Powering Progress with Innovation
In a dynamic era where intelligent energy solutions and sustainable practices are reshaping the industrial landscape, Eaton has emerged as a key enabler of the future. A global power management company with a growing footprint in India, Eaton is fast becoming synonymous with innovation, reliability, and commitment to localized, value-driven manufacturing. Engineering Review’s Chief Editor, P.K. Balasubramanian, recently visited Eaton’s state-of-the-art Pondicherry facility and sat down with Syed Sajjadh Ali, Managing Director – Electrical Sector, India, Eaton.
In this insightful exchange, Syed outlines Eaton’s exceptional growth trajectory in India, its customer-centric innovations, leadership in power quality and digitalization, and the company’s unwavering focus on sustainability and the ‘Make in India’ mission. Excerpts:
Q. Could you kindly brief us on the standing of Eaton India and its recent plant expansion?
In the last four years, Eaton has added around 200,000 square feet of floor space in our Puducherry plant. With the expanded facility last year, Eaton’s manufacturing footprint in Pondicherry is over 260,000 square feet. This plant manufactures UPS, Low Voltage and Medium Voltage Distribution & Control, EV fuses, high-voltage fuses, high-speed fuses, low-voltage bus fuses, solar fuses, low voltage fuses, expulsion links, fuse holders, PV combiner boxes, over-current protection, test & measure, fuse gears, automation, and over-voltage protection.
The latest addition of 120,000 square feet to the facility includes a state-of-the-art 100,000 square feet shop floor dedicated to Power Distribution product lines, along with 20,000 square feet for utilities and supporting infrastructure.
With the expansion of the Pondicherry factory, Eaton has doubled the production capacity of its Power Distribution assembly lines, manufacturing critical products such as Air Circuit Breakers (ACBs), Molded Case Circuit Breakers (MCCBs) and Fuses. These products are essential to serve key segments like Data Centers, Industrial, Infrastructure, and large projects from Utilities.
In terms of growth the last 8 to 10 years has been a period of exponential growth for Eaton in India in terms of adding the right product mix, entering into new segments, and developing a very good vendor base so that we are able to really cater to the market requirements. Our growth is not only in terms of enlarging the manufacturing footprint. Along with that we have created our own engineering arm here, and we have been able to create a good post-sale service setup here. As a result, when you go to the customer you are able to give a comprehensive solution in terms of a customized product, a well manufactured product through the best of the processes available, a good engineering support and also a good post-sale service support.
So that is how we have been growing, rather outgrowing the market every year. To elucidate, on an average the Indian electrical industry has been growing at around 7 to 9% over a period of last 7-8 years. This is post-Covid I am telling. Against this, Eaton’s growth taking into account the entire India, has been at a CAGR 26%. This means we have been growing 2.5 to 3 times the market growth.
Q. You have a comprehensive range of power conditioning and power quality management systems. What are the new additions to your portfolio?
We started this business with power quality products, and in power quality we have got the complete range starting from a single phase 600 volt system to a three phase 1.5 megawatt system.
The recent expansion enhances Eaton’s ability to support the growing demand for localized products, especially in high-growth sectors like Data Centers and large-scale Industrial projects.
So that way, the volume ramp-up is going well for us. The product, what we introduced has become a success. In the recently concluded Elecrama this year, we launched a very sophisticated UPS, which is widely used in the data center segment. The 9395XR UPS, a 1.5 MW single unit, UPS with the best-in-class footprint occupying less than 1.5 square meters.
That is the sophistication in that product, which has its own scalability, which has its modularity, which has the best-in-class efficiency.We have received a good response from the market with this product.
Q. Your products are used in critical industrial sectors like aerospace, marine, and even for that matter data centers. So what are the unique power quality solutions you have designed for them?
We have a very clear focus on the segments we operate in. Data center is one such sgement. Then you have industrial, infrastructure, residential, and utilities. So everywhere we have the right products serving those markets. Data center is a booming segment in India. You know how the magnitude of data gets increased when the AI and other things were coming. And the data center segment is the most niche segment or the most sophisticated customer you can see because data is so dear in terms of the confidentiality, in terms of the accuracy while downtime is prohibited there.
We have been able to rightly understand that and position ourselves to give the best of the product with the right efficiency, giving top-class performance with close to zero downtime. And even in case of any maintenance or preventive maintenance or for any other eventuality, we have the right spares, critical spares positioned closer to the customer. We also have the right technicians positioned closer to the customer so that any small anomaly can be immediately attended to. And we have got the best of the response time in the industry.
When we talk about data centers or any other segments, now we are not restricted only to the power quality side. Like I said we have been expanding, and diversifying over the past 8 to 10 years.
Today for the distribution side, be it MCCBs, ACBs, contactors, or residual current devices, we have it all in our basket. We are also into the medium voltage segment which has been a roaring success for us.
Though we entered into the medium voltage portfolio 4 years ago, the kind of growth that we are seeing there is phenomenal. Our products gained market acceptance in no time. By the end of 2025, we target to be among the top 3 companies in the medium voltage segment including the RVAC Ring Main Units (RMUs), in the 11 kV switchgear segment.
Q. So what do you attribute that to that kind of growth and acceptability?
We attribute that to understanding our customer’s requirements.
