Leader in centrifugal pumps

GRUPPO ATURIA I PROFILE

Since 1990, Gruppo Aturia has developed a strong position in the centrifugal pump sector by means of both organic growth and acquisitions. Now, three years on from Finder Pompe’s acquisition, the reorganisation is complete and Aturia is looking at further expansion, revealed Vice President Marino Pugliese in an interview with Romana Moares.

The story of Milan-based Gruppo Aturia is one of continued growth. Starting to operate in the centrifugal pumps sector in 1927, Aturia became a leader in the submersible pumps field by patenting its first submersible motor in 1946.

The company embarked on significant expansion in the 1990s and the early 2000s by acquiring several companies, each with an impressive history and track record, in order to minimise demand fluctuations and to develop its focus across several pump sectors.

In 1990, Aturia was joined by Rotos, a manufacturer of radial multi-stage and vertical turbine pumps, and Marelli, a producer of large vertical turbine pumps and split case pumps.

In 2003, Audoli & Bertola, a manufacturer of pumps for heavy industry such as steel plants, cooling systems, power plants and the marine sector was acquired, followed in 2006 by Rütschi, the inventor of the Perfecta canned motor pump with operations in Switzerland and France. The latter has been a major player in the nuclear sector, boasting more than 100 nuclear installations worldwide.

The last acquisition during the first decade of the new millennium was of vertical turbine and lube oil pumps manufacturer Aris Chiappa in 2009.

Group synergies

In 2015, Aturia changed owners as its was acquired by WPIL (formerly Worthington Pump India Ltd), a multinational pump group headquartered in Kolkata, listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange. The group produces pumps for power generation, municipal and industrial applications, and has a strong presence throughout the Asia Pacific region and Africa, with facilities in India, South Africa and Australia.

Under the new owners, Aturia began the process of acquisitions once more. In 2019, it welcomed to its company portfolio Finder Pompe, one of the European leading designers and manufacturers of engineered pumps and systems for oil and gas applications.

Through its companies, Gruppo Aturia today has a strong presence in the nuclear (Rütschi), oil and gas (Finder), firefighting (Audoli & Bertola), industrial (Rotos) and water (Aturia) sectors. With a total employee count of approximately 300 shared across its companies, Gruppo Aturia achieved a consolidated turnover in 2021 of over €60 million.

“Our core business remains centrifugal pumps,” underlined Vice President Marino Pugliese. “Looking forward, we want to further enhance our position by potential new acquisitions with a focus on industrial applications across a number of segments including nuclear, oil and gas, power generation, mining, marine, and water distribution.”

Market outlook

Thanks to its integrated design systems, Gruppo Aturia offers products that are state-of-the-art. The product development cycle starts at the design stage where Aturia’s broad experience is reflected in the development of pumps for special fluids with power values that reach 4 MW, pressure values up to 200 bar and temperatures up to 400°C.

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When speaking about market developments, Mr Pugliese mentioned several factors that would support the group’s activities and influence potential growth.

“The key message of the recent G20 summit held in Rome and COP26 held in Glasgow in October-November 2021 further highlighted the importance of CO2 reduction by increasing focus on renewables including nuclear, and by improving efficiency leading to a reduction in energy consumption,” he said. “Pumps will play an important role in both of these lines of development.

“Data published most recently by the US Administration, analysing primary energy consumption by energy source show that petroleum and other liquid hydrocarbons will continue to play an important part – at least until 2050. New investment in the sector can be expected to sustain the consumption in 2050 at the same level as it is today. Aturia is well positioned to face the new developments in both nuclear and oil and gas, given the track record of its companies in these sectors.”

He added: “Finder has been recognised as one of the most dynamic players in the pump business worldwide, with impressive experience in oil and gas; and Rütschi, established 70 years ago in Switzerland, has been a major supplier of centrifugal pumps for nuclear applications.”

Mr Pugliese noted that potential is also seen in the water distribution segments: as most of the water systems in Europe were built not long after the Second World War, the focus today is to increase the efficiency, reduce maintenance costs with a long service life – factors that Aturia’s pumps can help to achieve. Meanwhile in the rest of the world, important investments are planned on drinkable and irrigation waters.

New opportunities

Since 2020, Gruppo Aturia has significantly invested in test benches.

“Testing is very important, hence we have invested over €4 million during last year, developing testing capability and capacity,” said Mr Pugliese.

As part of its measures aimed at minimising the impact of Covid-19, Gruppo Aturia has begun to offer customers the opportunity to witness testing activities remotely. Inspectors can interact

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with test-bench technicians from their offices and can watch the setup, measurement and reporting phases via live streaming.

“Covid-19 has of course affected us all, and we have all had to cope as best we could,” reflected Mr Pugliese. “The new problem that has arrived now relates to the supply chain. Skyrocketing prices and a general shortage of raw materials have affected all pump manufacturers.”

Still, Aturia has a clear plan to go forward, affirmed Mr Pugliese: utilising group synergies supported by a financially strong owner, has opened doors to opportunities in Asia and Africa, especially in the offshore and water distribution sectors. Aturia recently commissioned a pumping station for the largest irrigation plant at Atbara in Sudan, making use of the engineering experience and the supply chain of its parent company, WPIL.

“Post-Covid, we are now analysing opportunities for new acquisitions, in line with our long-term growth strategy. The goal is to further increase business in Europe, and to develop new business in the Far East,” he concluded. n