For over 25 years, Chandranchal Enterprise Private Limited has been a defining force in India’s water infrastructure landscape — evolving from a specialised trading house into one of the country’s most integrated and respected manufacturers of ductile iron pipes, fittings, valves, and rubber seals. With manufacturing facilities across Baddi and Hyderabad, a corporate headquarters in Chandigarh, and a client network spanning the nation, the company today stands as a INR 500 crore enterprise with a reputation built on quality, integrity, and an unrelenting commitment to its partners. In a candid conversation with Tube & Pipe India, Mr. Pawan Kumar Kejriwal, CMD, Chandranchal Enterprise Private Limited, the leadership of Chandranchal shares insights on the company’s journey, its manufacturing philosophy, its vision for global expansion, and why it believes the best years for India’s water sector are still ahead.

Tube & Pipe India: Could you describe Chandranchal’s current product portfolio across pipes, valves and fittings, and the key product specifications you supply to the tube and pipe ecosystem?

Pawan Kumar Kejriwal: Chandranchal Enterprise is among the most enduring and respected names in India’s tube and pipe ecosystem — a legacy built over more than two-and-a-half decades of unwavering commitment to the water infrastructure sector. Our vision has always been singular and clear: to serve as a comprehensive, single-window solution provider for drinking water infrastructure. Every product we manufacture, every partnership we forge, and every facility we build is guided by this purpose.

Our product portfolio is designed to address the full spectrum of water management requirements.

What sets Chandranchal apart is not merely the breadth of this portfolio, but the depth of engineering rigour behind each product. Every item is manufactured under stringent quality protocols, ensuring that when a client partners with us, they receive a fully integrated, standards-compliant solution — eliminating the need to coordinate across multiple vendors and ensuring seamless compatibility across the entire pipeline system.

TPI: What is your current annual production capacity by product type, and how have you scaled manufacturing capabilities since the company’s inception in 1999?

PKK: Our current installed production capacities reflect the scale of investment and ambition we bring to the industry:

However, the true story of Chandranchal is not captured in tonnage alone, it is a story of strategic evolution and relentless ambition.

When we commenced operations in 1999, Chandranchal was a specialised trading house dealing in ductile iron spun pipes. We understood the market intimately, built deep relationships with our associates, and identified a clear gap: the industry needed a partner who could deliver not just products, but complete solutions with assured quality and reliability.

This conviction led us on a deliberate path of backward integration. Step by step, we established our own manufacturing facilities — first for pipes, then fittings, then valves and rubber seals — transforming ourselves from a trading entity into a fully integrated manufacturing powerhouse.

Today, with manufacturing units strategically located at Baddi (Himachal Pradesh) and Hyderabad (Telangana), and our corporate headquarters in Chandigarh, we have a truly pan-India manufacturing and distribution footprint. From a modest beginning, we have grown into a INR 500 crore turnover group, a milestone that stands as a testament to the trust our clients place in us, the resilience of our team, and the bold yet disciplined vision of our leadership.

Every step of this journey has been organic, purposeful, and rooted in one principle: deliver more value to our people, every single year.

TPI: Which end-use industries drive the most demand for your products, and how is this demand evolving?

PKK: Water infrastructure is our domain of expertise, and it is one we have chosen with deep conviction. In a nation where access to safe drinking water remains one of the most critical developmental priorities, we see our work not merely as manufacturing, but as contributing to a mission of national importance.

Over the past two decades, I have personally witnessed the transformation of this industry. It has evolved from a cast iron–centric era to a modern, ductile iron–driven ecosystem — a material that is decisively superior in strength, longevity, flexibility, and resistance to corrosion. This transition has fundamentally improved the quality and durability of water infrastructure across the country.

