Hampson to invest USD 11 million in India, opens new facility

Bangalore, Nov 16 (UNI) The UK-based Hampson Industries PLC today opened its state-of-the-art manufacturing facility here with an initial investment of US Dollar six million, its first investment outside the UK and the USA, and decided to invest 11 million Dollar in the country.

Talking to newspersons here, Hampson's Precision Automotive Division President Roger Mackrill said the investment would be made in three phases to expand the facility with an aim to capture the Asian market and cater to the global market. ''As we look to expand our manufacturing capacity with the progressively increasing demand of our global customers, the new facility would service not only export markets, but also manufacture products for rising domestic and South East Asian demand.'' He said there were approximately 600,000 vehicles fitted with turbochargers in India with market projections signalling tripling of demand by 2010. As all the major customers had set up operations in Asia, the company looked forward to establishing a new paradigm in manufacturing quality, cost and delivery to support their own considerable growth and development expectations.

Hampson Group Chief Executive Kim Ward, who was also present, said ''the new facility provides us with not only a competitive cost base, but also a strategic manufacturing location in its own right, from which we intend to capitalise on the burgeoning growth opportunities in the domestic Indian and Far East markets.'' He said the first phase of the investment would see manufacture of high precision, close tolerance components for automotive customers, primarily for turbocharger applications. The new facility had been deliberately designed in campus form to allow for modular expansion of up to a further three manufacturing units, each of approximately 50,000 sqft. In the second phase in 2007, the company would further extend its manufacturing capabilities to produce precision and engineered components, structures and assemblies for global aerospace customers.

Through this global footprint, the Hampson Group provided leading edge fully integrated manufacturing solutions for aero structural components and assemblies, performance-critical components for gas turbine engines, close tolerance components and rotating assembles for turbochargers, fuel delivery and hydraulic applications, precision tooling systems for large, composite aero structures, specialist engineering and industrial components.

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