17 October 2013
The InSites
Exports & Services are key growth drivers
Intent to get back to previous margin corridor
We visited the Medium Voltage (MV) switchgear plant of ABB India at Nashik
and also interacted with the senior management team, as part of the Analyst
Meet. The management remains cautiously optimistic on the growth, while
exports and services will be important drivers. The intent is to get back to
the previous margin corridor, given the various initiatives. The key takeaways
of the interactions are:
Cautiously Optimistic on growth; Medium term revenues to be driven by
emerging segments:
The management remains 'Cautiously Optimistic' on
the medium-term growth possibilities. While the large infrastructure and
industrial projects are yet to show any signs of revival, the medium term
revenues will be driven by new growth segments (like Urbanization, Grid
Reliability and inter-connectivity, Renewable energy and Energy Efficiency).
Key sectors likely to witness increased investments in 2014 (vs 2013) include:
i) Oil and Gas, including upstream where ABB is positioned as the #1 player
ABB Nashik plant
globally 2) Mining and ABB is a large player in underground mining 3) Power
T&D with grid reliability and distribution being important driver s 4) Solar
Background of Nashik Medium Voltage (MV)
Plant
(ABB entered this business in 2010 and commissioned 225MW in 2012 / 300MW
ABB India's Nashik plant was
ytd in 2013 5) Railways.
established in 1978 and is situated
Exports and Service are important growth drivers, with better margin profiles:
For ABB, exports have increased from INR5b in 2010 to INR9b in 2012 and is
likely to increase to INR15b in 2015. Also, the contribution of service business
in revenues have increased from 10% in 2010 to 12% in 2012 and target is 18%
in 2015. Both these businesses entail improved margins (CY12 EBIDTA 4.5%),
with management stating that the margins on exports are better than
domestic; and service segment enjoying high double digit margins.
Intent to get back to the previous margin corridor; Cost rationalization, supply
chain optimization important initiatives:
The management stated the
intention to get back to the previous margin corridor (EBIDTA margins during
1999 - 2009 stood at 8.9-12.9%), vs 4.5% in CY12. This is being attempted
through various initiatives including i) increased contribution from exports
and services ii) Cost rationalization and Supply chain optimization iii)
Reorientation of the project business and iv) possible operating leverage in
the products business, given that capacity commissioning has led to poor
fixed cost absorption. 'In Country, For Country' is an important initiative that
aims to make the product more competitive and relevant.
Valuation and view:
We believe ABB could be one of the important beneficiary
of ongoing power sector reforms, and is also exposed to several important
trends. The current earnings are impacted by poor performance of projects
business (partly legacy projects) and negative operating leverage in products;
and are thus not a reflection of the long term potential. Maintain
Neutral.
Satyam Agarwal
(AgarwalS@MotilalOswal.com); +91 22 3982 5410
Nirav Vasa
(Nirav.Vasa@MotilalOswal.com); +91 22 3982 5422
Investors are advised to refer through disclosures made at the end of the Research Report.
on 12 acres in the Satpur Industrial
estate. It houses the Medium Voltage
(MV) switchgear division and key
products include SF6 Circuit Breakers
(CB), Vacuum CB, SafeLink CB (Ring
Main Units), AIS Switchgears, etc.
In 2004, a
Technology Centre
was
established
for
MV
power
technologies, with focus on the
development of outdoor MV products
(1 to 40 kV) for the global market and
localization of indoor and outdoor
MV products for Asian markets.
Today, Nashik is a
Global Feeder
Factory
for SafeLink SF6 CB (designed
and developed at Nashik); and
Breakers (MV outdoor live tank CB and
magnetic actuators). In Jan 2013, MV
products
training center
was
established in Nashik, to provide
hands-on training to customers and
employees.
Manufacturing of a CB involves
different
sections
including:
Machining, Fabrication, Plating,
Painting, Breaker Assembly and
Testing. The SafeLink CB comprises
of ABB vacuum interrupters, a circuit
breaker and EL2 actuators.
ABB India
Takeaways from site visits
1