Clustering around Koppal

A toy manufacturing cluster is coming up at Koppal, north Karnataka. Aequs Aerospace, a Belagavi-based precision engineering company, will create space for large-scale manufacture of toys at Koppal with the help of the Karnataka government.

Prior to this, Aequs was manufacturing toys for Hasbro and others at its aerospace SEZ located at Belagavi. Now the company is eyeing a much larger play by setting up a full-scale manufacturing by becoming the anchor investor in Koppal. The Aequs' Consumer division has created over 400-acre toy manufacturing ecosystem with the help of the Karnataka government.

“The built-to-suit facilities are designed to cater to both large multinationals as well as small and medium-size enterprises. Koppal Toy Cluster is positioned as the premium sourcing destination for global toy brands. It will commence operations any time after the Covid-19 subsides,” observes a company official.

As a support measure, the State government has activated an enabling infrastructure by way of improving tool manufacturing & precision engineering, polymers manufacturing clusters.

Gaurav Gupta, Karnataka’s Principal Secretary, Commerce and Industries, says: “This objective of the cluster is to increase the share of manufacturing in state GDP, bring a balanced socio-economic development and attract $700-million investment for this cluster.”

Adds Gunjan Krishna, Karnataka Commissioner for Industrial Development: “Karnataka offers world-class machine tools infrastructure and favourable labour laws for toy manufacturers in the state. We are also working towards building a sustainable toy manufacturing ecosystem by introducing massive fiscal and non-fiscal subsidies.”