KEC International
Encyclopedia
KEC International Limited is India's second largest maker of electricity transmission towers and one of the largest Power Transmission Engineering, Procurement & Construction (EPC) companies in the world, headquartered in Mumbai
, Maharashtra
, India
. It part of the RPG Group
, engaged in laying of power transmission lines on EPC globally. It also provides telecom infrastructure services, tower testing, satellite and GPRS surveys, and hotline stringing services. It has operations in Algeria, Afghanistan, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kazakhstan, Kenya, India, Mali, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Tajikistan, and the United Arab Emirates.
as Kamani Engineering Corporation for manufacturing, enameling and trading of hollowware insulators. In 1950, the company established a fabrication plant in Mumbai in partnership with M/s. R. Foures, France for supply to Bhakra Nangal Dam Project & Transmission projects.
In the mid-1970 international oil prices rose sharply and without warning. KEC invested money into its projects through loans taken from banks and financial institutions. The company had to complete it's project commitments under contract agreement which took into account costs adjusted according to oil prices prevailing before the sudden price rise. Since large transmission projects take several years to complete, this resulted in huge consecutive losses and the company was not able to repay its loans. As a result, KEC was auctioned by the Maharashtra government in 1982.
The company was taken over by RPG Group
which marked a turning point in rebuilding the company. In 1984, the company's name was changed to KEC International. RPG Group
acquired SAE India, the transmission division of ABB
in 1983. RPG Transmission was merged with the company in 2007.
with a global presence and a long established customer reputation.
The company currently has expertise in the following major business areas:
The company has manufacturing facilities in Nagpur, Jabalpur, Jaipur (Tower and Steel Structurals), Thane, Mysore and Silvassa (Cables).
In March 2010, RPG Cables was merged with KEC International.
In September 2010, KEC International acquired Houston, Texas based SAE Towers, a group of operating companies incorporated in the United States, Mexico and Brazil consolidated through SAE Towers Holdings, LLC. This acquisition created the largest steel lattice tower manufacturer in the world with approximately 300,000 tons of annual production capacity.
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
, Maharashtra
Maharashtra
Maharashtra is a state located in India. It is the second most populous after Uttar Pradesh and third largest state by area in India...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. It part of the RPG Group
RPG Group
The RPG Group one of India's largest industrial conglomerate headquartered in Mumbai, India. It was founded by RP Goenka in 1979, and initially encompassed Phillips Carbon Black, Asian Cables, Agarpara Jute and Murphy India...
, engaged in laying of power transmission lines on EPC globally. It also provides telecom infrastructure services, tower testing, satellite and GPRS surveys, and hotline stringing services. It has operations in Algeria, Afghanistan, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kazakhstan, Kenya, India, Mali, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Tajikistan, and the United Arab Emirates.
History
KEC was founded in 1945 by Ramji H. KamaniRamji H. Kamani
Ramji Hansraj Kamani also called Ramjibhai, was an Indian entrepreneur and industrialist born in the village of Dhari in the Amreli district of Saurashtra, , Gujarat...
as Kamani Engineering Corporation for manufacturing, enameling and trading of hollowware insulators. In 1950, the company established a fabrication plant in Mumbai in partnership with M/s. R. Foures, France for supply to Bhakra Nangal Dam Project & Transmission projects.
1980 financial crisis and takeover
In the mid-1970 international oil prices rose sharply and without warning. KEC invested money into its projects through loans taken from banks and financial institutions. The company had to complete it's project commitments under contract agreement which took into account costs adjusted according to oil prices prevailing before the sudden price rise. Since large transmission projects take several years to complete, this resulted in huge consecutive losses and the company was not able to repay its loans. As a result, KEC was auctioned by the Maharashtra government in 1982.
The company was taken over by RPG Group
RPG Group
The RPG Group one of India's largest industrial conglomerate headquartered in Mumbai, India. It was founded by RP Goenka in 1979, and initially encompassed Phillips Carbon Black, Asian Cables, Agarpara Jute and Murphy India...
which marked a turning point in rebuilding the company. In 1984, the company's name was changed to KEC International. RPG Group
RPG Group
The RPG Group one of India's largest industrial conglomerate headquartered in Mumbai, India. It was founded by RP Goenka in 1979, and initially encompassed Phillips Carbon Black, Asian Cables, Agarpara Jute and Murphy India...
acquired SAE India, the transmission division of ABB
ABB
ABB or Abb may refer to:*ABB Group, a Swiss-based high-tech engineering multinational*ABB Grain, an Australian agribusiness*Abu Bakar Bashir, the leader of Indonesian Mujahideen Council...
in 1983. RPG Transmission was merged with the company in 2007.
The company today
Today KEC International is a turnover flagship company of the RPG GroupRPG Group
The RPG Group one of India's largest industrial conglomerate headquartered in Mumbai, India. It was founded by RP Goenka in 1979, and initially encompassed Phillips Carbon Black, Asian Cables, Agarpara Jute and Murphy India...
with a global presence and a long established customer reputation.
The company currently has expertise in the following major business areas:
- Power Transmission
- Power Distribution & Design Services
- Cabling
- Telecommunications Infrastructure
- Railway Infrastructure
- Cables Manufacturing
- Water Management
The company has manufacturing facilities in Nagpur, Jabalpur, Jaipur (Tower and Steel Structurals), Thane, Mysore and Silvassa (Cables).
In March 2010, RPG Cables was merged with KEC International.
In September 2010, KEC International acquired Houston, Texas based SAE Towers, a group of operating companies incorporated in the United States, Mexico and Brazil consolidated through SAE Towers Holdings, LLC. This acquisition created the largest steel lattice tower manufacturer in the world with approximately 300,000 tons of annual production capacity.
Further reading
- Egypt–India relations (Economic relations) - KEC transmission projects in Egypt - (Wiki page)