6 days Ago By M Saravanan
COIMBATORE: Industrialists manufacturing water pump motors pointed out that the cost of a motor would go up by 5% in the market soon, due to a rise in input costs. They said that unit operators in water pump motor manufacturing in the district are at a financial disadvantage in comparison to manufacturers in other states, especially Gujarat, as their product prices are lower than those produced in Coimbatore. S Sabarikumar, a unit operator in Arasur said, "Motor pumps are manufactured at various horsepower (hp) parameters.
Starting from 0.5 hp, this goes up to 30 hp. Normally, 3 hp to 5 hp motor pumps are used for agricultural purposes, while for domestic use, pump motors ranging from 0.
5 hp to 3 hp are used. We source raw material such as copper, stainless steel and casting iron from various north Indian states. For instance, copper price has increased to Rs 1,005 from Rs 910 per kg in a six-month period.
Similarly, casting iron's price rose to Rs 120 from Rs 110 and stainless steel rose from Rs 130 to Rs 150 per kg." "Additionally, due to an increase in operational costs which includes electricity, wages and transportation, the price hike will be unavoidable for us. Compared to our production cost, the product cost for a pump motor is lower in north Indian states by 5-10%.
That said, our quality standards are higher, but Gujarat stands to get a leverage due to the hike," he added. KV Karthik, president of Indian Pump Manufacturers Association said, "The pump motor industry has market of Rs 22,000 crore per year across the country. Coimbatore produces 50-55% pump motors each year.
Back in 2000, Coimbatore had a market share up to 70%. However, due to a rise in price of of raw material and input cost, production volume has come down in the last two decades. The last price hike was in 2023 by 5- 7%, therefore, the present hike is unavoidable.
" Currently, a 1 hp pump motor is sold for around Rs 7,000, a 3 hp motor for Rs 16,000 and Rs 20,000 for a 5hp motor..
