David Brown-Bharat Forge opens first industrial gearbox service and assembly centre in Hosur

Pune, October 7, 2012: The David Brown-Bharat Forge, the Indian joint venture between leading global gearing expert David Brown and Bharat Forge, a global leader in the manufacture of automotive and non-automotive components, has opened its first industrial gearbox service and assembly facility in Hosur, Tamil Nadu,

The state-of-the-art facility was officially opened by chief guest SP Singh, director, NTPC Ltd, at a ceremony attended by distinguished guests as well as the chief executive of David Brown-Bharat Forge, Venkatesh Subramanyam, executive director of Bharat Forge, Subodh Tandale and David Brown’s commercial director Gavin Money.

The facility is fully equipped with an industrial crane and has the capability to service, repair, upgrade and provide strategic gearbox maintenance as well as supply new gearboxes for customers in industries such as power generation, metals, cement and renewables as well as the defence sector.

The 56,000 square feet service, repair and assembly centre provides support to customers across India giving them access to more than 150 years of engineered gearing innovation and expertise. Service Centre Manager Kumaran Vajravel showed the guests a vast range of equipment including a 100-tonne hydraulic vertical press, lathe, milling machine, a spray booth and other service-specific tools and equipment alongside gearboxes from wind and steel applications which have already been sent to the centre for repair. SP Singh, director, NTPC Ltd commented: “As the largest power utility company in India, NTPC welcomes David Brown and Bharat Forge’s decision to join forces and form a joint venture company for the local market. Both partners have decades of combined experience and are known for their high quality products and solutions – I believe they have found an ideal partner in each other. I am also delighted that they have opened a service and assembly facility and am sure that this quality facility shall be utilized by the customers in various fields.”

Venkatesh Subramanyam, chief executive of David Brown Bharat Forge, said: “Today signals the opening of our first fully equipped industrial gearbox service and assembly facility in India. Utilising David Brown’s 150-year heritage in engineered gearing innovation and Bharat Forge’s well-established brand presence, world class manufacturing and operation capability, David Brown Bharat Forge combines the best of two engineering giants. We have ambitious plans to service India’s industries with a network of local gearbox service and assembly centres providing access to David Brown’s industry leading products and solutions as well as vital on the ground support. This will ultimately reduce downtime and the cost of ownership for customers in the region.”

“India has a large installed base of David Brown gearboxes and we are delighted to have opened this service and assembly facility in Hosur. It will enable us to provide local and rapid support and service to our existing customers as well as work with new customers to service other makes and models of gearbox. Our aim is to always increase efficiency and profitability through identifying the best solutions to our customers’ gearbox problems.”