Wipro Infrastructure Engineering, an arm of Wipro Ltd, today set up an aerospace actuator manufacturing facility near Bangalore.
With the setting up of this facility that is spread across 7.2 acres in Devanahalli Special Economic Zone near the Bangalore airport, Wipro has broadened its scope of offerings for the aerospace segment – from designing, engineering to manufacturing for Indian and the global market.
Actuator is a type of motor that powers engines, landing gear, flight control systems and other related equipments in an aircraft and related equipments.
For this facility, Wipro will be investing Rs 65 crore that can produce 2,000 actuators in a year and can expand it to manufacture 8,000 actuators every year, according to company officials.
Further, Wipro Infrastructure Engineering has plans to double the initial investment over the next six years to expand capacity and add new product lines in precision manufactured components.
The manufacturing facility will start production in April, Wipro officials said.
“Due to geo political security concerns, defence offset obligations and pick-up in commercial aviation, we see opportunities in this segment and are investing accordingly,” Sunil Rajagopalan, Business Head for Wipro Infrastructure Engineering - Aerospace and Defence told Business Line .
Manufacturing in the aviation sector is at the same stage as automobile manufacturing 20 years back, he added.
According to industry watchers, there is considerable cost pressures faced by actuator makers in the developed markets due to slowdown in their economies, high oil prices and companies are constantly looking to cut prices and look at cheaper manufacturing destinations.
venkatesh.ganesh@thehindu.co.in