 "Bharat Electronics to invest Rs 300 cr in advanced night vision devices plant")
The Bangalore-based Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL) is setting up the country’s largest manufacturing facility for advanced night vision products at Nimmaluru village, near Machilipatnam in Krishna district of Andhra Pradesh. The new facility, which is about 16 km from the existing unit of BEL at Machilipatnam, will be built in stages over four years and incur an estimated investment of about Rs 300 crores.
S K Sharma, chairman and managing director, BEL, said, “Bharat Electronics has been continuously engaged in design, development and manufacturing of electro optics equipment and night vision products for defence and paramilitary forces. The new facility has been planned now to establish a state-of-the-art factory to cater to the futuristic requirements for night vision products."
In order to support the government's Make in India initiative, BEL is extending its support to start up companies and MSMEs through procurement of specific items from them.
Sharma added, "To achieve self-reliance in defence there is a need for establishing world-class manufacturing facilities. BEL is coming up with a modern defence systems integration complex at Palasamudram in Ananthapur district of Andhra Pradesh to give further thrust to indigenous development and production of future defence systems."
As part of diversification and business growth, BEL is looking for major expansion into high-end image intensifier tubes & thermal imaging detectors for night vision products, inertial navigation systems, electronic ammunition fuses, air traffic management radars, intelligent traffic management systems and solar power plants.
The new advanced night vision devices facility at Nimmaluru will enable BEL to expand its electro-optics business and carry out manufacturing and integration for the ongoing and upcoming projects. It will have latest technology and infrastructure such as modern optics workshops, clean rooms of the high standards, facility for thin film coating with high durability and other modern SPDT and CNC machines.