The department of heavy industry has sought technical help from the Czech Republic to bolster operations at public sector undertakings (PSU) Heavy Engineering Corporation (HEC) and Hindustan Machine Tools.
Export group Engineering Export Promotion Council (EEPC) India said on Friday the issue had been highlighted during a India-Czech Joint Working Group on heavy industry at an event organised by the body.
In focus has been a partnership over technical assistance and investment in cold rolled grain oriented (CRGO) or electrical steel production, used in construction of specialised electrical products such as transformers. Heavy industry secretary Rajan S Katoch said, "Czech Republic is home to two out of only 12 global factories producing high tech CRGO steel and India is currently importing three million tonnes of it." He added Indian companies like SAIL and Tata Steel can partner with Czech enterprises.
A protocol signed between the ministry of heavy industries and public enterprises and its Czech counterpart enlists Czech cooperation in modernisation of HEC.
A large manufacturing complex focussing on execution of turnkey projects for core sectors of economy, HEC has an old Czech connection.
While it was established in 1958 in collaboration with the erstwhile Czechoslovakia, t he plant design, equipment supply and product technology for two units of HEC's plant in Ranchi was done by Czech company Skoda.
