Bombardier expands presence in India

Bombardier Transportation inaugurated today a new railway vehicle-making facility at Savli, Vadodara in Gujarat, which is the first facility in India to be owned by a foreign company.

Bombardier will invest euros 33 million (Rs 199.45 crore) and directly generate 750 new jobs dedicated to railway vehicle production, including stainless steel car-body manufacturing, bogie manufacturing and final assembly activities.

In addition, its likely to generate 2,000 indirect jobs in its local supplier base. The new investment underlines company’s long-term commitment to India, where the company has been active for almost 35 years.

The Savli site was built in a record 18 months and will be operating soon; with the first railway cars already expected at the assembly lines by March 2009, the company said in a release.

“This new manufacturing site represents the latest expansion and growth from a company that has evolved from a small family business in Canada, more than 60 years ago, to now the global leader in the rail transportation sector,’’ said Laurent Beaudoin, chairman of Bombardier, who is in India for the site’s inauguration.

“This is the second successful technology transfer initiative, we have carried out in India and we have no intention of stopping here. We, at Bombardier, are open to repeat similar initiatives in this vibrant market as opportunities arise.”

The new manufacturing site will serve projects in India, as well as in southeast Asia, and will deliver the first order of 424 metro cars to the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC). To ensure a successful transfer of technology, the first 36 metro cars for DMRC will be produced by Bombardier in Germany, while the remaining 388 metro cars will be produced in Vadodara, India.