COOPER BUSSMANN - THE INDIAN CONNECTION

The name Cooper has been synonymous with manufacturing excellence and market leading products for over 165 years.  From its start as a small iron foundry, Cooper has grown into a worldwide, diversified manufacturer.  It is today a Fortune 500 MNC with a turnover of more than US $ 4 billion.

Cooper Bussmann is one of Cooper's seven business divisions and is the world's largest producer of fuses and fuse gear for the protection of electrical, electronic and automotive systems.  Cooper Bussmann's has set up its India operations in the tax holiday zone of Pondicherry, where a world class manufacturing facility has been established.  The standard here is in every way equal to Cooper Bussmann's facilities in other countries around the world.  In fact to ensure the same standards, the same certification body, which accredited the UK plant, was brought in here.

Cooper Bussmann is a late entrant in India, but seems to have more than made up for it and looks well set in its goal to become the leading player in the Indian market.  Having acquired the fuse division of S & S in January 2000, it has a lot of market development activities underway. By January next year, Bussmann hopes to offer the widest range of fuse protection products in India.

All Bussmann products will be available in local currency through a trading warehouse being set up at Pondicherry. A wide distribution network with over 75 channel partners is already in place and will be revamped and expanded to Bussmann standards in the next six months. The company has Sales offices in six Metros at present, and they plan to add more locations as business grows.

The Indian market for HRC Fuses is around rupees 70 crore, and it is made up of - Low Voltage British Standard (LVBS), Low Voltage DIN Standard, Medium Voltage BS + DIN, High Speed and niche segments such as Electronic, Telecom and Automotive. The Pyramid of segments based on volume, number of players and price realisation comprise of popular Industrial LV fuses at the lower end and Automotive fuses at the top niche. The LV industrial market for fuses has over 10 players resulting in fierce competition. On the other hand, there are only four to six players in the MV and HS segments; and two or three players in the Electronic, Telecom and Automotive segments.

The world class facility in the tax-holiday zone of Pondicherry has undergone a second phase of expansion.  Over Rs 6 crore worth of assets have been added in the last 12 months alone, making for a total of Rs 17 crore that has been invested so far in this project.  The figure includes the cost of acquisition.  The turnover has increased rapidly over the last 21 months since the inception and this financial year is expected to end with a turnover of around Rs 21 crore, which is double of last year’s turnover. Further growth is planned over the next 5 years taking the company to a Rs 80 crore turnover. Two-thirds of the capacity is earmarked for exports.

The third phase of expansion is planned for the first half of the 2002. This facility is not only ISO 9000 certified but also ASTA certified for both systems and products. Every fuse goes through stringent quality assurance measures. Cooper Bussmann sets very high standards for industrial circuit protection with over 75,000 fuse types ranging from 72KV fuses for protecting power supplies in multi-stories and industrial complexes to sophisticated miniature fuses for printed circuit boards in electronic products.

Bussmann will increase its activities in the Asia Pacific region over the next few years in order to establish a stronger regional presence, adding balance to its global mix. Manufacturing Operations are currently being expanded in India and China together with sales and marketing activities across the region, most notably in India, China, Singapore and Japan.

As Chandramouli, Managing Director, Cooper Bussmann India put it, "We are offering the latest in fuse technology which comes from nearly a century's experience and specialisation in fuses.  Till now the Indian customer has only seen and used products whose technology dates back 30 or 40 years. What we are offering now is the latest technology with the widest variety".

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