Rockwell Industries to expand manufacturing facilities
Hyderabad firm to serve vaccine and drug makers through innovative cold chain solutions
Hyderabad: Hyderabad is contributing to every facet of Covid-19 management. From making vaccines and drugs to cold chain management, industry here is playing an active role.
Hyderabad-based Rockwell Industries, a commercial cold chain appliances manufacturer, is planning to come out with a new (third) facility in India, to meet the growing demand. The company is scouting for options both in Hyderabad and north India.
Spread across over 2 lakh square feet, Rockwell currently has two manufacturing facilities at Medchal, Hyderabad, with an annual production capacity of over 4,00,000 units. The company supplies its products to over 27 countries.
Ashok Gupta, MD, Rockwell Industries, told Telangana Today, “In addition to strengthening our manufacturing capacities in India, we could also explore opportunities to manufacture overseas. We have got some interest from companies in Africa and Nepal. There is scope to set up joint venture facilities in these markets.”
The company has earmarked an investment of Rs 100 crore for India expansion towards R&D, automation, new capacities through additional lines and adding a new marketing network to its existing base of 500 outlets over the next 2-3 years.
“We have been focusing on innovation and have brought energy efficient machines to cater to pharma, biotech and food sectors. We will soon introduce farm milk chillers, which will help improve the farmers’ income. Similar opportunities exist in the fish and meat industry as well,” added Gupta.
Innovative product
The company launched on Thursday Chillermill, a chiller/freezer powered by hybrid (solar & wind) renewable energy, which it claims to be the first in the world, which would be ideal for storing vaccines, lifesaving drugs, including those for Covid-19 vaccines between 2 and 8 degrees celsius as well as -40 degrees celsius requirement.
There are three variants of 100, 200 and 300 litres capacity priced between Rs 40,000 and 1,00,000, and with power source, price will be at Rs 2.5 lakh per unit. There is scope to roll out 500 litres portable freezers in near future, said Gupta.
The WHO PQS (World Health Organisation PQS)-certified Covid-19 freezer series, will be manufactured at the company’s manufacturing facilities in Medchal, Hyderabad, with a cumulative capacity of 1,000 units per day. The entire system is certified by the National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education & Research, Hyderabad.
The Hybrid Renewable System comprising wind turbines, along with a solar module enables the refrigerator to run 24/7 on power stored in batteries. The company has 280 service franchisees who will ensure maintenance of the product.
Commending Rockwell, Jayesh Ranjan, principal secretary, Government of Telangana for the Industries & Commerce (I&C) and Information Technology (IT), said, “Governments and immunisation programmes rely on a complicated cold chain of freezers and temperature-controlled conditions and Rockwell has developed the much-needed refrigeration technology to address these challenges to preserve vaccine, healthcare products, and other deep-freezing applications.”
Gupta added, “There are places especially, many rural hospitals and immunisation sites that can’t depend on the unreliable power supply. With our new renewable energy-supported freezers/chillers, we are in a position to help the health sector overcome these challenges. We expect to close in orders worth Rs 25 crores this year and hope to achieve Rs 50 crores by the end of 2022.”
The company plans to participate in several tenders of central and State governments, public and private enterprises for refrigerators and freezers. On the export front, there are opportunities in Africa and other markets. “Rockwell has received an order for 1,000 freezers from Africa already. We have also received an enquiry from Japan and talks are in progress. We anticipate export demand could surpass domestic demand for Rockwell’s new range,” Gupta informed.
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