Kirloskar Oil Engines Ltd
NSE:KIRLOSENG

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Earnings Call Analysis

Q3-2024 Analysis
Kirloskar Oil Engines Ltd

Rising Profits Amidst Expansion Plans

The company experienced a 37% quarterly and 9% yearly revenue decline due to delays in state subsidies. Nevertheless, key financial indicators remained strong with consolidated revenue hitting INR 1,390 crores (up 14% YoY), and net profit reaching INR 120 crores (up 36% YoY) for Q3 FY '24. Year-to-date revenues rose to INR 4,248 crores (16% increase YoY) with net profit at INR 324 crores (20% increase YoY). With robust domestic demand and a dedicated R&D team developing alternative fuel technologies, the company is confident about its growth trajectory, aiming to double revenue in three years (2X-3Y journey).

Financial Performance and Revenue Decline

This quarter, the company witnessed a significant revenue drop of 37% when compared to the same quarter of the previous year, with a noted 9% yearly decrease. This decline was attributed to seasonality and subsidy delays in various states.

Consolidate Business Growth

On a consolidated basis, the company's sales remained stable, although the profit before tax (PBT) showed notable improvement, leaping from INR 11 crores to INR 25 crores. Exports experienced a growth of 10%, contributing positively to the overall financial health of the organization. The focus was also on expanding the business with a rise in revenue from operations by 14% year-over-year to INR 1,390 crores and a 36% increase in net profit to INR 120 crores for the quarter. Year-to-date figures also reflected growth with a 16% increase in revenue and a 20% jump in net profit.

Exceptional Items and Net Profit

It's crucial to acknowledge that this quarter's net profit included an exceptional item, where a provision of INR 31 crores was made following regulatory changes affecting the company's investment in Arka's alternate investment fund.

Ambitious Growth Trajectory

Despite a current shortfall from the desired 25% growth rate required to double revenue in three years, company executives expressed confidence in meeting this ambitious target. They believe that recent industry-wide transitions, specifically the delay in the CPCBIV notification, have temporarily impacted growth rates. However, with the transition nearly complete and a strong performance outlook, the company leadership remains committed to achieving their financial goals in the coming fiscal year.

Margin Improvement and Long-Term Potential

Although there's been an improvement in operating margins, there's still a considerable gap when compared to industry leaders. Executives suggest that diversification into high horsepower products and increased service business will boost margins over time, with aspirations to edge closer to more mature industry players. However, exact margin targets or ranges were not disclosed during the call.

Strategic Plans for Arka Fincap

Arka Fincap raised INR 300 crores through a public issue of debentures, and the company has made plans to expand branch offices and employee base to support further growth. There are no immediate plans to invest beyond INR 1,000 crores or demerge Arka Fincap, with leadership expressing the need for careful consideration and a methodical approach before making any strategic decisions regarding its future.

Technology Advancement and R&D

The company is actively preparing for impending technological shifts in the industry. Research and Development (R&D) efforts are rigorously focused on alternative fuel technologies for internal combustion engines, underlining the commitment to continuous innovation and stakeholder interests.

Product Contribution Analysis

Regarding product-specific performance, the CPCBIV plant genset contributed approximately 15% to the company's volume during the quarter, indicating a strategic focus area and potential growth driver in the company's product mix.

Earnings Call Transcript

Earnings Call Transcript
2024-Q3

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Operator

Ladies and gentlemen, good day, and welcome to Kirloskar Oil Engines Limited Q3 FY '24 Earnings Conference Call hosted by Antique Stockbroking. [Operator Instructions] Please note that this conference is being recorded.

I now hand the conference over to Mr. Dhirendra Tiwari from Antique Stockbroking. Thank you, and over to you, sir.

D
Dhirendra Tiwari
analyst

Thank you. Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. On behalf of Antique Stockbroking Limited, I welcome you to 3Q FY '24 post results conference call of Kirloskar Oil Engines Limited. We are pleased to have with us today Ms. Gauri Kirloskar, Managing Director; Mr. Rahul Sahai, CEO B2B business; Mr. Aseem Srivastav, CEO B2C business. I welcome on the management of KOEL on the call.

Now I invite Ms. Gauri Kirloskar to discuss results, following which we will take Q&A. Over to you, Gauri. Thank you.

G
Gauri Kirloskar
executive

Thank you very much. Good evening, everyone. This is Gauri Kirloskar, Managing Director of Kirloskar Oil Engines. Thank you all for joining the call today. I have with me Rahul Sahai, our CEO B2B; Aseem Srivastav, CEO B2C; Ankur Gupta, CFO, B2B; Smita Raichurkar, Company Secretary; and Amit Gupta, CFO of Arka.

