The Hindu Business Line : Pune: Engineered for excellence

Amongst the many accolades that come Pune’s way, one of the most enduring is that of it being a centre of excellence for the engineering industry. Its innumerable engineering colleges, including one of the oldest and most prestigious in the country – the Pune Institute of Engineering Technology that is over 100 years old – has perhaps been an important consideration that has led several large engineering companies to set up manufacturing operations in the region.

When it comes to engineering industry, the first real settlers were the indomitable Kirloskars. Shantanurao Laxman Kirloskar’s quest for expansion into diesel engines brought the Kirloskarwadi-based entrepreneur to the city, then a well-established hub for rail and road communication.

In the mid-40s, the flagship company of the group, Kirloskar Oil Engines Ltd (KOEL), signed an agreement of collaboration with Associated British Oil Engines Export Ltd, UK, (the first Indo-British JV of its kind), and the factory that gave India its first vertical high-speed engine, and the forerunner to today’s vibrant industrial scenario was inaugurated in 1946. A decade on, the Finolex and JN Marshall groups followed with manufacturing units in the Pimpri Chinchwad belt flanking the Bombay-Pune highway. Their respective businesses: manufacture of cables and steam engineering and control instrumentation.

Though it was as early as 1957 that the Pune Municipal Corporation established the Hadapsar industrial estate, it was in the early sixties that a series of important developments took place, and gave industrial growth in the area a real leg-up. Firstly, the erstwhile Bombay State was divided into Gujarat and Maharashtra. Secondly, a decision was taken to restrict industrial development around Bombay and finally, the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) was established, leading to the development of a 4,000-acre industrial estate at Bhosari some 14 km from the city.

The prevailing climate must have appealed to the foreigners, for several multinational companies were amongst the first to set up base here. The Swedish companies Sandvik Asia, Atlas Copco, Alfa Laval and SKF were amongst the first to set up Indian subsidiaries in Pimpri-Chinchwad, followed by the Indian subsidiary of Cummins Inc, USA.

For Sandvik, whose product range includes manufacture of precision mining and drilling tools, it was its maiden venture on the Asian continent. Says Mr Hakan Kingstedt, Managing Director & President Sandvik Asia Ltd, “Pune is one of the major hubs in engineering with the number of engineering colleges. It is one of the four to five cities in India which offers quality engineering skills.”

Since its entry in India at Pune, Sandvik has set up four other manufacturing units and some of its products are manufactured at export-oriented units established for global sourcing for the group, including two units for tooling supply.

More Stories on : Engineering | Maharashtra

Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication :: Printer Friendly Page