1200kV Solidcore and Hollow insulators
GLOBAL LEADER
IN INSULATORS Aditya Birla Insulators, part of the €38 billion multinational Aditya Birla Group, is headquartered in the state of Gujarat, in western India. Industry Europe spoke with Vikas Khosla, president of Aditya Birla Insulators, a unit of Aditya Birla Nuvo Ltd and a leading company within the group.
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lobally, Aditya Birla Insulators is the fourth-largest manufacturer of high voltage porcelain insulators. The company was founded in 1967 in Rishra near Kolkata (West Bengal) in the eastern part of India. Subsequently, a second production facility was put in place in 1982 at Halol (Gujarat) near Vadodara in the western part of India. A third facility for composite insulators was also established at Halol in 2009. The company’s product range includes hollow & solid core insulators for the substation segment and disc, pin & post insulators in the transmission segment. Additionally, the company manufactures composite long rod insulators for special application requirements. Insulators manufactured by Aditya Birla Insulators have been installed successfully in over 58 countries worldwide. Both plants are ISO 9001, 14001 and OHSAS 18001 accredited. The Rishra plant is also certified for SA 8000.
High voltage porcelain insulators The company specialises in the production of high strength porcelain insulators for use in circuit breakers, instrument transformers, condenser bushings, disconnector switches & railway traction systems as well as transmission line insulators for voltage applications up to 1200 kV. Vikas Khosla: “The current combined production capacity of both facilities is in excess of 62,000 MT p.a. for the porcelain segment, of which only 45,000 MT is currently under utilisation owing to significant imports from China. The Indian government has launched a programme called ‘Make in India’ to bolster the domestic industry and make our country a global manufacturing hub in the years to come. This will boost demand and we are waiting for the programme to kick in. The current Chinese imports have impacted the domestic industry significantly with domestic capacity utilisation hovering at around 60–80 per cent. The Industry Europe 191
