''By 2015, pumps with a much longer lifetime will be available''

… says Dr Sven Oliver Wieczorek, president and CEO of Witte Pumps and Technology GmbH, Germany. Today, the company not only produces specialised solutions for the industry but also offers a standard range of pumps. Customers who seek high-quality Witte precision gear pumps belong to industries like plastics, chemicals, cosmetics and food processing.

An alumnus of process engineering at École Nationale Supérieure des Mines de Saint-Étienne, France, Wieczorek started his professional career as an assistant professor at Institute of Process Technology, Technical University of Berlin. It was during this assignment that he received his rank as Doctor of Engineering. Later during his three-year stint at Bayer AG, Leverkusen, Germany, he worked as a process engineer.

Wieczorek joined Witte in the year 2000 as managing director, and has been quite instrumental in taking the company to new heights. In this exclusive e-interview with Nishan Chandran, Wieczorek unfolds the potentials and paths carved by manufacturers while catering to the pumps segment. Excerpts…

Current trends seen in the global pumps industry with regard to chemical process industries (CPI)...
In recent times, there has been a strong focus on the life-cycle costs of a pump system. This is in addition to an increase in awareness among customers about the quality and efficiency of a pump vis-à-vis its high cost. 

Asia remains a stronger market for pump manufacturers and Indian market too is on a high growth trajectory. The European market is also quite strong for special applications like the requirements of high-corrosion resistance at higher pressure and elevated temperatures as is the case when flame retardants are used in the pumped liquid. In the polymer industry, for instance, polymers for special applications contain much higher amount of abrasive components than the normal ones and need better coating to the parts. Further, one has multiphase products that require special impellers at centrifugal pumps to achieve good results.

However, the future for the pumps industry is in the Middle East countries as their market is fast moving to chemical applications, and we have already realised a big demand for
the same.

As far as the Indian pumps market with regard to the CPIs is concerned, we see a strong growth in the polymer-related chemicals industry. The polymers industry is booming and requires the supply of all the necessary components from chemicals industry. Hence, this opportunity bodes well for the CPIs.

The latest developments in the pumps industry…
Most of the developments are in the field of materials. For instance, new chemical processes need high-performance pumps that offer excellent corrosion- and pressure-resistance, besides accurate metering characteristics. Thus, the focus is on developing new materials and coatings that are conducive for the customers' applications.

The main driver segments in CPIs that are giving the pumps industry a boost…
The polymer-related industry is one of the largest generators for the pumps industry and this trend is expected to continue for a long time. However, there will some difference by 2015 - polymers will most likely be made from renewable sources like polylactic acid instead of oil.

Types of pumps used in chemicals industry and the ones in which Witte specialises…
In the chemicals industry, three major types of pumps are used like centrifugal, positive displacement and injector pumps. Centrifugal pumps are the most widely used for low-viscosity, low-pressure and high volumes. Injector pumps are utilised in low-pressure applications, while positive displacement pumps are divided in oscillating pumps like piston or membrane-type pumps and rotating pumps like screw, lobe or gear pumps. These are mostly used for high viscosities at high pressure. Witte specialises in the gear pumps business and offers high-precision gear pumps for low- and high-viscosity.

On the awareness levels of Indian CPIs and the improvements that they require with regard to pumps…
For some customers, the price of a pump is very important. However, they should understand that the price is only half the story. A low-cost pump can turn out to be quite expensive in the long run if it fails time-and-again and thus cause production loss. Unfortunately, some pump manufacturers offer very low-price pumps, whose spare parts are very expensive. Hence, when there is a problem with the pump, the customer has to buy those parts and thus, the total price becomes much higher at the end of the day. My request to the customer would be to consider the life-cycle costs much more, rather than just the initial price.  

