up a factory in Silvassa. We expanded our production capacity with the Vadodara manufacturing plant in 2010, the Dubai-based plant in 2011, and one Bangladesh-based manufacturing plant in 2016, respectively. In 2020, we launched HT cables and acquired Arraystorm, a Bengaluru-based premium LED lighting brand, from Kores India.
RR Kabel has made significant contributions to the wire and cable industry for more than 23 years, even though we are younger than our peers, who have experience of more than 50 years. We have grown at a CAGR of 18-20 percent to become the 4th largest wire and cable company in India. As of today, our production setup in India spreads over 2,00,000 square meters. However, RR Kabel’s presence goes beyond the national boundaries with representation in over 90 countries, spanning the European, American, Middle East, and Southeast Asian markets. We have ensured the best technology and machinery at all our facilities and have imported them from Germany, Switzerland, Austria, and Belgium among others, all famed markets for heavy machinery.
RR Kabel is a global player, and all our products in active markets conform to the applicable regulations. The trust factor of our products is increased by our certifications; RR Kabel is an ISO 9001, ISO 14001, and ISO 45001 certified company. Apart from reputed ISO certifications, our wires and cables products are also certified by BASEC(UK), UL(USA), CSA(Canada), VDE(Germany), TUV Rheinland (Germany), and more. We ensure compliance with Registration Evaluation Authorization of Chemical Substances (REACH) and Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) to adhere to global standards of quality and safety.
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WCI: Fire safety has always been among the core concerns at RR Kabel. What steps has RR Kabel taken to ensure proper awareness and enhancement of the security of your own wiring products?
SK: RR Kabel is the first wire manufacturing company to introduce low-smoke, zero halogen (LS0H) wires in India. Fire safety issue is an issue dear to our company, as various post-event analyses have shown that far more casualties are caused by asphyxiation due to inhalation of hazardous carbon monoxide than due to fire burns. The gaseous phenomenon finds a catalyst in PVC wire coatings, which emit dense and dark smoke on burning to effectively make timely escape impossible and aid panic. At RR Kabel, LSOH was an innovation borne out of necessity. They not only emit lesser smoke and odor when compared to other wires, but the smoke emissions are in accordance with the visibility regulations of BIS.
Since our first product innovation towards fire safety, RR Kabel has not only dedicated efforts to making the product better, but we have also aimed for public awareness. We often collaborate with reputed and recognized R&D agencies, NGOs, and professionals, to help our purpose. We conduct seminars, conferences, social drives, and campaigns, among others to ensure awareness among the public about the wires and cables products that they must be buying. In fact, our marketing strategy also addresses the issue across the nation.
WCI: What is your opinion about the current scenario in the cable industry? What are the challenges present?
SK: India is expected to become a USD 3 trillion economy before the estimated time. However, along with growth, we must simultaneously focus on quality and safety in the electrical sector. The quality of electrical products is decreasing daily, whether due to preference given to L1 suppliers or just a general lack of knowledge of the industry. Then there are multiple high-rise buildings being built in India, but our fire brigades have no infrastructure in place to extinguish fires above the 20th floor. The National Building Code has mandated the use of fire survival cables in common facilities. However, BIS has given aluminum wires the hallmark for fire survival cables. When there’s a fire, the ambient temperature goes around 850 to 950 degrees, while aluminum melts at 650 degrees, making the cable useless in times of emergency.
PVC and LS0H wires are easily flammable, smoke-producing wires. The mandated standard for LS0H wires is a resistance of up to 90 degrees, however, the majority of products available in the market only have a resistance of up to 70 degrees. These multi-strand wires must not be used as house wires. Thereafter, over 70 percent of wiring products available in the market fall below the BIS standard.
Solar projects have gained momentum in India, however, over 90 percent of solar cables being used in these projects do not conform to the applicable regulations and standards. FRLS wire technology is widely available in India, but most electricians lack the proper knowledge, skills, and equipment required for their efficient functioning. Today, the main concern in most of the house fires is the presence of flexible wires and class 5 conductors.
WCI: How do you believe these challenges could be addressed?
SK: In our opinion, the government should ban PVC wires and should make it mandatory for all indoor wires to be LS0H wires. There are certain nations taking steps in this direction already. There also needs to be a strict execution, monitoring, and controlling of regulations and standards in place. Public and industrial awareness regarding marketed products must be propagated. It is important that FRLS cable and class 5 conductor wires should be banned, while class 2 wires should be removed in a phased manner. Class 2 wires can be banned once the 7-strand wire, which is actually safe, is approved by BIS. The government should make the manufacturers accountable for their products, and I request manufacturers also to stop manufacturing below-standard quality wires and cables.
The government has also been working a lot on green energy. However, all solar cables being used in projects should be checked. The cables being used in solar projects have a life of 25-30 years. Currently, they might be functioning, but their quality will render them unsuitable in the next 5 years, leading to a reduced output.
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WCI: Please share RR Kabel’s efforts toward sustainability in the production process. What are your plans for the future?
SK: RR Kabel’s entire business model embraces sustainability. We have an entire model based on environmental security, wherein we are trying to ensure that our power is sourced from renewable sources. In fact, from October 1st onwards, our Vadodara facility’s 80 percent of power shall be green power. The cables manufactured by RR Kabel go through in-depth, rigorous testing throughout the manufacturing process. One such test in the laboratory showed that even after the wire catches fire, the electricity supply remains intact. As REACH and RoHS-compliant products, they provide a high degree of human and environmental safety, reflecting RR Kabel’s approach to striving for quality for customers. Innovation and technology form an integral part of our business operations. We were the first company in India to use UNILAY technology (in 1990) and to introduce low smoke zero halogen wire in the industry.
As for the business front, we shall continue to follow our inherent principles, mission, and vision, while scaling up the scope of our operations. In the last FY, RR Kabel recorded a turnover of INR 5650 crore, out of which INR 5,000 crore was from the wires and cables sector. Meanwhile, we will issue an IPO as well this year. We have always believed in delivering products and services integrated with superior technology, performance, and enhanced value. Our business roadmap strategy ensures proper attention and satisfaction of our clients, stakeholders, employees, and even the end consumers and society at large.