Though we launched the medium voltage products in India only 4 years ago, the product is available in India for more than 2 decades. So getting into that market, trying to make a difference, and on the 4th year trying to occupy the top 3 position in the market tells you as to what kind of acceptance the product has got In terms of its performance, and its ability.
Q. Tell us something about the role of digitalization in enhancing the efficacy of your products.
Indeed, digitalization is at the core of our manufacturing process. Gone are the days when you had stand-alone products. Today we have been able to equip our products with the virtual abilities; products that can communicate with each other. This is quite significant in the context of the smart city projects.
As a matter of fact, every big city is undergoing a complete transition in terms of their energy distribution, metering, execution, laying to everything. In that scenario, these kinds of RMUs play a big role. And that too when they have the ability to talk to each other, utilize the smart metering and so on. So the product gets real acceptance. And we are able to bag significant orders from those kinds of utilities who want such IoT-enabled equipment.
Q. How does one address power outages and surges emanating from the grid?
Power outages are primarily everywhere. The problem in India is not the availability of power, but of the quality of distribution. The leakage is the problem; efficient management of our equipment is the problem.
We are able to address these problems since we are more than a power management company. We call ourselves ‘an intelligent power management company’.This is why we are able to focus on the efficiency, sustainability, ease of operation and things like that.
Q. So how does Eaton remain at the forefront of technology to stay ahead of the curve?
Today we have multifarious products. We have been carefully choosing the product lines and growing our portfolios one by one. We have been calculative in taking the route to get into the market. We brought in ACB’s, before we launched MCCB’s; we then thought it timely to go into medium voltage. So now we have got medium voltage.
Then we have got the low end MCBs, RCBs and allied products. Now we have added a whole range of ACBs and MCCBs. With all these components available, we are now going to enter into the panels, and making of the switchgear itself.
This kind of diversification and additions are really making us to go to the customer with a wholesome value proposition. It’s no more a box selling. It’s a kind of a solution selling. Even if I go to a data center, it is not going to be only UPS anymore. It is going to be UPS, RMU, MCCB, ACB, contactors, switches, RCBs, and everything. So that way, our portfolio is really growing and that makes us come out with the best of the value proposition and solution selling. And this is what we will continue to do.
Q. Obviously you ought to have a strong and eminent service set-up, right?
Very much. We have a 24×7 call center. Our customers can reach the call center 24×7 with respect to installation or trouble-shooting of our products or systems. We have got a complete service setup available across the geography of India.
Q. So what are your growth strategies and your moves to meet the demands of the burgeoning market?
We have a 3x rate of growth when you compare with the market growth. The reason for a phenomenal growth has been due to expansion of our product portfolio, by adding new products and then when your products become successful, you go for a volume ramp up. So, by getting into a volume ramp up you are going to gain more and more market share.
Q. The UPS manufacturers are mushrooming, so to say. Where do you stand in the UPS market and how do you differentiate yourself from the competition?
When you talk about mushrooming, that certainly happens on the single phase side. On the single-phase side, you have a lot of local players, a lot of new products, a lot of imported containers putting their own labels and selling those products.
Those things are prevalent, but not much on the 3-phase side. We do not want to play in that tier-3 segment. We want to play only in the niche segment.
We have the best-in-class products on the 3-phase side. One of the segments, the data center segment which is highly demanding in terms of product specifications and performance. We are focused on such segments which have niche requirements.
Even in single phase, we do a decent business. There again, we have customers who understand the difference between a best-in-class product and also another kind of a product which may claim to meet the same specification. But there is a price for everything. So the product has got its features; the product has got its performance to justify the price tag. So we would always remain in that niche segment.
Q. What are your sustainability goals and how do you contribute to the global transition towards renewable energy and sustainable power solutions?
We spotted this mega trend of energy transition at least 10 years ago and we have been very clearly focusing on that. Sustainability is at the core of Eaton’s vision, and we are committed to supporting the global transition towards renewable energy through our innovative power management solutions.
Our 2030 sustainability goals, which includes reducing our carbon emissions down by 50 and achieving Zero Waste to Landfill at all sites, reflect our dedication to creating a cleaner, more sustainable future.
Eaton’s products, such as the SF6-free XIRIA+ Solid Insulated Switchgear, exemplify our commitment to reducing environmental impact. These technologies enable businesses to integrate renewable energy sources like solar and wind into their power grids more effectively, ensuring both operational reliability and sustainability.
Eaton’s Pondicherry plant is the only factory in this entire region which has zero discharge. This is the only factory in the entire region which has got zero waste disposal, or zero hazardous waste disposal.That is the focus we have got in terms of not only designing the product but even in terms of manufacturing and running our processes.
Q. And finally how do you align your growth strategies with the national mission of ‘Make in India’ and ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’?
Definitely, the ‘Make in India’ slogan has been taken very seriously. That is why we have started localizing all those products what we have been earlier importing from China, West Germany and the US. Plus certainly the Covid taught us many things.
The geopolitical atmosphere whatever we are seeing gives a very clear message that you need to be self-sufficient; your supply chain should be robust enough not to be dependent on external forces. So, by this you become self-reliant and come very close to the customer.
For everything you manufacture you have the backup of the local supply chain. So that is the journey we are pursuing. The ‘Make in India’ slogan has really made that kind of a difference to the whole country. We have picked up early cues from there and we have seen the benefits of that and we will continue to endure through the same course.