I will first start with the business updates. KOEL had a successful quarter, achieving its highest ever Q3 sales, contributing to the highest year-to-date sales as well. The gross revenue in the third quarter reached INR 1,125 crores, reflecting a 14% year-on-year increase. The year-to-date gross revenue totaled INR 3,428 crores, marking a 17% growth compared to the previous year. Overall, demand was strong during the quarter based on the continued focus on infra spend in the Indian market. We continue to see mixed demand from CPCBII and CPCBIV+ engines.

As you all know, the CPCBII engines are allowed to be sold in June of this year, that is 2024, and we expect the mixed demand to continue till then. Even though BS V has been postponed from April 2024 to Jan 2025, we are ready with the BS V engine platform as well. This quarter also marks some now significant milestone for us. We won the NPCIL order for supply of gensets for nuclear power plants. The order value is INR 768 crores for an order execution over 68 months for the Kudankulam project of NPCIL. This is the largest ever single order for KOEL.

Another development on the international business is the Wildcat acquisition. Kirloskar Americas Corporation acquired a 51% stake of Engines-LPG LLC, doing business as Wildcat Power Gen, an Ohio-based -- an Ohio limited liability company at an approximate consideration of USD 357,000. Engines-LPG LLC is engaged in the business of designing, manufacturing, selling and servicing of generators powered by gas, diesel and other environmental fuel and power solutions under the brand name of Wildcat Power Gen for all types of applications. This acquisition is a step towards business expansion and to enable market development in power gen applications for the North American markets.

We have also appointed a GOEM called [indiscernible] to serve and grow our business in the Middle East.

Now coming to B2B business updates. In the Power Generation segment, as I mentioned in the beginning, currently, we are experiencing strong demand for our CPCBII gensets. So we are fulfilling the orders which are a mix CPCBII and CPCBIV+ gensets. Additionally, there has been noteworthy expansion in the sales of gas gensets, indicating a substantial surge in the adoption of power generation solutions fueled by gas. As of the year-to-date assessment, this year's figures have surpassed the 150-unit mark, affirming a significant and positive trajectory in the sector performance. In the Industrial segment, we have observed a strong demand emanating from the construction and railway sector. This serves as the confirmation of the ongoing narrative surrounding India's infrastructure development and the government's dedicated emphasis on capital investment in these specific sectors.

In this quarter, another endeavor involves a new product line consisting of remanufactured items that deliver performance comparable to new ones but with a considerably reduced environmental impact. This not only results in financial savings for our customers but also contributes to lower carbon footprint. Such efforts solidify our dedication to the circular economy, emphasizing a cradle-to-cradle approach.

On the B2C side, we continue our stabilizing efforts with the RACE strategy that is reach, agility, cost and engagement. The diesel and electric pumps have witnessed more than 25% growth during the quarter over last year. Our distributor base grew 22% over last year's Q3. As a part of our widening efforts, we added 26 new channel partners during the quarter. The B2C segment has witnessed notable profitability enhancement as the segment's profit for the year-to-date period reached INR 36 crores, up 105% compared to INR 17.5 crores in the previous year.

I will now briefly update on the financial performance on a quarterly and a year-to-date basis. These are the stand-alone numbers for Q3 FY '24 financial performance. Net sales at INR 1,125 crores for Q3 FY '24 versus INR 990 crores for Q3 FY '23, a 14% increase year-on-year; EBITDA at INR 133 crores for Q3 FY '24 versus INR 109 crores for Q3 FY '23, which is a 21% increase year-on-year; EBITDA margin is at 11.7% for Q3 FY '24 versus 10.9% for Q3 FY '23; net profit is at INR 82 crores for Q3 FY '24 versus INR 68 crores for Q3 FY '23, a 21% increase year-on-year.

On the year-to-date numbers, net sales is at INR 3,428 crores year-to-date of '24 versus INR 2,932 crores for year-to-date '23, a 17% increase year-on-year; EBITDA is at INR 386 crores for year-to-date '24 versus INR 328 crores for year-to-date '23, which is an 18% increase year-on-year; EBITDA margin is at 11.2% for year-to-date '24 versus 11.1% for year-to-date '23; and net profit is at INR 244 crores for year-to-date fiscal year '24 versus INR 205 crores for year-to-date '23, a 19% increase year-on-year.

I will now give an update on working capital. As we updated last time, last quarter started with challenges on the supply front due to the continuation of CPCBII for another one year, while CPCBIV+ was also introduced. As a result, we continued to see demand for both product lines, which has resulted in a complex supply chain and manufacturing situation. To meet demand and customer requirements on delivery time lines, we have made investments in stocking materials that has resulted in higher inventories, which we expect to normalize over the next year as we go through this period of transition. Further, we have also seen an initial recovery of approximately INR 5 crores from the amount provided for against a customer receivable. We reaffirm that the full balance of the receivable amount was already provided for.

