Sealed Sterlite copper smelter plant at Thoothukudi. (EPS | V Karthikalagu)
COIMBATORE: The closure of Sterlite copper plant in Thoothukudi has dealt a severe blow to the pump set manufacturing industry in Coimbatore. Pump set industry is a significant contributor to the overall growth in the region.
The industry has grown by incorporating design changes in addition to ensuring quality, reliability and performance. Around 150 models of pump sets varying in sizes and capacity, ranging from 0.5 hp to 500 hp, is manufactured by the units here to serve various needs and sectors from home and agriculture to industries and hospitals.
Previously, Coimbatore pump sets catered to 65 percentage of the country’s usage, but now its share has come down to 50 per cent.
However, the closure of Vedanta’s Sterlite copper plant has impacted them. For, the plant has been supplying copper, an important raw material for pumps and motors, to the industries here.
K K Rajan, president of Southern India Engineering Manufacturers’ Association said, “Copper is one of the main raw materials used for making pump sets and it accounts for 70 per cent share in the manufacturing process. Now that Sterlite is closed, demand for copper has ballooned.”
