Skipper Ltd has reported an outstanding order book position of Rs.4,551 crore which is the highest ever in the company’s history.
According to an investor presentation by Skipper Ltd filed on stock exchanges, the company also witnessed its highest-ever order inflow, worth Rs.4,137 crore, in FY23. This was mainly due to a single order, valued at Rs.2,570 crore, from Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd, for the supply of ground-based telecom towers.
The presentation further observed that 18 percent of the overall outstanding order book position, as of March 31, 2023, came from the power T&D sector (excluding exports). While another 20 percent came from the export business, the biggest chunk of 62 percent was from the non-power T&D domestic business. The non-power T&D business typically includes structures for sectors like solar, railways, telecom, etc.
In the power T&D sector, Skipper’s activities largely comprise the manufacturing of power transmission towers, power distribution poles, and monopolies. The company is also engaged in EPC works related to power transmission and railway electrification.
The company, as of March 31, 2023, had a bidding pipeline of Rs.10,120 crore that was dominated by the export market (Rs.6,600 crore). Skipper’s investor presentation observed that in the domestic power T&D sector, there is a large pent-up demand and order continues to be muted.
However, the company construes the government’s transmission system plan for the integration of 500 GW of renewable energy capacity by 2030 as a growth driver for its power T&D business.
Also read: Skipper Records All-Time High Order Book Position
With respect to its transmission structures business, Skipper Ltd recorded many achievements such as becoming the first Indian pole manufacturer to design and supply transmission monopoles structures to North America; executing two transmission pole supply contracts with one of the biggest transmission utilities in Canada; supplying large quantities of towers to Australia’s largest-ever transmission line project – Project Energy Connect — taking shape in New South Wales.
Skipper Ltd has three business divisions – engineering products, infrastructure, and polymer; power T&D-related activities fall under the first two.
The featured photograph shows Skipper’s tower testing facility at Howrah in West Bengal. The facility has a testing tower of 120m and is equipped to test towers supporting up to 1,200kV.