Yantra India Plans to Make Aircraft Parts

Nagpur: From predominantly making cartridges and shells for the Army earlier as an erstwhile ordnance factory, defence PSU Yantra India Limited (YIL) is looking to manufacture aircraft parts also.

YIL is a Nagpur-headquartered PSU formed after corporatisation of the ordnance factories in October last year. The erstwhile ordnance factory Ambajhari comes under YIL apart from seven other units.

It is learnt, the company is in talks with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) to make parts for both fixed and rotary winged aircraft.
The aircraft parts are mainly made from aluminium and the factories under YIL have the machinery to carry out the process. A meeting has been held with HAL with another round of talks scheduled soon, said sources.

Talks have been initiated with another private aeronautics company also, said sources. YIL has the capacity to make parts for the aircraft body as well as internal spares, said sources.

After corporatization, YIL is also looking for orders beyond the items the factories have been making traditionally. Lately, the company has bagged a Rs150 crore worth order to make axles for the railways. It’s also eyeing a bigger order of around Rs450 crore, also to make railway axles, said sources.

It is learnt, the company is also targeting business from the earthmoving manufacturers whose equipment are deployed in infrastructure sector. Negotiations are at an advanced stage with a major earthmover equipment manufacturer to make tracked wheels for the equipment. The machines, like battle tanks, also move on tracked wheels.

As the ordnance factories have the machinery and know-how to make tracked wheels, even this sector is being targeted, said sources. If it works out, the deal would give additional business of Rs1,000 crore for over a period of two years. The sources said, the company with which YIL is in talks with has been mainly depending on imports for getting the tracked wheels.

It is learnt, the plan is to take the company’s turnover to Rs3,000 crore in two to three years. Now, as a corporate entity, it is looking for business out of the defence sector as well as exports for the existing products.

Among the major items currently made by the YIL are the shells for 155mm Bofors guns. It has also been making the Pinaka rockets apart from developing advanced versions of the systems.