In the year 1998, Indo-Air Compressors was formed as a dedicated compressor manufacturing unit to take advantage of the growing need for the product in various industries, including the textile sector. Ganesh Kalidas interacts with Director Kuntan Panchal to know more about the company’s operations
The textile manufacturing industry consists of extensively complex manufacturing and supply chains. Operators require various utility products to run their production units effectively. An air compressor is one such key utility product that acts as a necessity at nearly all levels of the supply chain, which can assist in ensuring time-effective processing. It helps in powering air-jet looms, wrapping and spinning machines. It also plays a major role powering industrial equipments involved in the manufacturing of fabrics such as denims and polyester yarns and in adding texture to such fabrics.
As the industry continues to grow along with technological changes, operators continue to seek methods to improve the efficiency of processing. With the introduction of oil-free reciprocating and rotary screw compressors, production processes in the textile industry have seen further advancements. One of the major companies manufacturing and supplying oil-free reciprocating and rotary screw compressors to the Indian textile manufacturers is Indo-Air Compressors (P) Ltd. with its headquarters at Ahmedabad in Gujarat.
The company was established in 1977 under the name Manilal and Sons, co-founded by C.M. Panchal. It is now managed by Kuntan Panchal. In its early stages, Manilal and Sons focused on manufacturing heavy precision machined parts for compressors, hydro turbines, and machinery for the plastic and beverages sector. Later, in the year 1998, Indo-Air Compressors (P) Ltd. was formed as a compressor manufacturing unit, along with the associated group company. At first, the manufacturing activity was restricted to specific compressor parts for original equipment manufacturers (OEMs).
Sole focus on compressors
However, noticing the trend in the growing need for compressors, and its use in over 70-80% of the present industries, the company shifted its focus towards manufacturing compressors as a complete product. Presently, Indo-Air Compressors has one production unit with a manufacturing capacity of 550 compressors a month and utilisation of up to 50% of the production capacity. It is now a company of over 120 employees, including skilled and unskilled labour, and generates a turnover of more than Rs. 24.5 crores per annum.
Almost 70% of the company’s market is within India. It primarily supplies high-pressure compressors to the plastic industries manufacturing PET (polyethylene terephthalate) bottles. Along with the plastic industry, it also supplies to engineering and textile industries as they offer a big market for their products. The remaining 30% of their sales is covered by exporting to more than 33 countries across the globe, including Australia, France, USA, the UAE, Africa and Israel. The major products manufactured include rotary screw compressors (7.5 HP to 300 HP), oil-free high-pressure water-cooled compressors (40 HP to 215 HP) and oil-free water medium pressure-cooled compressors (40 HP to 215 HP).
The other compressor products in their portfolio include booster compressors, reciprocating compressors and oil-free reciprocating compressors. Indo-Air Compressors, as a comparatively new company in an extremely competitive market, is highly efficient in producing quality products at competitive prices. All the components of the compressors are manufactured in-house with modern CNC machinery and instruments, increasing the overall product quality. Along with that, it also has a strong servicing platform as well as an exceedingly effective dealership and distribution network.
The company’s longest running compressor dates back to 1998, which was supplied to KHS Machinery (P) Ltd. in Ahmedabad, a top company in the category of beverages’ machinery. After taking over the reins of the company in 2012, one of the biggest milestones achieved by Kuntan Panchal is the introduction of the oil-free high-pressure water-cooled compressor, which has majorly contributed to the recent turnover. He has also implemented an overall enterprise resource planning (ERP) software system, allowing a more integrated management structure within the company.
Good growth prospects
In the last fiscal, the company posted growth of 15% and is expecting steady growth in the coming years as well. The expected rate of growth may be attributed to the increasing demand for compressors in various industries within the Indian market. “We are looking forward to good potential due to the new policies being implemented by the government,” says Panchal. For the future, Indo-Air Compressors is looking at further increasing its product portfolio by adding oil-free screw compressors to the list. In the next five years, the company expects to post healthy growth. “We definitely want to be among the top air compressor manufacturers in India,” Panchal states.