Eaton India Inaugurates Own Manufacturing Facility at Aerospace Park Near Bangalore Airport

Power management company Eaton has opened its first manufacturing facility in Bengaluru following demand from its main customers Boeing and Airbus to make fluid conveyance products locally and cater to the growing aircraft fleet in the country. Eaton has invested over $10 million in the facility and plans to have a workforce of around 100 people in the first phase.

These products - critical for movement of parts such as wing flaps, suffer from wear and tear over a period of time. Eaton looks at producing the equipment to ensure that there is adequate supply when planes undergo maintanence, servicing and overhaul. India has around 650 planes, with over 500 of them being single aisle Airbus 320 and Boeing's 737 plane.

The new facility, located close to the airport in Bengaluru, will manufacture hose assemblies and other fluid distribution products,  including oil debris monitoring systems, to serve commercial, business and regional aircraft.

"We believe this investment in India will help us grow our original equipment business because customers are investing heavily here. The site will leverage smart manufacturing technologies and contribute to local growth through employment, business and sourcing opportunities,” said Nanda Kumar, president, Aerospace Group, Eaton.

Eaton is also looking at India as a base to produce these equipment for the global market. The company has an existing design centre in Pune with over 1,000 people. The company looks at producing the equipment to ensure that there is adequate supply when planes undergo maintanence, servicing and overhaul. India has around 650 planes, with over 500 of them being single aisle Airbus 320 and Boeing's 737 plane.

The new facility, located close to the airport in Bengaluru, will manufacture hose assemblies and other fluid distribution products, including oil debris monitoring systems, to serve commercial, business and regional aircraft.

The facility, which will serve as the Hose Assembly Center of Excellence for Eaton’s global operations, is built in a record 10-month period at the 2.85 acres of land at the Karnataka Aerospace special economic zone (SEZ). The company representatives appreciated the support of state government while dealing with the project.

“We expect this facility to be our model plant for digital and smart manufacturing. Eaton recorded revenues of $2.1 billion and is growing at 18% annually to touch $2.6 billion globally,” said Nanda Kumar. The site will leverage smart manufacturing technologies and contribute to local growth through employment, business and sourcing opportunities,” he adds.

The new facility was inaugurated by Kota Harinarayana, the man who shaped India’s dream of building India's own Light Combat Aircraft (LCA), or Tejas, and is presently building drones and other unmanned aircrafts. He said Eaton has set high standards for others to follow. "Eaton has not only excelled in quality but is also helping the whole industry and the eco system excel setting newer standards for others to follow. Bangalore was India's aviation hub much before the information technology came in the picture."

"Civil and military aviation is set to grow double digits in India and Bangalore also has qualified engineers readily avialable for the industry to absorb. "Infact, this city can even hire 500 engineers within a short span of only 4 weeks," indicates Kota Harinarayana.