Now I will take you through the business-wise stand-alone revenue breakup for the quarter and year-to-date performance. The B2B business reported sales of INR 973 crores for the quarter, which indicated growth of 13% year-on-year. The year-to-date sales were at INR 2,972 crores, which is a 17% growth year-on-year. Within B2B, Power Generation reported sales of INR 426 crores for the quarter, which is a 5% year-on-year growth and INR 1,388 crores for the year-to-date, which is a 17% year-on-year growth. Industrial segment reported sales of INR 232 crores for the quarter, which is a 23% year-on-year growth and INR 699 crores for the year-to-date, which is a 15% year-on-year growth.

Distribution & Aftermarket reported sales of INR 180 crores for the quarter, which is a 17% year-on-year growth and INR 539 crores for year-to-date, which is 19% year-on-year growth. The International business reported sales of INR 135 crores for the quarter, which is 21% year-on-year growth and INR 346 crores for year-to-date, which is 19% year-on-year growth.

B2C stand-alone business has reported sales of INR 152 crores for the quarter, which indicates growth of 16% year-on-year. The year-to-date sales were INR 456 crores for the quarter, which is 17% growth year-on-year. Within B2C, KOEL Water Management Solutions recorded a revenue of INR 133 crores for the quarter, which is up by 32%. The farm mechanization business recorded a revenue of INR 19 crores for the quarter, down by 37% for the quarter and 9% for the year due to seasonality leading to delay in subsidies from the states in which we operate.

Now I will update you on the consolidated business. LGM sales were flat but with significant improvement in year-to-date PBT from INR 11 crores to INR 25 crores. The new plant construction is going as per schedule. LGM exports grew at 10%. Now I will update you on the consolidated business. During the quarter, Arka Fincap raised INR 300 crores through the public issue of secured rated listed redeemable nonconvertible debentures with face value of INR 1,000 each. The AUM, excluding balance sheet items as on December 31, 2023, was at INR 4,475 crores. The company is planning to expand their branch offices and also plans to expand the employee base for the growing business requirements.

Overall, if you look at the consolidated results, our revenue from operations is at INR 1,390 crores for Q3 FY '24 versus INR 1,220 crores for Q3 FY '23, 14% increase year-on-year. Net profit is at INR 120 crores for Q3 FY '24 versus INR 88 crores for Q3 FY '23, a 36% increase year-on-year. For year-to-date FY '24, revenue is at INR 4,248 crores for year-to-date FY '24 versus INR 3,640 crores for year-to-date FY '23, which is 16% increase year-on-year. And the net profit is at INR 324 crores for year-to-date fiscal year '24 versus INR 253 crores for year-to-date fiscal '23, a 20% increase year-on-year. Please note that this quarter's numbers had an exceptional item of INR 31 crores due to a provision made for investment in Arka's alternate investment fund due to regulatory changes announced in December 2023.

In summary, with the strong performance, we are on our path for the 2X-3Y journey backed by a strong demand in the domestic market. While we are gearing up for the upcoming technology changes in this industry, we feel we stand strong together as a KOEL team. Our R&D team at KOEL is tirelessly is working to establish a competitive edge in the alternative fuel landscape for internal combustion engines, and we will continue this path for a brighter future for all of our stakeholders.

Thank you very much for listening, and now we can take your questions.

Operator

[Operator Instructions] And the first question is from the line of Ankit Babel from Shubhkam Ventures.

A
Ankit Babel
analyst

Yes. My first question on your guidance for doubling revenue in 3 years, which you mentioned last year, So FY '23, I mean you had shown a growth of 25%. But this year so far, we are running short of that 25% growth rate, which is required. Do you still feel that you'll meet your guidance in the next, say, 5 quarters? So first of all, can you just throw some light that what is giving you that confidence that you'll still meet the guidance in spite of a slightly lower performance so far?

G
Gauri Kirloskar
executive

Yes. Thank you very much for your question. So, it is a great question and I think what I'd like to say on it is that, yes, you have seen that dip in the growth rate, but if you look at what has happened in the industry, in the B2B industry versus when we set out our targets, there was a delay in the CPCBIV notification that has come about. So we have seen a specific transition that happened over the last 2 quarters, which will play out and we have still managed to achieve certain growth rate in spite of not having the kick in of the price uptick that would expect on CPCBIV. So the way you are asking a question is I still see our performance is very strong when we compare it to our ambition. And we still very much aspire to the ambition that we have set out to achieve by the end of this -- by next fiscal year.

A
Ankit Babel
analyst

So the asking rate next year would be very high, maybe at 30%, 35%, whatever that percentage number is. So just to reconfirm that if that kind of a growth is possible next year considering the volume and prices -- price increases to -- considering that.

R
Rahul Sahai
executive

Yes. This is Rahul. So pretty much so. Because what ends up happening is that when you are in a transition year, it's not the product that you are trying to straddle. It's also the back end and the readiness that we need to create. So a lot of that work is actually done now. And as a result, we had budgeted for a few leaner months, relatively speaking, and those have happened in this financial year. We continue to aspire for the vision that we had set for ourselves, the target, and we will continue to focus on that for next year.

