K.V. Karthik, Managing Director of Deccan Industries, Coimbatore, was elected as the 39th President of the Indian Pump Manufacturers Association (IPMA) during the 72nd Annual General Meeting(AGM) of The Indian Pump Manufacturers’ Association (IPMA) and 70th Annual General Meeting of South India Engineering Manufacturers’ Association (SIEMA). The AGM was jointly organized by IPMA and SIEMA at Hotel Residency Towers, Coimbatore.
Kumaravelu, Managing Director of AQUAGROUP, graced the occasion as the Chief Guest. The AGMs saw the presence of distinguished personalities from both associations, including Milind Alwekar – President, K. V. Karthik – Sr. Vice President, Farrokh Bhathena – Vice President of IPMA, and D. Vignesh – President, Mithun Ramdas, Sendhil Kumar, and R. Arun – Vice Presidents of SIEMA, along with Jignesh Adroja, President of REA. V. Krishna Kumar served as the Election Officer, overseeing the proceedings.
The outgoing President, Milind Alwekar, introduced the newly elected President, K.V. Karthik, who handed over the reins (pin) of leadership. Another notable highlight was the introduction of the newly elected Managing Committee members.
During the event, the Chief Guest congratulated Karthik on his new role and highlighted the challenges ahead, including environmental standards and export market fluctuations. He emphasized the importance of a unified effort to enhance the Indian pump industry’s global position, advocating for technology advancement, innovation promotion, and collaboration among manufacturers. Kumaravelu also addressed the lack of certified testing facilities in India, suggesting the encouragement of Indian labs to become certifying agencies, reducing dependency on foreign testing, and making exports more cost-effective.
Karthik, the newly elected President of IPMA, expressed his optimism about the remarkable growth in pump exports, surpassing 20% post-Covid, especially in sectors like irrigation, water, wastewater, mining, and chemicals. He emphasized India’s strength in the agricultural and water supply pump sectors while expanding into high-value pumps for mining, wastewater, oil, and gas. Karthik praised the Government’s support for R&D in these areas and highlighted the Ministry of Heavy Industry’s grant of Rs 10.71 crores for submersible slurry pump design and manufacturing.
However, Karthik raised concerns about the gray market, which offers sub-standard, non-compliant pumps, undermining the organized pump industry. He called for stringent actions against such practices to safeguard the industry’s integrity.
Pump manufacturers from Coimbatore, Pune, Ahmedabad, and Rajkot clusters attended the event.
