Disruptive Technologies to Drive Future Products and Service Innovations at Kirloskar Brothers

Mr Ratan Tata unveils revised ‘Code of Ethics’ of KBL; to strengthen century old values of the company that is the genesis of the Kirloskar brand

Disruptive technologies such as Internet of Things, Artificial intelligence, 3D printing, Virtual Reality & Augmentative Reality, to be deployed for introducing end-to-end process revolution

To emerge as a world leader in fluid management solutions

Pune, 10 March 2019: 130-year old Kirloskar Brothers Ltd. (KBL) celebrating its entry into the 100^th year of incorporation as a public limited company unveiled its ‘future roadmap,’ which rests on the twin pillars of ethical growth leveraging breakthrough technologies.  The event which was attended by the who’s who of India Inc was presided over by Mr Ratan Tata as the chief guest while Dr Raghunath Mashelkar was the guest of honour.

Speaking on the occasion Mr. Sanjay Kirloskar, Chairman and MD, of KBL said “the history packed into the 100 years of the company has many milestones that are a part of the legacy that we have inherited.  Going forward, a stronger focus on product R&D and embracing of new technologies for innovating along with inculcating a strong value system across the organisation will be an imperative to uphold the rich legacy.”

A revised ‘Code of Ethics’ for KBL which was launched at the hands of Mr Ratan Tata has been an integral part of functioning of Kirloskar Brothers Ltd and has served as a barometer of the value system of the employees of the company.

Elaborating on the technologies that will drive the future of the company, Mr. Alok Kirloskar, Non-executive Director – KBL said:  “The journey of Kirloskar Brothers over the next century would be about a smarter approach to product and service differentiation through adoption of disruptive technologies. KBL’s technology blueprint using combination of Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence (AI), Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality (VR/AR) and 3D Printing will enable us to innovate across the entire length and breadth of our fluid management systems – right from the deployment phase, to remotely monitoring and operating these systems and lastly to offering seamless and faster after-sales services.”

Speaking on the occasion, Ms. Rama Kirloskar, Non-executive Director -- KBL highlighted the need for improving engineering skills at the grassroots level to enable Indian industry to create an enabling environment to help the next generation of Indian engineers achieve their rightful place in the world. Addressing the audience at the centenary event, she said KBL has been carrying out extensive skill-set creation and training programmes in colleges across the country to get students acquainted with modern systems and processes that are relevant to the needs of the industry. I believe it is the responsibility for all industry leaders to join in the efforts to create a large trained workforce and quality engineers for realising our ‘Make in India’ dreams,” she said.

During the centenary event, Mr. Sanjay Kirloskar, along Mrs Pratima Kirloskar with distinguished guests including Mr Pant and Mr Ginde whose forefathers over a 100 years ago had helped Mr Laxmanrao Kirloskar in his efforts also released the English version of Mr Laxmanrao Kirloskar’s biography titled ‘The Man Who Made Machines’ originally authored by Mr Shankarrao Kirloskar .

About KBL: Kirloskar Brothers was established 130 years ago in 1888 by Laxmanrao Kirloskar – from which various group companies have later emerged. Kirloskar Brothers was officially registered as a legal entity Kirloskar Brothers Limited on January 15, 1920. KBL was started as a bicycle shop in Belgaum in 1888, but soon became a name synonymous with innovation. The first Kirloskar product was the indigenous chaff cutter in 1901 followed by the iron plough in 1903, which became a tough competitor to the British ploughs. The baton was passed to Laxmanrao’s son, Shantanurao, in 1936 who was instrumental in innovation of India’s first machine tool and electric motor. He expanded KBL’s footprints in European market and in North America and South East Asia.

Mr. Sanjay Kirloskar, Chairman and Managing Director took over the helm of KBL in 1985. Under him, the company has expanded further and seen innovations like canned motor pumps, solar pumps, concrete volute pumps and magnetic drive pumps. Over the years, the KBL has marched ahead with innovative products which have carved a niche globally. It has become a global conglomerate and is equipped with best technology in the world.  The flagship company KBL is India’s largest centrifugal pump manufacturer and has 8 manufacturing facilities in India and others in the Netherlands, South Africa, Thailand, the United Kingdom and the United States of America.