Flowserve Corporation, the US-based $5 billion manufacturer of flow control equipment — primarily pumps, valves and seals for applications in the oil and gas, power generation, chemical, water and general industrial sectors — has opened its third engineering and test centre in Bangalore. The firm has one centre in Chennai for seals and another one in Bangalore for pumps, while the new centre will focus on valves.
The new centre will test valves manufactured at its Bangalore unit. The centre will also conduct core research and also develop new products. The centre is equipped with computer 3D modelling facility, facilities for stress analysis tests among others.
“We are developing new patterns for pump and valve products in Bangalore. They will be commercialised in the next six months,” Lewis M Kling, president and chief executive officer, Flowserve Corporation said.
The new engineering centre in Bangalore has 55 engineers and in the next couple of years the headcount will be ramped up to 180. In all, Flowserve has 250 engineers in India at its various centres.
Flowserve has nine manufacturing centres in India and is in the process of setting up additional facility in Coimbatore. The company has a 100 per cent export-oriented unit in Hubli which manufactures components for valves and pumps.
Flowserve has been present in India since 1962 through joint ventures with Larsen and Toubro and the Sanmar Group. The company also has production unit in Hubli. lowserve has been witnessing a 35 per cent compounded growth in India from 2001. In 2008, it reported sales of $400 million from Indian operations.
“I believe we can maintain the growth despite the slowdown in the economy as more power plants are coming up in the country.
There is no decline in the oil and gas industry either. We will continue to grow in India and add facilities in the near future. We are considering the possibility of expanding our Coimbatore facility by building the third unit there this year,” Kling said. The company is also looking at Hyderabad and Delhi for further expansion, he added.
Flowserve’s clients in India includes ONGC, Reliance, Essar and NTPC among others. The company operates in more than 55 countries and employs over 15,000 people. Presently, the company has 2,500 employees in India and plans to ramp up further this year.
