TASE Chennai plant to take off in Sept

Trusted AeroSpace & Engineering Ltd (TASE) will invest an additional Rs 40 crore in its 100 per cent export-oriented unit being set up to manufacture aero components for original equipment manufacturers in the aerospace industry out of Chennai.

The 1 lakh-sft plant, coming up on about five acres of land, is expected to be operational in September this year, industry sources said.

The facility will fabricate sheet metal components, stator assemblies, heat-resistant alloy parts for aircraft, and carry out component assembly as well as precision component machining using computerised numerical control equipment.

TASE has so far spent Rs 10 crore ($2.2 million) on acquiring land and standing infrastructure for the new plant, which is situated in the Sriperumbudur industrial belt, 40 km from Chennai.

The aerospace component manufacturer will team up with suppliers like the Bodycote Group, a leader in coatings, brazing and heat treatment processes, for the Chennai plant.

The plant will cater to orders from large aerospace players and will backward and forward-integrate with the company's Phoenix design facility. This will help carry out component co-design and concurrent engineering activity more effectively between the two locations.

"In the initial stages, the Chennai plant will carry out low-end manufacturing tasks, while the US facility will handle the higher-end processes," sources said.

With a current run rate of $16 million to $18 million on its order book, the company is currently in talks with MTU and GE Aircrafts for component supply orders. Orders worth $40 million are expected by the end of fiscal 2008 once the Chennai plant is fully operational.

TASE was incorporated over a year ago, and undertakes complex fabrications, primarily for the aerospace and medical industries. Its leading customers include Honeywell, GE Aircrafts Engines, Pratt & Whitney, Hamilton Sundstrand, Rolls-Royce, and Ventana Medical Systems.

The company has a presence in the US, Europe, India, China, Singapore and Latin American markets.

Its diversified interests in the aerospace, medical, military and power segments are being serviced out of approximately 325,000 square feet of facilities by about 1,200 employees worldwide.