Machine Tools player BFW sets up a fully digitised plant in Hosur at an investment of ₹200 crore

BFW invests ₹200 crore in a digitalized manufacturing plant in Tamil Nadu to triple annual production of machine tools.

Bharat Fritz Werner (BFW), a manufacturer of machine tools for diverse industry segments, has invested ₹200 crore to set up a fully digitalised manufacturing plant on a patch of 54 acre of land at Devaganapalli, Hosur, Tamil Nadu.

Arun Kothari, Chairman, BFW said this mega and fully tech-driven plant was set up in anticipation of growing demand for machine tools within India and from global markets. With the new plant, BFW would treble its production annually, he said.

The new machine tools manufacturing facility which would feature two assembly halls spanning 20,000 square metres each would have a combined capacity to produce over 10000 computer numerical control machines that would replace conventional, manually controlled wheels or levers with the help of software and automation. ‘’‘We aim to establish a facility of global standards for scale and efficiency which is massive. There are many unique things about this facility. We bought knowledge from many other industries, including the automotive sector, so you will see machine assemblies in a conveyorised way,’‘ Mr. Kothari further said.

For the first time in the industry, BFW is also taking about shorter ‘takt’ time, to produce a machine every 45 minutes. In addition, the whole factory is connected to customers and suppliers to enhance operational transparency.

Interestingly, for the first time in the country’s machine tools history, BFW would deploy women, in its factory in Hosur. Taiwan and Japan, at present, seem more open to employing women in this industry.

Ravi Raghavan, MD, BFW told The Hindu: ‘‘We will deploy a substantial number of women in our new facility. This is the first such initiative in the entire country to infuse gender diversity in the machine tools industry. We will begin with 17% of women staff; by the end of FY25, 30% of our shopfloor workers will be women. We are now hiring young women graduates and diploma holders with electrical, electronics and mechatronics backgrounds.’‘

India’s machine tool industry currently pegged at ₹20,000 crore has been growing at 12 to 13% CAGR while the BFW’s business was growing above 20%, with exports contributing to 10%, he said. BFW, a flagship company of the Kothari Group, was established in the year 1961 in collaboration with Fritz Werner Werkzeugmaschinen GmbH Germany and currently caters to diverse industry segments including automotive, aerospace, defense, die mold, forging, valves and railways.