Pump makers hit by labour shortage & fractured logistics

Coimbatore: Pump manufacturers, who have been getting inquiries and orders, in the district are hit by scarcity of raw materials and spare parts due to fractured logistics and labour shortage. The industry representatives said they were unable to make or deliver pump sets to their full capacity.
The pump industry usually sees brisk business from November to June, which is considered the peak season. Pump making units in the district cater to various industries, and agriculture and construction sectors.
Pointing out that they have been getting orders and inquiries, industrialists said they were unable to deliver due to logistics and labour constraints.
K K Rajan, CEO of Sharp Industries, said, people, who have been waiting because of lockdown, have started to place orders. “As lockdown norms have been relaxed, we are getting decent orders. Our dealers are also getting inquiries.”
But the flow of raw materials such as copper wires, bearings and castings has been hit, owing to lack of proper logistics. Units in the district source them from Delhi, Maharashtra, and Gujarat.
Similarly, the units are also finding it difficult to ship the finished products. “While we are delivering to places such as Rajasthan, Karnataka, Puducherry and parts of Tamil Nadu, we are not able to deliver to many other places that don’t have transport facilities now,” Rajan said.
K Maniraj, president, Kovai Power Driven Motor Pumps and Spare Parts Manufacturers’ Association, said the industry players were getting raw materials only once in five days now, compared to five trucks a day earlier. He said pump units were operating only at 40% of their capacity, as labour was also an issue. “While guest workers are leaving for their hometowns, local workers, who depend on public transport, have not been able to commute to work in the absence of proper public transport.”
As per the industry estimates, units in the district used to deliver three lakh to four lakh pump sets a month. Industry representatives exuded confidence that the scenario would get better with the resumption of logistics services across the country, as there would always be a demand for pump sets for industrial purposes and in agriculture and construction sectors.