Kirloskar GREEN Received the Frost & Sullivan's India Genset Industry Excellence Voice of Customer Award - Best Bang for the Buck, 2007

Business Wire, Dec 27, 2007

MUMBAI, India -- Kirloskar GREEN received the Frost & Sullivan, India Genset Industry Excellence Voice of Customer Award - Best Bang for the Buck, 2007, at the recently held Frost & Sullivan, Voice of Customers - Industry Excellence Awards in the Indian Automation and Gensets market, the first of its kind for the industry in India.

Based on detailed end-user research and customer feedback on various parameters, 31 award titles were presented to companies in recognition for their pioneering efforts with regards to their product lines, innovative distribution strategies, customer service and support par excellence, outstanding contribution to the industry or for achieving a competitive or customer-based leading position in the Indian Gensets and Automation Industry.

On receiving the award Mr. Vijay Varma, Director, Kirloskar Proprietary Limited (owner of the Kirloskar GREEN brand) and Senior Vice President, Kirloskar Oil Engines Ltd., said, "Kirloskar GREEN brand of generating sets were launched in February 2001. From the start, we committed ourselves to Kirloskar's core value, since 1888 - ensure success of our customers by offering unmatched 'Value for Money' through the product life coupled with delightful buying and service experience. On these strengths, by 2006, Kirloskar GREEN became the world's largest selling brand of diesel generating sets."

According to Mr. Amol Kotwal, Industry Manager, Energy and Power Systems Practice, Frost & Sullivan, "Kirloskar GREEN is today amongst the well entrenched brands in Indian Genset market. Customer assistance to achieve profitability through lower cost of Genset ownership is a true reflection of the competitive commercial terms offered by Kirloskar GREEN. The Voice of Customer Award in Best Bang for the Buck category further recognizes the company's excellent efforts in creating value for money for its customers."

The Genset market in India is valued at more than INR 50 Billion. A booming economy and increasing power demand-supply deficit act as major drivers for this market. The Indian Genset market is uniquely positioned to traverse on this growth trajectory. Frost & Sullivan expects it to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of more than 15 percent between 2007 and 2012. With increasing competition between incumbents and new players, customer feedback and satisfaction assessment (Voice of Customer) provides insights on how companies are placed in this market from an end-user perspective. Customers' high degree of preference and satisfaction with a brand reflect the Best Practices followed by companies' in setting the benchmark of excellence.

Frost & Sullivan followed a rigorous methodology for selecting the Award recipients. Detailed end-user/customer interviews with key decision makers (drawn from relevant functional departments) from various industry segments were conducted.. These interviews were executed across various locations in India using a questionnaire. Respondents assigned ratings on a 7-point semantic scale reflecting their satisfaction on various attributes within a given criterion. Weightages were assigned to different criteria based on their perceived importance. Winners within a category were selected using powerful statistical analysis to compare the aggregated scores on attributes and rank assigned to different brands for relative positions.

About Frost & Sullivan

Frost & Sullivan, the Growth Consulting Company, partners with clients to accelerate their growth. The company's Growth Partnership Services, Growth Consulting and Career Best Practices empower clients to create a growth focused culture that generates, evaluates and implements effective growth strategies. Frost & Sullivan employs over 45 years of experience in partnering with Global 1000 companies, emerging businesses and the investment community from more than 30 offices on six continents. For more information about Frost & Sullivan's Growth Partnerships, visit http://www.frost.com.

About Kirloskar GREEN, Power Ideas

Kirloskar GREEN diesel generating sets meet customers' requirements in wide range of 3 to 6600 KVA. The generating sets are sold by over 150 Kirloskar GREEN Diesel Generating Set Dealers across India, and are serviced by over 200 Kirloskar Service Dealers. Over 100 Service Dealers offer round the clock service, 365 days.

In 2007, over 100,000 Kirloskar GREEN diesel generating sets were delivered to users in India and 30 other countries.

While Kirloskar and Kirloskar GREEN are brands owned by Kirloskar Proprietary Limited, Pune INDIA, the generating set business is conducted by Kirloskar Oil Engines Ltd., Pune INDIA. Kirloskar Oil Engines Ltd. is leading manufacturer of diesel engines in India with annual production of 164,500 engines in 2006.

Kirloskar Oil Engines Ltd. offer generating sets with multiple fuel options such as high speed diesel, natural gas, biodiesels and straight vegetable oils.