PWI shifts R

New Delhi, May 31 (UNI) Global water purifier major Pentair Water India (PWI) has shifted its Research and Development (R and D) Centre from Goa to New Delhi and plans to increase the engineering staff from 90 to 150 by the end of this calendar year.

PWI is a 100 per cent subsidiary of the three billion dollar Minnesota-based Pentair Group, which is a global leader in manufacturing innovative products used worldwide in movement, t reatment and storage of water.

The R and D centre here will develop new technologies for company's facility in Goa which is a manufacturing hub for water treatment equipments for the global markets.

''Besides, catering to the domestic consumers with its Reverse Osmosis (RO) water purifying systems, Pentair Water India will also introduce its industrial systems for water treatment in big plants from June 8, 2006,'' said Pentair Water India Pvt Ltd CEO Gautam Khanna while talking to reporters here today.

The company spends about 4.5 per cent of its global turnover on R and D, Mr Khanna said.

The manufacturing plant in Goa, makes it a manufacturer as compared to to other players in the market who are basically assemblers, he added.

The Goa plant is the world's largest manufacturer of membrane housings which are made to exacting global quality standards and exported to all parts of the world.

The company has already installed 30 industrial water purifying systems in the country and is expected to cross the 100 mark during 2006.

PWI has launched its range of Home Water Purification systems based on RO technology which is capable of removing contaminants as small as 0.0001 microns in comparison to other UV systems available in the market which only kill bacteria and virus, Mr Khanna said.

The product is available in the price range between Rs 9000 to Rs 15,000 through 150 multi-brand outlets across India.

The Indian subsidiary has been growing at 40 per cent per annum in revenues over the last four years. It clocked a turn over 28 million dollars in 2005 and has set a target to achieve 38 million dollars in 2006.

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