Slow and steady, the HMT Machine Tools at Kalamassery is making strides into defence production.
The public sector company — which indigenised the directing gear, a ship-borne positioning mechanism for sonars developed by the defence lab, Naval Physical and Oceanographic Laboratory (NPOL), and delivered the first unit for fitment on an offshore patrol vessel by the Myanmar Navy, is gearing up to deliver two units this month.
While the second unit of the three meant for export to the Myanmar Navy will be delivered in a week’s time, a test unit for fitment on Indian Naval frigate INS Brahmaputra whose sonar system is being upgraded will also take place this month-end.
Infrastructure
“We have augmented infrastructure for streamlining production of the directing gear,” said an official of the company.
HMT officials believe that the Indian naval order is a litmus test for the company, on successful delivery of which they will be able to bag more orders.
The directing gear for the Indian Navy costs Rs. 4.2 crore while the contract for three directing gear units for the export variant of NPOL’s hull mounted sonar array (Humsa) is worth Rs. 16 crore.
Indigenisation of directing gear was a big feat, as it was on the lines of the ‘Make in India’ pitch in the country, said another official.
“However, it is not the last stop for us. This is an area with a specific customer base and set of requirements. We are looking to diversify and have the capability to undertake all mechatronic and electro-machining work of ‘seaworthy’ systems. The only challenge is to master the use and engineering of special materials used in this arena. Once we are able to do that, we are ready for a big leap in the sector.”
As of now, the directing gear manufactured by HMT gets integrated into complete sonar systems rolled out by central PSU Bharat Electronics based on NPOL’s design and development.
Officials believe that the Navy’s order is a litmus test for the company, on successful delivery of which they will be able to bag more orders.
