Kirloskar Brothers Ltd which has been in the production of diesel pumps, has embarked on manufacturing 5MW hydro turbines in view of an increasing tendency to tap India's hydro potential, Chairman and Managing director Sanjay Kirloskar said here on Tuesday.

“We’ve forayed into hydro turbines production to meet the growing demand and we are confident of making a niche in the segment,” Mr Kirloskar told reporters here.

Growth target

Kirloskar Brothers retained close to 40 per cent growth in the last three fiscals.  As for the production of diesel engines for all kinds equipment in the power, telecom, construction and agri-production, Kirloskar Oil Engines Ltd (KOEL) is setting up a Rs 500-crore state-of-the-art plant at Kolarpur near Pune which is expected to go on stream in April next year, KOEL Chairman & Managing Director Atul Kirloskar said.

Plant capacity

“The new plant will hike our capacity to 80,000 engines per annum,” he added.

KOEL presently has 13 OEM (original equipment manufacturers) from where it has been sourcing the generating sets of various kilowats. India presently has a market of about one lakh  diesel generating units where KOEL is a major player.

The company has targeted a growth of 35 per cent in the current financial year.  The turnover of the company in the last fiscal was Rs 1,900 crore and the export was Rs 200 crore.