The latest advancements and solutions offered by pump manufacturers with respect to energy conservation…
The pumps industry is increasing the efficiency of pumps. However, major differences are witnessed in the efficiency of centrifugal pumps by developing new impellers. The efficiency of positive displacement pumps is already high due to the pumping principle. Up to 50 per cent of energy can be saved by optimising plant configuration and through proper pump selection. Quite often, pumps are too big for the application because it adds to the safety factor. High-technology pump selection software can help here. Another 20 per cent of the savings can be achieved by speed control with frequency converter in case of varying points of operation. By using motors with efficiency class EFF1, instead of EFF 2, the energy consumption can be reduced by up to 2 per cent today.

Witte's product portfolio for the CPIs...
We have produced Chem, which is a universal gear pump used in the chemicals, food, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals industry for delivering low to high viscosity. A variation of this gear pump called Chem-Magnet is available with magnetic coupling and without dynamic seal. This is suitable for toxic media or high-pressure applications. Another gear pump that we offer is Poly, which is used for discharging polymer liquids from vacuum. It is widely used in the plastics manufacturing and processing industry. The pressure boosting pump Extru is installed through an outlet of the extruders in plastics manufacturing and the Booster gear pump increases pressure in the production line of polymers. We also offer a metering system WDS, which can offer perfect solutions while metering at high pressures.

Besides this, we offer special pumps made of ceramics, tantalum, titanium and other materials. In addition to providing after-sales services and spare parts for our own pumps, we also provide comprehensive service packages for gear pumps produced by other manufacturers.

The history of the company, its growth chart and future plans for India…
Witte was founded in Hamburg, Germany, in 1984 and has become a market leader in special gear pumps. For example, Witte gear pumps have even been used for the European rocket Ariane. The company grew very quickly and has its own service companies in the US and China. Witte is a family-owned organisation that takes good care of its customers and employees. 

The presence of Witte in India was quite weak in the beginning. This situation was changed when
the management decided to focus more on India. After establishing a strong relationship with the New Delhi-based Goodie - the company representing Witte in India, our market share in this country has grown tremendously.

Setting up a manufacturing unit needs a certain sales in the market, which is yet to be reached. Witte's strategy is to primarily focus on a service centre in India, and later to set up a manufacturing unit. 

Strategies adopted by Witte to tap the industrial sector in India…
Just selling is not enough and hence Witte's strategy is to offer its customers 'life-time-relationship' that takes care of them during the pump's life cycle. To grow in india, an important part of the Witte strategy, is to boost its market presence. This will be done by taking part in important trade shows, Plastindia 2009 for instance.

We have also made available standard spare parts in India, and these are stocked with our agent. Further, all those who are related to Witte's products and services in India are well-trained to support the customer. We are also focussing on quick and reliable services. Since Witte is a family-owned company, we have close and reliable relationship with our customers. Our competitors are stock-listed companies and do not offer such personal touch. Our biggest advantage is that we offer quick reaction time and short decision-making process.

Witte's action plan to become the number one pumps provider in India…
In the words of Mahatma Gandhi, 'A customer is the most important visitor on our premises. He is not dependent on us. We are dependent on him. He is not an interruption on our work. He is the purpose of it. He is not an outsider on our business. He is a part of it. We are not doing him a favour by serving him. He is doing us a favour by giving us an opportunity to do.'  We also follow the same philosophy and believe that it is the road to success. Hence, all people working for Witte are 100 per cent customer-oriented. This is one big advantage of being a family-owned business.

First, we want to strengthen our presence in India. Second, we are focussing on setting up an after-sales centre for the customers' benefit. By having spare parts in stock in India, we can provide a quick service.

Business and technological challenges & opportunities that India offers…
The Indian market is price sensitive. Hence, our engineers are engaged in designing pumps that are economical, but at the same time do not compromise on quality. And, this has proved to be a real challenge for us.

Future technological developments…
By 2015, pumps will have a much longer lifetime than the ones that are available today. These pumps will also have a reliable early failure detection system that will prevent breakdown and allow proactive maintenance.