Comprehensive SWOT Analysis of Kirloskar Brothers – A Pump Manufacturing Company

Quick Stats on Kirloskar Brothers

Founder	Sanjay Kirloskar
Year Founded	1888
Origin	India
No. of Employees	6000+
Company Type	Public
Market Cap	Rs 2,077.73 Crore (2022)
Annual Revenue	Rs 2,201.60 Crore (2021)
Net Income/ Profit	Rs 477.42 Crore (2021)

Products by Kirloskar Brothers

They manufacture and sell a diverse range of wires and cables and their key products in the wires and cables segment are:

• Pumps 
• Foundry

Competitors of Kirloskar Brothers

The world is a competitive place so even Kirloskar Brothers have its competitors as follows:

• Ruhrpumpen
• DAB Pumps
• ITT Goulds Pumps
• KOEL
• GR Gorman-Rupp

Now that we know everything we need to know about Kirloskar Brothers, let’s start with the SWOT analysis of Kirloskar Brothers.

SWOT Analysis Of Kirloskar Brothers

SWOT analysis is like a formula for identifying Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) that a market possesses for a company. The main objective of this analysis is to help us, as investors and the company, to make business decisions wisely.

By using this method, we analyze where the company is falling short, where it is excelling, and what needs to be worked upon.

To better understand the SWOT analysis of Kirloskar Brothers, refer to the infographic below:

So let us first start by looking at the strengths of Kirloskar Brothers from the SWOT analysis of Kirloskar Brothers

Strengths of Kirloskar Brothers

The strengths of a firm can be positive qualities that help the company to maintain goodwill in the market or give it a competitive advantage. Mentioned below are some of Kirloskar Brothers’ strengths:

• Strong Free Cash Flow: There is a strong free cash flow that puts resources into the hands of the company to expand into new projects.
• Good ROI: It is relatively successful in new projects and provides a high return on capital expenditures through the creation of new revenue streams.
• Strong Brand Portfolio: Over the years Kirloskar Brothers has invested in building a strong brand portfolio. This brand portfolio can be very useful if an organization wants to expand into new product categories. 
• Outstanding Performance in New Markets: Kirloskar Brothers has accumulated experience to enter new markets and achieve success. The expansion has helped organizations create new revenue streams and diversify business cycle risks in the markets in which they operate. 
• Highly Skilled Labor: Highly skilled workforce through successful education and training programs. By investing enormous resources in the training and development of Kirloskar Brothers employees, they not only create highly qualified employees but also motivate them to achieve more. 
• Mergers and Acquisitions: A track record of successfully integrating additional companies through mergers and acquisitions. Over the past few years, he has successfully integrated several technology companies to optimize operations and establish a stable supply chain.

Weaknesses of Kirloskar Brothers

Strategy is all about choices and weaknesses are areas where companies can improve through SWOT analysis and leverage their competitive advantage and strategic positioning.

• More Investment is Needed in New Technologies: Given the scale of the expansion and the multiple geographic regions in which the company will expand, Kirloskar Brothers’ overall integrating processes requires more money to be invested in technology. Current investments in technology are not aligned with the company’s vision. 
• Financial Planning is Not Being Performed Properly and Efficiently: The liquid asset ratio and liquidity ratio indicate that a company can use its cash more efficiently than it currently is. 
• High Labour Outflow: Higher dropout rates compared to other organizations in the industry, Kirloskar Brothers, and have to spend significantly more on employee training and development than their competitors. 
• Not Very Successful in Integrating Companies with Different Work Cultures: As mentioned earlier, Kirloskar Brothers is successful at integrating small companies. It has its share of failures to merge firms that have different work cultures.
• High Competition: The daily stock is high compared to its competitors, so the company has to raise more capital to invest in the channel. This could affect the long-term growth of Kirloskar Brothers.
• Product Marketing: Although the product is successful in terms of sales, its positioning and unique selling proposition are not clearly defined, making it vulnerable to attack from competitors in this sector.

Opportunities for Kirloskar Brothers

Opportunities are potential areas for companies to focus on to improve results, increase sales, and ultimately profit.

• New Environmental Policy: New opportunities will create a level playing field for everyone in the industry. This is a great opportunity for Kirloskar Brothers, Inc. to realize the benefits of new technologies and gain market share in new product categories.
• New Taxation Policy: New tax policies can have a significant impact on the way Kirloskar Brothers does business and open up new opportunities for them to increase its profitability.
• Open New Markets Through Government Agreements: New technology standards and government free trade agreements provided to Kirloskar Brothers open up opportunities for Kirloskar Brothers to enter newly developed markets. 
• New Customers Through Online Channels: The company has invested huge amounts of money in its online platform over the past few years. This investment opened up a new sales channel for Kirloskar Brothers. Over the next few years, companies will be able to seize this opportunity by better understanding their customers and meeting their needs through big data analytics.
• Economic Recovery: Economic recovery and rising consumer spending after years of recession and slow industrial growth are opportunities for Kirloskar Brothers to attract new customers and increase market share.

Threats to Kirloskar Brothers

Threats are environmental factors that can harm a company’s development. Here are some of the Kirloskar Brothers’ threats:

• Legal Actions: The Company may face legal action in other markets given the continuing fluctuations in different laws and product standards in those markets.
• Fierce Competition: Strong profitability has increased the number of players in the industry over the past two years, putting downward pressure on overall revenue as well as profitability.
• Liability Laws: Vary from country to country Kirloskar Brothers may face a variety of liability claims as a result of these market policy changes. 
• Quantitative Increases in Commodities: This could jeopardize Kirloskar Brothers’s profitability. A shortage of skilled labour in certain global markets threatens Kirloskar Brothers’s continued earnings growth in the market.
• Operates Globally: Because the company operates in many countries, it is exposed to currency fluctuations, especially given the unstable political environment in many markets around the world. This may face some challenges in the market and may result in some losses as well.
  

This ends our elaborative SWOT analysis of Kirloskar Brothers. Let us conclude our learning below.