A
Ankit Babel
analyst

Okay. And second is that though you have improved on your operating margin, but if we still see your margins compared to the industry leader, there is a hell lot of difference. So any ballpark idea where do you see your margins may not be this year, next year, but over a medium term, say, in the next 2, 3 years at operating level on the stand-alone business.

R
Rahul Sahai
executive

Yes. So if you look at margins, so margins are also a function of the product profile. And if you've been noticing, we've been making some inroads on the high horsepower side as well. So we're executing some large genset contracts and things like that. And all of those things help with the margins along with enhancing our services business. So those are all areas that we are focusing on. So as we mature, we should gravitate pretty close to more mature players in this industry. I wouldn't think of it very differently.

A
Ankit Babel
analyst

No. So my -- sorry to harp on this question again, but since the difference is too huge, so just wanted to know what could be the range. Can you be in the 15% range or what?

R
Rahul Sahai
executive

So I can't really answer that on this call. But we can definitely aspire for like a stronger margin profile, for sure.

A
Ankit Babel
analyst

Okay, okay. And any views -- and is your Arka business now self-sustainable in nature? I mean, since you have already said that you want to invest more than INR 1,000 crores in that business. So is it now self-sufficient?

G
Gauri Kirloskar
executive

Yes, that's right. We are not going to invest more than INR 1,000 crores, and the business is now on its way to raise external capital as well. And we feel that it is strongly positioned for that.

A
Ankit Babel
analyst

So can we now think of demerging this business?

G
Gauri Kirloskar
executive

No, that's not how quickly we would make that decision. And it's something that will play out over time. There's many factors at play for us to make that kind of decision.

A
Ankit Babel
analyst

Any one particular reason which is preventing you to pretty much -- just wanted to understand, if it's self-sufficient, there won't be any inclusion from Kirloskar Oil, then what's the reason of running it in the company? Just wanted to understand that.

G
Gauri Kirloskar
executive

So I'm not going to be able to answer your question. Basically, the way that we look at ceding businesses and growing businesses in a patient and in a way that is right for the business. So we will go forward and take the appropriate steps in a well-thought-out way. It's -- what you're suggesting is jumping many steps ahead.

Operator

The next question is from the line of Aditya Agrawal from Ambit Global Private Capital.

A
Aditya Agrawal
analyst

Am I audible?

G
Gauri Kirloskar
executive

Yes, you are.

A
Aditya Agrawal
analyst

So a couple of questions from my end. So the first one is, during the quarter, what was the contribution from CPCBIV plant genset?

R
Rahul Sahai
executive

So contributions in terms of volume, I would say roughly about, say, about 15% to 20% for CPCBIV and the rest of it was CPCBII. We expect the CPCBIV volumes to continue to increase as we move closer towards June of this year.

A
Aditya Agrawal
analyst

Okay, okay. All right. And just to understand, so what's the margin profile, let's say, if you compare CPCBII versus CPCBIV+. So how much is the difference in terms of the absolute margin?

R
Rahul Sahai
executive

So it will be somewhat similar, but there are variations from node to node and I don't say I can give that early on this call.

A
Aditya Agrawal
analyst

Okay, okay. That's fair. Second is regarding the Optiprime release, which we introduced recently, so how has been the order book shaping up?

R
Rahul Sahai
executive

So we've received a fairly positive response to that. We have a relatively strong order board when it comes to Optiprime. There's vendor traction from a lot of our customers, especially if you look at infrastructure and real estate, the customers have been pretty positive. So we are hoping to carry that forward in the next financial year. We are executing Optiprime orders across the range in this financial year. So we are already [indiscernible] doing that.

A
Aditya Agrawal
analyst

Okay. Understood. And just the last question. So our exports in the quarter were roughly about 13-odd percentage. So where do you see this number shaping up, let's say, 2 years, 3 years down the line?

R
Rahul Sahai
executive

So our ambition is to have exports be about 30% of our business. So we will make strategic moves in line with that. As you saw our MD talking, so we've made investments in the U.S. along with appointment of the GOEM in the Middle East in this quarter. So we will -- we are hitting all options, and we want to grow the international business. However, we will do it strategically and purposefully.

Operator

The next question is from the line of Teena Virmani from Motilal Oswal Financial Services.

T
Teena Virmani
analyst

Yes, congratulations for a good set of numbers, first of all. And my question is related to PowerGen segment of the company during the current quarter. The growth was a little weaker than what you would have seen in, let's say, the industrial distribution and even exports. So is it more to do with the demand? Or is there anything specific that would have impacted the sales of PowerGen segment during the quarter?

R
Rahul Sahai
executive

So we continue to see a strong demand. Right now, we are straddling between CPCBII and CPCBIV. So I think it's a lot of rigor around execution that we are focusing on. I don't see the demand softening or any issue on that end. We have a pretty strong pending order board, which we'll carry forward in this coming quarter.

T
Teena Virmani
analyst

Okay. So this quarter, ideally, the demand would have -- like you mentioned, that this would have been more dominated by CPCBII.