Equally transformative has been the regulatory evolution. What was once a largely unorganised sector is today governed by mandatory BIS certification. This has been a watershed moment for the industry — it has raised the quality bar, eliminated substandard operators, and ensured that only serious, quality-conscious manufacturers can sustain and thrive. For a company like Chandranchal that has always placed quality at its core, this is an environment in which we are naturally positioned to lead. With flagship national programmes such as Jal Jeevan Mission driving unprecedented investment in rural and urban water supply, the demand trajectory for high-quality ductile iron products has never been stronger. We see this as the beginning of a long, sustained growth cycle — and Chandranchal is equipped to be at the forefront of it.

TPI: What quality standards and certifications do you maintain to ensure consistency and compliance for domestic and export markets?

PKK: At Chandranchal, quality is not a department, it is a culture. It permeates every stage of our operations, from raw material selection to final dispatch. We hold all relevant BIS certifications across our entire product range. But what truly distinguishes our approach is our philosophy of proactive certification: even where BIS marking is not mandatory, we voluntarily obtain it. We believe our clients and partners deserve absolute, unambiguous assurance of quality — and we leave no room for doubt.

Beyond product-specific certifications, we maintain ISO certifications for both our products and our management systems, ensuring that our processes, documentation, and quality control mechanisms meet globally recognised benchmarks.

Our quality infrastructure includes fully equipped in-house testing laboratories at each manufacturing facility, staffed by trained metallurgists and quality engineers. Every product undergoes rigorous testing — including chemical composition analysis, mechanical testing, pressure testing, and dimensional verification — before it is cleared for dispatch.

This uncompromising commitment to quality is why some of our client relationships span over two decades. When you choose Chandranchal, you are choosing certainty.

TPI: How do you source raw materials and ensure supply chain reliability, especially for high-grade iron and steel inputs? Are there any sustainability criteria in supplier selection?

PKK: The foundation of a great product is great raw material — and we treat our sourcing strategy with the seriousness it demands. All critical raw materials, particularly Pig Iron, are sourced exclusively from reputed primary manufacturers. We consciously avoid secondary or unverified sources, because consistency in input quality is non-negotiable when you are building infrastructure that communities depend upon for decades.

Our vendor selection process is thorough and forward-looking. Before onboarding any supplier, we conduct comprehensive audits evaluating their quality management systems, production capabilities, financial stability, and growth trajectory. This last criterion is particularly important to us: we seek partners who are investing in their own future, because only suppliers committed to growth and innovation can sustain the long-term partnerships we value. We do not change vendors frequently — we build enduring alliances based on mutual growth.

As an additional layer of assurance, every incoming batch of raw material undergoes rigorous in-house testing at our facilities. Material is permitted to be unloaded and accepted into our production cycle only after it has been tested and approved by our quality team. Not a single kilogram enters our furnace without clearance.

This two-tier approach — meticulous vendor qualification combined with uncompromising incoming inspection — ensures that the integrity of our finished products is never left to chance.

TPI: What recent technology upgrades, automation initiatives, or manufacturing innovations have been implemented to enhance efficiency, precision and throughput?

PKK: Technology and innovation are at the heart of our growth strategy, and our most landmark investment in recent years underscores this commitment: the establishment of a state-of-the-art No-Bake Foundry.

This facility is truly one of its kind in India. It has the capability to manufacture single-piece castings of up to 20 tonnes in both SG Iron and cast iron — a capacity that places Chandranchal in an exclusive league. As of today, we are the only company at a pan-India level operating a foundry of this scale and technical sophistication. This is not incremental improvement — this is a transformative leap in capability. The No-Bake Foundry enables us to produce precision castings for large-diameter pipe fittings with exceptional dimensional accuracy and surface finish, serving both the domestic and international markets. For our clients, this translates directly into superior product performance and reliability in the field.

Beyond this flagship investment, we are systematically automating our manufacturing processes across all facilities. From automated moulding lines to digital process monitoring, our objective is clear: minimise the scope for human error, enhance repeatability, and deliver products that meet the tightest tolerances — consistently, at scale.

