The foundry sector here is hit by continued power outages, as the monthly castings production has fallen by a steep 50 per cent, industry sources have said.

There are nearly 600 foundries operating in the Coimbatore area that produce over 25,000 tonnes of castings per month. The production has come down drastically to 10,000 to 12,000 tonnes due to power problem, they added.

Despite the state government reportedly assuring to take steps to provide adequate power by the middle of next year, no step was taken to bail out the industries, particularly small, medium and micro units, sources said.

With some textile mills starting to shift spadework partially to Gujarat and Maharashtra, another major sector in the region, foundry industries are also thinking on similar lines, as major buyers of castings are expressing anguish over the delayed delivery schedules, they said.

“The industries, particularly large buyers of castings from the northern region, are now expressing apprehension about the delivery, following power cuts ranging from 10 to 14 hours,” the sources said.

Caught between power cuts and order cancellations, majority of the foundry units may shift operations to locations, including Maharashtra, Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh, industry officials said.

Apart from better power supply, these locations also offer cheaper raw materials as well as labour, they added.

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