R
Rahul Sahai
executive

Yes, that's correct.

T
Teena Virmani
analyst

Okay. So in the coming quarter, again, it will be -- it will be more or less demand coming in from CPCBII. So can we expect a little better growth in the PowerGen segment? Or it may be -- because that challenge will continue to remain in quarter 4 also between CPCBII and CPCBIV. So how do you see this traction in the PowerGen segment, particularly when the demand drivers are much stronger in the industry?

R
Rahul Sahai
executive

Yes. So what's going to happen is as we approach deadline, the contribution of CPCBIV is going to increase. So what was 16% in the last quarter will slowly keep increasing because even our GOEMs would want to mitigate risk of stopping CPCBII gensets with them. Because the guideline says that there is -- the deadline for both GOEMs and the Indian manufacturers are co-terminating. The deadline is co-terminating in June. So CPCBIV is going to slowly come in the forefront in any case. In this -- in quarter 4, we may see -- still see a lot of CPCBII, but a higher contribution of CPCBIV+ than what we did in the last quarter.

T
Teena Virmani
analyst

Okay, okay. Got it. And my second question is related to gross margin of the company during current quarter. We have seen an improvement on a year-on-year basis for KOEL for 3Q. So what led to this increase? Is it more driven by CPCBIV+ or is it more driven by HHP contribution into your product mix or maybe export distribution?

R
Rahul Sahai
executive

So if you look at what's been happening, we've been executing more orders in the medium and high watt power range. That's number one. Number two, if you look at our Distribution & Aftermarket business, we are seeing a higher penetration there. Also, if you look historically, our contribution from international business is higher in the last quarter than what it has been same time last year or in the previous quarter. So these are the 3 main profitability drivers.

T
Teena Virmani
analyst

Okay. And on your B2C division, if I may ask, this is the last question. On the B2C division, is the B2C division at similar profitability as B2B division? Or like what kind of sales would be required for this division to see a better adoption of cost?

A
Aseem Srivastav
executive

Yes. So if you see in the results, B2C margins are already there. On the consol if you see, it is already there.

Operator

[Operator Instructions] The next question is from the line of Rahul Jain from JM Financial.

R
Rahul Jain
analyst

Congratulations on a good set of numbers. I have 2 questions, though. So my first one will be on the B2C business, wherein we saw a 4.8% EBIT margin during the quarter. So how sustainable is the profitability for this B2C business? And can you help me with the trajectory in which the improvement can come in the next 1.5, 2 years?

A
Aseem Srivastav
executive

Yes. So this is Aseem here. So if you see last year, we came up with a strategy of RACE where we were focusing on margin improvement in LGM and also growth in WMS. Now these 2 things we have achieved, where the WMS business is growing by around 25% to 30% and LGM is now very stable with margins of around 5% to 6%. So whatever strategy we adopted, I think this is sustainable, and there will be some improvement in margins going forward and in LGM also around 10% to 15% growth is possible going forward.

R
Rahul Jain
analyst

So sir, in the medium to long term, can we expect that 8% to 10% margin levels in this business, which will contribute to your 2X-3Y strategy? If you can just give...

A
Aseem Srivastav
executive

Yes. So if you see our pump and small engine business, already, they are at 8% to 9% margins.

R
Rahul Jain
analyst

So farm mechanization is where we are getting pinched?

G
Gauri Kirloskar
executive

Yes, that's right.

A
Aseem Srivastav
executive

Yes, yes. That's right.

R
Rahul Jain
analyst

Okay. My second question will be on Arka. So Arka saw a fantastic growth in AUM quarter-on-quarter as well as the revenue was up significantly on year-on-year basis. However, the profits were significantly down. So just needed to know the reason for lower profitability during this quarter.

G
Gauri Kirloskar
executive

Yes. That's due to the exceptional items. So I'll let -- Amit, are you there? Will you explain it, please?

A
Amit Gupta
executive

Yes, ma'am I'm there. So Rahul, you got the right point in place. If you remember, there is an RBI circular, which has come in the month of November, which has given a mandate for any NBFC to provide for the investment they have made in any AIF and if both the entities have a common downstream investments. So Arka has made an investment to the extent of INR 30.8 crores in Arka Credit Fund I in the sub-sponsor kind of a category because they have one common investment.

That is why because of the regulatory provision, we have to make a provision of INR 30.8 crores in Q3 itself in December 2023. Had this provision not been there, our PAT for the quarter would have been approximately INR 24 crores. Currently, I'm sure the reported number which is coming in the media is roughly around INR 4 crores or at Arka independent level. Had this provision not been there, you would have been at INR 24 crores.

R
Rahul Jain
analyst

INR 24 crores in total, right?

A
Amit Gupta
executive

For the quarter itself.

R
Rahul Jain
analyst

Yes, yes. So can we -- so the profitability can come back in Q4 onwards? This is a quarterly phenomenon.

