Atlas Copco last week announced it has modernized and concentrated manufacturing at its two production sites in India, creating local centers of competence for compressor and construction and mining technology. The group will also build a new plant for road construction equipment.
“India is one of our most important growth markets, where we have doubled in size over the last three years,” said Gunnar Brock, president and CEO of Atlas Copco. “By focusing our factories we will be able to introduce more new products to our customers, and it gives us a strong base to support future growth in the country.”
Investments have been made into state-of-the-art machinery and new factory buildings amounting to approximately SEK 90 million (about U.S. 13 million). Production has in the process also been transferred between the sites, located in Pune and Nasik, allowing them to focus entirely on compressors and construction and mining equipment respectively.
The facility for production of compressors in Pune, 220 km southeast of Mumbai, was inaugurated last week. Senior Atlas Copco managers, members of Indian media, and officials representing the Maharashtra state attended the ceremony. The refurbished production site in Nasik, 160 km northeast of Mumbai, will be inaugurated on Sept. 26.
In Nasik, work will now begin to establish local manufacturing of Dynapac pavers and soil and asphalt rollers. Production is expected to begin in the second half of 2008. Dynapac was acquired earlier this year to form Atlas Copco’s new division Road Construction Equipment.
“Having local production in India will enable Dynapac to better serve its customers and to increase its share of the rapidly growing Indian road construction equipment market,” Brock said.
Atlas Copco currently has more than 1,200 employees in India. Orders received last year increased 46 percent, with strong growth for all business areas: Compressor Technique, Construction and Mining Technique and Industrial Technique.
Stockholm, Sweden-based Atlas Copco is a global provider of industrial productivity solutions. The products and services range from compressed air and gas equipment, generators, construction and mining equipment, industrial tools and assembly systems, to related aftermarket and rental.
