Coimbatore has the potential to emerge as the world capital in the areas of metallurgy and new metals which are crucial in Defence manufacturing, said Hans Raj Verma, Chairman and Managing Director of Tamil Nadu Industrial Investment Corporation (TIIC) here on Thursday.
Speaking at GSquare presents “Coimbatore Unlimited: Collaborate, Co-create, and Celebrate” presented by The Hindu panel discussion on “Supplying to India’s Defence Sector - Advantage Coimbatore”, he said there were two Defence corridors in the country - Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. The latter already had several industries supplying to the Defence sector. The sector needed different mindset and approach and MSMEs should sharpen their documentation skills.
The TIIC supported startups, provided working capital assistance, and gave interest subvention. It had entered into a partnership with SIDM through which TIIC would play the bridge role between capabilities of industries and requirements of the Defence sector. It also planned to partner with NSIC to source and supply raw materials needed for the Defence sector.
Metallurgy and new materials were crucial and all stakeholders here should share a common strategic vision for the city to emerge as a leader in this sector.
According to R. Krishnamoorthy, Project Director - Tamil Nadu Defence Corridor, Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation, Tamil Nadu already has 700 suppliers to the Defence Public Sector Undertakings and companies that are tier-one or tier-two suppliers. The TIDCO is in the process of mapping capabilities of industries. TIDCO will take steps to meet any specific specific requirement for each Defence cluster in the State. “We want to forge tie ups between our industries and foreign partner so that the units get the orders and strengthen MSMEs and integrate them with the supply chain.”
Anything that involved precision engineering, Coimbatore had an opportunity. TIDCO was looking at three projects near Sulur area, he said.
V. Sundaram, Director of CODISSIA Defence Innovation and Atal Incubation Centre and CEO of Thunderbolt Auto, said Sulur Airforce was the epicentre for Defence sector here. TIDCO planned about 350-acre Defence park nearby. So the Coimbatore bypass and nearby areas had become potential centres for this sector.
On the Defence innovation and startup front, there were success stories at the CODISSIA’s incubation centre. Youth were willing to explore opportunities through new technologies such as artificial intelligence. MSMEs should also use the opportunities. Recently, the Central Government identified 152 products worth ₹143 crore that were earmarked for development mainly by industries in and around Coimbatore, he said.
K. S. Sundararaman, Deputy Chairman of Southern India Mills’ Association and Managing Director of Shiva Texyarn, who moderated the session said that almost half of the annual Defence budget went for procurement. That made India one of the largest arms buyers worldwide. The thrust now was not only on indigenisation, but also on exports. Defence exports from the country in 2014 were about ₹740 crore and in 2018-19 it shot up to ₹10,500 crore. Almost 90 % of it was from the private sector. So, scope was high for industries in the sector.
In his keynote address, Eshwar N., Chief Executive Officer of GSquare, said Coimbatore was very strategically placed as a location, affordablilty, and availability of land mass and talent. All these factors made Coimbatore a prominent location for any Defence investment. As the sector grew, Coimbatore zone would attract people from other places, education sector would grow, and would give opportunities for more entrepreneurs. With the infrastructure available, there was scope for major Defence investments here.
Suresh Balakrishna, Chief Revenue Officer of The Hindu Group, said this (panel discussion) was a series that brought spotlight on various aspects of Coimbatore.
News 18 Tamil Nadu was the television partner for the event held at Taj Vivanta.
