BELGAUM: QuEST Global, a provider of outsourced engineering services and manufacturing, has won a deal worth $100 million from Belgian aerospace major SABCA to manufacture metallic parts and assembly work for Airbus A-350 XWB aircraft’s flap track structures over the next 10 years. The company will work on an actuation mechanism for aircraft flaps for the A-350 XWB (xtra-wide body), a redesigned version of the A-350, the aircraft that is expected to be rolled out in 2013 by Airbus.
The company also said that it has signed agreements with French foundry and forging company Farinia to establish an aerospace forging facility and with Canada’s Magellan Aerospace, a manufacturer of aerospace systems, to set up an aero-engine focused manufacturing facility.
These projects will be executed at India’s first aerospace precision engineering and manufacturing ecosystem, QuEST Global special economic zone (SEZ), in Belgaum, Karnataka, which was formally launched by Union minister for civil aviation Praful Patel and Karnataka chief minister BS Yeddyurappa on Saturday. “The
SEZ will benefit North Karnataka to a large extent. We are looking at creating more than 7,000 jobs locally and infuse $500 million to the economy in the coming 10 years,” QuEST Global co-founder and chairman Aravind Melligeri said.
The QuEST Global SEZ is spread over 300 acres with an initial investment of Rs 150 crore. The SEZ, which is equidistant to major commercial hubs, such as Bangalore, Mumbai and Hyderabad, currently houses an engineering services facility, a precision machining unit, sheet metal facility within the Aerospace Processing India (API) unit. The API is a JV with Magellan Aerospace. The JV runs as an independent operating company. Plane maker Boeing’s India president Dinesh A Keskar said that the SEZ is the only private facility other than HAL and work done by its tier one and two suppliers will find its way on Boeing aircraft.
“India needs more such facilities as the demand and offset requirement is going to get bigger,” Mr Keskar said.
“The Indian aviation industry has grown from a sleepy sector. It is now being watched closely by all global majors. The acquisitions of large number of aircraft and offsets in India have by default invited international companies to look at sourcing activities,” Mr Patel said. “We fully support the vision entities, such as QuEST and we will make sure that we give all the support to all such ventures,” Mr Patel added.
Chief minister BS Yeddyurappa said his government would extend full support to such initiatives, especially done in the rural areas of India. “QuEST has opened new avenues to attract foreign investors in the manufacturing space,” Mr Yeddyurappa said. “We are now poised to offer international-level expertise with competent local talent and corporate commitment,” he said.
Mr Yeddyurappa said that the government was in the process of acquiring 5,000 acre of land to develop industrial clusters across the state. Meanwhile, Union minister of civil aviation Praful Patel confirmed that ailing national carrier Air India would get Rs 800 crore capital infusion in the next two months. The government expects the state carrier to generate another Rs 2,000 crore by increasing revenue and cutting costs.
Source : The Economic Times