BHEL B'lore units revenue up by 41 pc, profit 45 pc

Bangalore, Apr 4: The three major units of Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) here have closed 2005-06 with a record performance of Rs 1150 crore, up by 41 per cent over the previous year's revenue.

BHEL, in a release here, said the Electronics Division (EDN), Industrial Systems Group (ISG) and Electroporcelains Division (EPD) here have earned a profit after tax of Rs 289 crore last fiscal, up by 45 per cent from the previous year's profits. The order book as on March 31, 2006, was Rs 2,434 crore.

The company continued to focus on growth strategies maintaining technology edge, enhancing competitiveness, focusing on new international markets and capacity expansion, which have positioned the company stronger in its markets, the release said.

Continuing its efforts to equip the country's Power Plants with Modern Automation Systems to enhance its availability and efficiency, EDN reached yet another landmark by booking cumulative orders to the tune of Rs 2,450 crore for maxDNA based Plant Automation Systems within a short span of entering into a technical collaboration with M/s Metso Automation of the US.

EDN had achieved a major breakthrough in Traction Electronics Business with Indian Railways by successfully executing orders worth Rs 50 crore in 2005-06. Indian Railways had reposed confidence in BHEL by placing another order worth Rs 87 crore for supply of 31 sets of Power Converters and 20 sets of Central Electronics.

BHEL had identified Railway Transportation Business as one of the thrust areas for future growth. In order to tap the growing opportunities in the field, the company had identified Signalling and Telecommunication as the potential business area, which included Wayside Train Sensing and Detection Systems, Station side Fail Safe Systems, Solid State Interlocking (SSI) equipment, Communication Networks, Operation Control Centre systems, Onboard Automatic Train Protection and Automatic Train Operation systems, the release said.

BHEL had signed a MoU with M/s Uni Controls - Czech Republic to address jointly Central Railway Tender for Train Management and Train Describer System, a computer-based information storage-cum- retrieval system, providing an effective system of regulating and monitoring Mumbai suburban and passenger trains. It had also signed a pact with Alcatel of France to meet SSI requirement of Indian Railways in open line.

Considering its growing business in this area, BHEL had completed upgradation of facilities for manufacturing and testing of advanced traction electronic systems, the release said.

UNI