Ordnance factories' moment in history

As the government restructures defence manufacturing, it must keep in mind that changing the functional model alone won't improve efficiency

With effect from October 1, the Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) will cease to exist. The creaky conglomerate’s Kolkata headquarters and its 41 Ordnance factories (OFs), nine training institutes, three regional marketing centres and four regional controllers of safety have been carved up into seven defence public sector undertakings (DPSUs), that will operate in addition to the nine DPSUs that already exist. In addition, private sector manufacturers have been allocated 542 defence licences. All these add up to production worth Rs 60,000 crore, which meets a significant part of the country’s defence needs.

The end of the OFB is a moment in