Aequs to hire 100-plus engineers in five years, develop Hubballi as non-stick cookware hub, toy cluster in Koppal
The Hindu
Aequs to set up Innovation Centre at KLE Technological University (KLETU)
Aequs Chairman and CEO Aravind Melligeri expects Hubballi to emerge as a non-stick cookware manufacturing hub.
He signed an MoU with KLE Technological University (KLETU) to set up ‘Aequs Innovation Cetnre (AIC)’ at the institution’s campus in Hubballi. It is said to be first of its kind in Karnataka.
He briefed mediapersons in Hubballi, along with KLETU) Vice Chancellor Prof. Ashok Shettar, about the project
Aequs, a diversified contract manufacturing company, has already started operating in Belagavi and Hubballi-Dharwad, and is involved in the setting up of toy cluster at Koppal. Mr. Melligeri said that its Hubballi-Dharwad plant had produced 3 million cookware, and the plan is to manufacture 6 million units by March 2023. Later, production would be ramped up to 5 million units every year with exports starting from December.
The company has employed 5,000 persons in Hubballi and Belagavi.
With the establishment of toy cluster in Koppal, nearly 25,000 persons would get employment. Steps had been taken to train and help ‘Kinnal Toy’ artistes to scale up their production.
Mr. Melligeri said that the Aequs Innovation Centre (AIC) would function as an innovation eco system and incubation platform for accelerated product development. At the AIC, students of KLETU would get a free hand to work on their innovative designs and development.
In 2021, five women from Mayithara, four of them MGNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act) workers, found a common ground in their desire to create a sustainable livelihood by growing vegetables. Rajamma M., Mary Varkey, Valsala L., Elisho S., and Praseeda Sumesh, aged between 70 and 39, pooled their savings, rented a piece of land and began their collective vegetable farming journey under the Deepam Krishi group.