Pune-based Alfa Laval (India) Limited, a process technology and engineering major has recently bagged a major order from Wockhardt Limited for installing the world's most advanced centrifugal separators- BTPX 710 for biotech application. The value of the order was not disclosed.

SK Roy, regional manager, Alfa Laval (India) Limited in Bangalore told Pharmabiz.com that the company is a world leader in centrifugal separators in the biotech and pharma application apart from being the market leaders in thermal and flow products and process technologies. Like fermentation and distillation systems for molasses, grain-based distillery, breweries and refined oil plants.

The company has also recently completed a multi application submerged fermentation plant in Bangalore for Biocon India Group.

The company's core expertise in thermal, separator and flow engineering also helped to receive several successful overseas projects like the installation of WFI systems, another potential product to produce purified water for companies like Rhone Poulenc in Bangladesh and Algeria, and Oman Pharmaceuticals in Salalah.

Alfa Laval (India), which is a part of the Alfa Laval, Sweden, has set up massive manufacturing facilities in and around Pune, for the production of high quality centrifugal systems- VNPX and LAPX series of separators used for life science application. In addition, it also manufactures flow equipments like pumps, valves and fittings with high surface finishes at its unit in Sarole, near Pune. The company is also engaged in sophisticated fabrication of various grades of stainless steel or other exotic materials including biotech fermenters.

The company was set up way back in 1937 as Vulcan Trading Corporation, a conglomerate of Swedish companies and later known as Vulcan Laval. The name changed to Alfa Laval (India) Limited in 1987 when their principal in Sweden increased its stake to more than 50 percent.

The company is participating in the Bangalore Bio.com 2002 to exhibit its strengths in the field of precision components, flow products, centrifugal separators, heat exchangers, lab bioreactors, pilot fermenters, automated production fermenters reactors, automated sterimedia plants, CIP Plants, water pasteurisers, etc.

For the year ending December 31, 2001, the company notched up the best performance in terms of profitability and bagging worthy orders, informed Roy. The company has an excellent geographic coverage in India with reference to its sales and execution support and virtually it ahs offices in every major city in the country.

Its list of clientele in the country include Ranbaxy Laboratories, CIBA CKD, Torrent Labs, Lupin Chemicals Merind Limited, Maduas Pharmaceuticals, to name a few. In Karnataka, the company has bagged significant orders from Biocon India Group and Max India, Mysore for system-based units. It has also supplied centrifugal separators, flow components and equipments to Cipla, Glaxo SmithKline Beecham, and Astra Zeneca Pharma India.

For the future, Roy said, "We certainly want to be a main player in life sciences technology." In fact, the company has two divisions- process technology and equipment and Alfa Laval, Sweden has identified Life sciences as a separate marketing segment for future growth strategy.

We will develop new solutions evolving out of the core competencies to optimise the performance of the customer's process and technologies," informed Roy.