Carborundum Universal Limited (CUMI) is a leading diversified industrial conglomerate based in India with a global presence in abrasives. CUMI has grown to become a prominent player in the abrasives, ceramics, and electro-minerals industries. A major player in the abrasives industry, CUMI manufactures a wide range of products. These products have applications in various industries such as automotive, woodworking, precision engineering, and metal fabrication. While headquartered in Chennai, India, CUMI has a strong global presence with manufacturing facilities and offices in various countries. This international footprint enables the company to serve a diverse and geographically widespread customer base.
The Interview World at IHFI interacts with Viswa Raha Sanjiv, AVP, Global Product Management to get a pulse of CUMI’s product lines. He offers insights into products and their applications in various industries, acquisitions, and exports. Here’s a glimpse into the conversation.
Q: What’s your product range?
A: We’re Carborundum Universal Limited, part of the Murugappa Group, headquartered in Chennai. With over 65 years in abrasives, we’re among the top seven global manufacturers and make both coated and bonded abrasives. Fundamentally, we are a proud Indian company. Recently, we also acquired two German companies. One is RHODIUS, which focuses on bonded thin wheels, and AWUKO, which manufactures coated abrasives. Today marks the official announcement and launch of RHODIUS products in India. However, AWUKO has a long stint of supplying products to the Indian leather industry. The revolving globe symbolizes the merger of three companies, showcasing how a humble Indian company has become an MNC.
Q: What products are you launching in this exhibition?
A: Today, particularly we also have a set of launches. We launched specific premium product ranges such as vitrified resinoid wheels, utilized for grinding applications. Carborundum is already a market leader in this category. Furthermore, we have come up with a technologically advanced set of products, which is increasing our cap concerning the competition. That’s the bigger theme of our presence in this exhibition. Next, we plan to launch ceramic belts, used for hand-tool applications. Moreover, we will launch super abrasives, which find applications in the cutting and grinding of granites. We are among the few manufacturers in India producing super abrasives.
Q: Which are the domains that use your products?
A: Anything that requires cutting and grinding uses our products. Our products have a wide range of applications across industries including construction, foundry, fabrication, metalworks, woodworks, pharmaceuticals, automotive, and engineering. In construction, abrasives enable concrete grinding, surface preparation, metal cutting, panel finishing, and smoothening of surfaces. Similarly, in metal works, they help with grinding, polishing, and deburring.
Q: Elaborate a bit about the applications of your products for various industries.
A: In the fabrication industry, abrasives have applications in structural steel manufacturing. Structural steel has a wide range of applications including the making of bridges, boilers, oil and gas containers, pharma equipment, etc. So, it again starts with the applications of abrasives like cutting, grinding, and surfacing. We have all sorts of abrasive products like wheels, belts, RFCs, etc. Then, we have coated abrasives for lighter grinding applications such as fiber discs, flap discs, etc. Now that we are moving from mild steel to stainless steel, which finds applications in metros, requires polishing and finishing.
Moreover, we have a set of products that empowers tube industries for the super-finishing of products. For example, in the automotive industry, abrasives have applications in making balls, bearings, pistons, gear shafts, camshafts, and crankshafts. Mostly, we call it precision engineering. High-precision engineering companies that manufacture gears use abrasives.
Q: Do you export your products and to which geographies?
A: Yes, we do exports. Our biggest export goes to the USA and European markets.
