BFL's hi-tech locomotive components plant opens in Pune

Minister of State for Railways Manoj Sinha Saturday inaugurated a High Tech Locomotive Component Manufacturing Facility at the Bharat Forge Ltd's Centre for Advanced Manufacturing at Baramati here.

It will develop critical and sophisticated components and products for the railway sectors, both India and globally, as part of the 'Make In India' initiative.

"Under our government's initiative, we are committed to encourage indigenous manufacturing of railway components and products which have hitherto been imported," Sinha said on the occasion, expressing his happiness at the project.

Bharat Forge Ltd. chairman and managing director Baba N. Kalyani said the company is the first Indian supplier of locomotive crankshafts to the Indian Railways.

"All the components for the railway sector have been developed in-house, 'first time right' leveraging our research and development capabilities and process innovation. Now we are developing new products to enhance System and Fuel Efficiency," Kalyani said on the occasion.

The railways business segment is an integral part of BFL with supplies to railway networks around the world including US, Europe, Russia and now to India.

Part of the $2.5 billion Kalyani Group, BFL supplies critical and high performance components such as crankshafts, connecting-rods, portal axles, etc. for locomotive applications globally.