A
Amit Gupta
executive

For the quarter, definitely, it will come back.

G
Gauri Kirloskar
executive

It's an exceptional onetime item.

A
Amit Gupta
executive

Yes, onetime item. As the fund life will get over, the amount will be coming back, the provision will be get reversed.

Operator

The next question is from the line of Sagar Parekh from One Up Financial.

S
Sagar Parekh
analyst

So first question is on this price difference between CPCBII and CPCBIV+. What would be the price difference on average? I understand from different notes, it will be different, but broadly, can you give us a range?

R
Rahul Sahai
executive

40%.

S
Sagar Parekh
analyst

40%. Okay. So when you mentioned that this 15% of our volumes were at a higher price, still our PowerGen overall growth was only 5%. So I'm not just able to reconcile that revenue number then. Because the -- yes, so maybe if you can throw some light on that?

R
Rahul Sahai
executive

You're asking for the quarter?

S
Sagar Parekh
analyst

Yes, for the quarter. So the PowerGen revenue growth is 5% for the quarter. And you're saying 15% of the volumes would have been at a higher price of 40%.

R
Rahul Sahai
executive

Yes. So actually, if you look at -- see, if you look at the last year's same quarter, we had an unusually high and we were executing some onetime orders on PowerGen, which is why actually the same time last year was higher than our normal, which is why the growth looks muted. But if you look at on a year-to-date basis, you will see that the PowerGen performance is much stronger.

S
Sagar Parekh
analyst

Got it. And for the quarter 4, do we expect any kind of prebuy for CPCBII? Or are you already seeing prebuy already doing in the market?

R
Rahul Sahai
executive

Yes. So we are expecting some amount of prebuy, although people are going to be slightly careful. So it won't be to the same extent as what we saw earlier. But we are expecting some prebuy to begin with.

S
Sagar Parekh
analyst

If I remember correctly, I think last year -- I mean, this year, current year, the prebuy was about INR 100 crores in [ Q1 ], if I'm not wrong. So you're saying that for this quarter, the amount will be slightly lower than that.

R
Rahul Sahai
executive

Yes, should be lower than that, yes.

S
Sagar Parekh
analyst

Okay. And if I heard you correctly, you are still sticking to your guidance of INR 6,500 crores top line for FY '25 from stand-alone business?

R
Rahul Sahai
executive

Yes. We still continue to drive that as a target.

Operator

[Operator Instructions] The next question is from the line of Prolin, an individual investor.

U
Unknown Attendee

I just want to understand that for the...

G
Gauri Kirloskar
executive

I'm sorry to interrupt you, There's some disturbance on your line. So can you just speak a little closer to the line?

U
Unknown Attendee

Sure. I will do that, Gauri. So is it better now?

G
Gauri Kirloskar
executive

Yes, much better. Thank you.

U
Unknown Attendee

So I wanted to understand that for the 9 months FY '24, have we lost any market share in PowerGen segment? And how do you define market share? Is it in the product segment where we are present or do we -- or has it been the entire market share? And where I'm coming from the market leader for 9 months has grown at a much more faster pace than what we have done, right, in some time. And when we had defined this 2X-3Y strategy, we wanted to gain market share in the high horsepower kind of segment as well, where our market share was low. So from that point of view and assuming that there is a 40% price hike in CPCBIV gensets, in terms of volume, have we lost some market share? Because that's what our -- whatever publicly data that is available, that's what it points to, right? I mean, so is that a correct assessment? And if not, why is this number a bit on the lower side versus the market leader?

R
Rahul Sahai
executive

Yes. So if you look at our market share on power generation side, excluding telecom, because one of the things that we have consciously taken a call, if something is not profitable, we are not going to get into it beyond a point. So we want to enhance value for the organization. But if you look at our market share excluding telecom, our market shares have remained somewhat similar. Of course, if you look at node-wise market shares, we have gained some market share at the higher end, a little -- a few percentage points. And at the lowest end, we've lost a little bit of market share because of our own intentional call. So -- but if you look at without telecom, the market shares are somewhat similar. They're not very different.

U
Unknown Attendee

Okay. So ex of telecom, in lower nodes, you're saying market share is similar, right? Is that a fair assessment?

R
Rahul Sahai
executive

Yes, yes. The market shares haven't changed too much barring telecom market. That's a different kind of market.

U
Unknown Attendee

Okay. Sure, sure. And then higher nodes, right, I mean, where was our market share, let's say, a year back before we embarked on this 2X-3Y journey? And can you tell us a little bit about your aspirational market share that you want to be in 3 to 5 years' time, right? And what is the -- what are some of the white spaces where we have -- not exactly white spaces, but what are some of the right-to-win segments use case that we are targeting where we think that we can gain over some of the existing players?

