The ministry of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) is planning to set up a technology centre near Chennai with an investment of Rs 160-200 crore, which would come as a support to the upcoming aerospace industrial park in the area.
The industrial park has so far elicited the interest of around 50 small, medium and large companies to set up their facilities, according to sources.
"Land has been identified for the technology centre and we are awaiting the state government's approval to start works," said S M Jamkhandi of the MSME Development Institute, under the ministry. The project is part of a World Bank-funded plan to set up technology centres to help small enterprises improve their productivity.
The centre will come up near the proposed 250-acre aerospace park in Oragadam, and will be spread over an area of 15-20 acres, with technology-related facilities for aerospace, automotive and electronics sectors. It will have expensive equipment, software and other technology facilities that otherwise would not be easily available to SMEs. The land for the centre has been provided by the state government.
SMEs in Tamil Nadu are capable of producing quality products for the aerospace sector and the government has been supporting them in designing and developing quality components with international specifications, Jamkhandi added.
Meanwhile, according to sources close to the development, the aerospace industrial park being developed by the state government has elicited the interest of around 50 companies, including several small and medium-sized companies, to set up shop in the area.
The state government is in talks with various multinational majors in the aerospace sector to become anchor firms, and will shortly start developing the common facilities infrastructure for the benefit of companies that will set up facilities in the park.
The park is expected to be supported by a proposal for a second airport on the outskirts of Chennai, which however has not yet been finalised.
