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BEML eyes Latin America for defence equipment export

To make Brazilian JV hub for exports

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Mahesh Kulkarni Chennai/ Bangalore
Last Updated : Feb 14 2013 | 7:09 PM IST
Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML), a PSU under the ministry of defence, which recently announced a joint venture with a Brazilian firm, plans to secure a share of the market for defence and earth moving equipment in the Latin American region.
 
Making Brazil the centre, the company proposes to export various defence equipment, rail coaches and a host of earth moving equipment to Latin American countries, said BEML chairman and managing director V R S Natarajan.
 
BEML is setting up an assembly plant on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil as a 60:40 joint venture with its Brazilian partner Compagnie Comercio E Construcoes to manufacture mining and construction equipment, rail wagons, closed wagons for transport of goods and bogies.
 
The plant, involving an investment of Rs 100 crore, will start commercial production within a year.
 
The BEML chairman also held discussions with defence officials in Brazil during his visit to supply various defence products.
 
"They have evinced interest in some of the products like weapon loading systems, ground support equipment, pontoon bridges (mobile bridge). We are exploring the possibility of export some of the components from India and assembling them in Brazil," Natarajan told Business Standard.
 
BEML is engaging an international consultant in Brazil to do the due diligence and prepare the detailed project report before setting up the assembly plant.
 
"We are setting up the plant in Brazil and opening marketing offices in all Latin American countries. Entire Latin America is a mining continent offering us a huge opportunity for export. Each country has got either iron ore, gold, diamond or copper mines. We want to arrive there," he said.
 
BEML has set a target of achieving Rs 5,000 crore turnover by 2013-14. The company, which reported a turnover of $490 million (Rs 2,252 crore) in 2005-06, expects a growth of over 20 per cent to touch $600 million (Rs 2,758) during the present fiscal.

 
 

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