R
Rahul Sahai
executive

Sure. So if you look at the power generation market overall, what you will see is that the market is broadly categorized. So if you look at, say, 750 kVA upwards -- 250 to 750 kVA and below to 250 kVA. Now if I look at 750 kVA upwards, our market share was single digit at, say, 750. And 1010 kVA, we've grown that to double digits. We had practically no presence beyond that. Now we have a few single-digit percentage points in. Now especially when you compare that to the revenue and the margin, there is a significant gain there as a result of node by node focus and entry into the higher nodes.

So just to give you a sense of how the market is on the lowest end, like I said, if there are segments that are not taking money or are not profitable, then we, at times, have taken conscious calls. And as a result, we may have seen some intentional drop in market share there. Overall, however, we are at very similar market shares. There's not much change.

U
Unknown Attendee

Sure. So Rahul, just to double click a little bit on that. If you can talk about certain segments that you are targeting, certain use case that you are targeting to gain this market share. And if you can probably help us understand what can be that aspirational market share in higher nodes in 3 to 5 years' time that we can see.

R
Rahul Sahai
executive

So one of the segments is infrastructure, and we are seeing a lot of growth in that segment. We aspire for 20% market share in most of the segments that we operate in, at least 20%. And we see a significant opportunity there. So I mean, since you asked for a segment, infra segment is fast growing, it contributes to a large chunk of our portfolio. And we would aspire for 20% market share across the nodes.

U
Unknown Attendee

Okay. And anything on data centers? I mean when you said that in higher kVA, we have forged some single-digit market share. So if I talk about just data centers, is it fair that there also we have got some certain single-digit market share?

R
Rahul Sahai
executive

Correct. So data centers are also some of our customers that we are executing our orders with. Most of our orders are in 500 to 1010 kVA range. Slowly, we are also getting inquiries and leads and we are in advanced stages talking about the 2,000 kVA and upwards. So those conversations are also happening.

U
Unknown Attendee

Sure. And on the press release right of this JV with MAN Energy France SAS, is it anyway related to the NPCIL order that we won? And if not, what is this regarding? If you can share a little bit more extra around this JV?

R
Rahul Sahai
executive

Sure. So it's not a joint venture. It's a transfer of technology for specific purposes. But at this point, I won't be able to comment on whether it's related to NPCIL or not.

U
Unknown Attendee

Okay, okay. But in future, do you think that this technology transfer will help us target a larger market in the domestic side of it or in the export side of it? And -- I mean, how did we decide on build versus buy or the technology agreement, if that also you can help me with.

R
Rahul Sahai
executive

What I can say is that it's not a strategic larger cooperation. So it's for a very specialized purpose. And in case there is a larger cooperation, we are evaluating or that we sign off, we will update you.

U
Unknown Attendee

Okay. Fair point. And Gauri, my one question to you would be that as we have already -- you have reiterated that we are online for our 2X-3Y strategy. But when we look at the margins, we have already reached double digits, right? So that is something which we have already achieved maybe 6 quarters before what we had targeted for. So do we -- is there a need to probably set some higher targets when it comes to margins in terms of mid-teens, low teens, right? I mean, anything on that?

G
Gauri Kirloskar
executive

We will aspire to improve from where we are when -- yes, thanks for acknowledging that we have made that improvement. As Rahul also mentioned in response to an earlier question, I think -- and Aseem as well, I think there is still scope for us to improve. So we hope to show you that improvement in the coming quarters.

U
Unknown Attendee

No, that's great, Gauri. What I was wanting to hint towards -- in putting that out on the presentation so that everybody on the firm is also aligned. That was my objective.

G
Gauri Kirloskar
executive

It's already double digits. So what exactly are you looking for?

U
Unknown Attendee

No. I mean in terms of -- we have already reached that double digit, right? So I was just thinking better in terms of further maybe mid-teens to low teens kind of number that we want to put in.

G
Gauri Kirloskar
executive

Yes. So I mean, I think you know where the competition is at and where strategically we are looking at making improvements, whether we've talked about the high horsepower space or service penetration or the export side. So we do see that there is scope for us to improve margin. But I'm not going to talk about a very specific number. Because I think we will know where that ends up.

U
Unknown Attendee

Okay. Lastly, on this INR 5 crores that we recovered, if you can just remind us as to what was the total that we had already provided for and what is -- what are the kind of mechanisms that we are using to probably recover the remaining receivable. While I understand that we have fairly provided for that, but what was the total amount that was provided for? And do we expect recovery to continue happening down the line as well? Or this was -- INR 5 crores was a base that could come from that account?

G
Gauri Kirloskar
executive

Sure. Happy to answer that. So if you remember over the course of last year or the last maybe 3 quarters, we have fully provided for this amount, which was a total of approximately INR 47 crores. So with this INR 5 crore recovery, we now stand at an outstanding of INR 41 crores. And the team is continuing to make full efforts to recover the outstanding amount.

Operator

The next question is from the line of Amit Shah from Antique Stockbroking.

