The Hindu Business Line : Automation City coming up in Pune

“The automation park would have a manufacturing process development centre which would offer customers a manufacturing process equipment prototype, infrastructure set-up and skilled people.”

Our Bureau

Pune, Oct. 12 Pune is all set to launch the first Automation City in the country. The project is being set up by Pune-based Precision Automation and Robotics India Ltd (PARI).

Talking to presspersons, Dr Ranjit Date and Mr Mangesh Kale, co-founders of the company, said the project has already received the mega project status from the Government of Maharashtra. It is expected to be completed within five years with an investment of Rs 258 crore.

He said the funds would be raised through internal accruals, debt and subsidy extended by the Government.The automation park would be situated at Shirwal, near Pune and is spread over 73 acres.

Dr Date said the automation park would have a manufacturing process development centre which would offer customers a manufacturing process equipment prototype, infrastructure set-up and skilled people. It would also have a co-development research and development facility with partners.

He said talks are on with three companies for IPR ownership and commercialisation of the project. The automation city would be developed in a phased manner over five yearsstarting with the first phase completion by April 2008.

The first turnkey manufacturing facility and engineering centres would be ready by that time, he said. Dr Date said the company had recently signed up with two global entities for turnkey projects. The first is with a French company Cinetic, for the supply of final vehicle assembly process.

The second is a joint venture with a Canadian company Valiant, for the weld shop for automobiles. This is a 51:49 joint venture (51 with Valiant and 49 with Pari). He said with Cinetic it has signed a licence agreement and a consortium agreement.

The licence agreement is for the components of trim chassis and final assembly process while the consortium agreement is for industrial projects.

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