We view technology not as an expense, but as a strategic enabler that allows us to deliver higher quality at greater efficiency — a value proposition that ultimately benefits our partners and the communities they serve.

TPI: With sustainability and circular economy gaining importance, how is Chandranchal adapting its product designs, materials, or processes to meet environmental expectations?

PKK: Sustainability at Chandranchal is not a regulatory checkbox — it is a deeply held responsibility towards the environment and the communities in which we operate.

Our No-Bake Sand Foundry is a powerful example of this commitment in action. Unlike the traditional CO₂ moulding process, our No-Bake system enables 100% reuse of sand within the manufacturing cycle. This is a significant environmental advancement: it eliminates sand wastage entirely and ensures that the by-products of our moulding process are ecologically benign — causing no harm to the surrounding environment.

Across our manufacturing facilities, we have invested in advanced pollution control systems installed at critical points in the production chain. These systems ensure that our emissions remain well within prescribed limits, protecting both our workforce and our surroundings.

But our commitment extends beyond the factory walls. We actively undertake green initiatives including systematic tree plantation drives across our facilities and local communities. We are continuously improving our processes to reduce energy consumption, minimise waste, and recover materials wherever possible.

All our products and processes are fully aligned with applicable government directives and environmental regulations. However, our aspiration goes beyond mere compliance — we aim to set a benchmark for responsible manufacturing in our industry. We believe that the infrastructure we build today must not come at the cost of the environment our children will inherit tomorrow.

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TPI: Looking ahead, what are Chandranchal’s strategic priorities to strengthen its presence in the global tube and pipe value chain?

PKK: Having built a formidable domestic foundation over more than 25 years, Chandranchal is now poised for its next chapter: establishing a meaningful presence in global markets.

Our strategic roadmap is centred on three pillars. First, infrastructure expansion — we are investing significantly in augmenting our manufacturing capacity and capabilities to meet the exacting requirements of international buyers. Second, global certifications and approvals — we are proactively working towards securing the certifications, testing accreditations, and compliance frameworks required to operate seamlessly in export markets across the Middle East, Africa, Southeast Asia, and beyond. Third, partnerships and market development — we are building relationships with international distributors, EPC contractors, and institutional buyers who share our commitment to quality.

We also see tremendous opportunity in leveraging No-Bake Foundry’s large-format precision casting capability for the export market — a niche where very few manufacturers globally can compete at the scale and quality we offer.

This global expansion is not a departure from our roots — it is a natural extension of the same philosophy that has guided us since 1999: deliver exceptional quality, build enduring relationships, and always strive to be the most trusted partner in every market we serve.

Our goal is ambitious but clear: to position Chandranchal as a globally recognised name in water infrastructure manufacturing — a company that India can be proud of on the world stage.

TPI: How do you view the ‘Make in India’ initiative, and how are you integrating it in your processes?

PKK: We view the Make in India initiative as one of the most consequential policy frameworks of our time. For India to realise its potential as a global manufacturing leader, this kind of ecosystem-level commitment to self-reliance and indigenous capability building is absolutely essential.

At Chandranchal, Make in India is not a slogan we display — it is a principle we practise every single day. Our integration of this philosophy is comprehensive and deliberate:

For all machinery and equipment procurement, Indian manufacturers are given first preference. We explore import options only when a specific piece of equipment is genuinely not available from domestic sources. The same discipline applies to our raw material sourcing — we consciously prioritise Indian suppliers over cheaper imports, because we understand that every rupee spent with an Indian manufacturer strengthens the broader industrial ecosystem.

But our commitment goes deeper than procurement. By investing in world-class manufacturing infrastructure on Indian soil, by creating skilled employment across our facilities in Chandigarh, Baddi, and Hyderabad, and by building products that compete with the best in the world — we are living proof that Make in India is not just an aspiration, but an achievable reality.

We firmly believe that when Indian companies invest in quality, technology, and people, there is no global benchmark we cannot meet or exceed. Chandranchal is committed to being a standard-bearer for this conviction.