A
Amit Shah
analyst

Yes. My question is more on the export side of the business. So that is one of the key pillars to achieve our 2X-3Y guidance. We have already reached INR 150 crores kind of a quarterly run rate on the export side of the business. I just wanted to know that when we listen to your competitors' commentary, they guide us for a very muted kind of export market and the demand has been slowing down lately. So in that background, what is our thought process with regards to exports? Because I think we were targeting somewhere around about 30% kind of contribution coming up from exports. So we have already established our GOEM in the Middle East and U.S. But how do you look at exports growing in the current challenging environment? If you can please help us understand that.

R
Rahul Sahai
executive

Thanks for asking that question. This is Rahul. So I understand that a lot of the industry players are seeing muted international business volumes. However, if you look at from our business lines, the opportunity to grow is still very much there because our base is a little bit smaller. So once the basic strategic moves are in place and we are geared for growth, and which is what we are currently establish. So one example is the GOEMs that we've set up both in the U.S. as well as in the Middle East now. So once we have the structure for manufacturing and the distribution setup, I do see that over a period of time, we should be able to get to a much higher level of contribution. And yes, we aspire for 30% export contribution at a mature stage.

A
Amit Shah
analyst

Secondly, on the FMS side of the business, right? So that business is witnessing a sharp sort of a decline in the quarter and when you look at the 9 months number, the number looks pretty muted. So what is the outlook there slightly from a longer-term point of view, both on the WMS and FMS side? What is the kind of contribution that we are expecting from that particular business? And what kind of margins do we anticipate this particular business to contribute? If you can just help us understand that.

G
Gauri Kirloskar
executive

Sure, Amit. Good question. I'll answer first on FMS, your question on FMS, and then I'll let Aseem answer on the WMS side. So as a leadership team, we are relooking at our overall business strategy in the farm mechanization business. The performance of this last quarter and overall has not been in line with our expectations and I feel there is a need to relook at the strategy that we have there.

The agriculture segment is of strategic importance to us, and we want to ensure that we reach our customers with the right products and at the right price in all of the marketplaces where the customer wants us to be. We also know that this market is evolving, it's highly fragmented and there's many organized as well as unorganized players. The market dynamics are different state-to-state, depending on crops, depending on seasonality and also different subsidies. So we haven't actually been very successful in managing it well. So I think there is a need to reevaluate our strategy here.

The good news is it's a small business for us when we compare it to our overall portfolio. So changing costs will be relatively easy for us, and Aseem and his team will be working on this, and I hope to see that improvement in the coming months. I will let him respond on the WMS question.

A
Aseem Srivastav
executive

Yes. Thanks, Gauri. So WMS actually has 2 components. One is the pump business and second is the small engine business. So if you see this year, both these businesses have a very strong growth of 25% and 30%. So we have definitely captured market share. And there is a significant improvement in margin also. Both small engine and pump business have a margin EBITDA of around 8% to 9%. Now we are confident that this year, we will be able to maintain this growth and margin for the WMS business, which is 90% of our B2C business.

A
Amit Shah
analyst

And if you can just highlight which are the end markets which is driving the growth both for the pumps? And is it more on the residential side, at this side of the business? And even on the [indiscernible] side?

A
Aseem Srivastav
executive

Yes. So if you see on the pump side, we focus into the domestic pumps and the agri pumps. And both these sides, we had 25% to 30% growth. On small engine, the construction sector is one and the OEM market is the second where we are seeing significant growth. But see, the market is not growing at that rate. Market is growing at 4% to 5%. We are growing at this rate because of our RACE strategy.

A
Amit Shah
analyst

And any market share data points that you would like to share what is our current market share at this point of time and incrementally, what we aspire to?

A
Aseem Srivastav
executive

So see, this is a very, very fragmented segment. No one player has more than 10% to 12% market share. Our current market share is around 5% in pump. In small engine, our market share is 30%.

A
Amit Shah
analyst

My last question would be on Arka. We have done a provision of INR 31-odd crores in this particular quarter because of the change in the RBI regulation. I just wanted to reconfirm that. Have we done the 100% provisions? Or can we expect some more provision to materialize even in Q4?

G
Gauri Kirloskar
executive

No, it's a 100% provision.

Operator

As that was the last question, I would now like to hand the conference over to Mr. Amit Shah from Antique Stockbroking for closing comments.

A
Amit Shah
analyst

Yes. So thank you, everyone, for joining us on the call. I'd also like to thank the management for giving us the opportunity to host the call. I'll request Ms. Gauri Kirloskar to make the closing remarks, post which you can close the call. Over to you, ma'am.

G
Gauri Kirloskar
executive

Thank you. Thank you very much, Amit, to you and your team for hosting the call, and thank you very much for all of the investors who have joined and shown interest in the company. Thanks.

Operator

Thank you, ma'am. On behalf of Antique Stockbroking, that concludes this conference. Thank you for joining us, and you may now disconnect your lines. Thank you.

A
Aseem Srivastav
executive

Thank you.

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