THE FUTURE IS GOOD!

With a comprehensive portfolio catering to some of the mega programs, Bharat Forge’s Defence & Aerospace division is ready to further enhance the scope of its work and contribute towards a self-reliant India, says its President and CEO, Rajinder Bhatia.

- Niranjan Mudholkar

Bharat Forge entered the aerospace sector about five years ago. So, are you happy with the progress made so far with this division?

Aerospace is a tough sector to be in; it takes a long time for any OEM to change their supply partners. So under the circumstances, I would say we have made reasonably good progress. Most of this would also depend upon what is happening on the Indian side of the programs. If you take a look at the aerospace business, there are two segments we are operating in - one is to get into the supply chain of the large and active OEMs. We have successfully partnered with three OEMs and we are now in advanced talks with a fourth OEM to get into their supply chain.

The second part of the aerospace business revolves around systems and larger platforms. Now, take a look at the program, Kamov 226T. We have already signed a large collaborative arrangement with the Russians and there is also a possibility of supplying very important items out of that program by us; but unless the program takes off, I cannot start the supply. And these are not components; these are subsystem level or system level supplies. Secondly, we are actively pursuing the program of NUHunder strategic partnership model. Now, unless this program reaches a certain level, I cannot ramp up my business. So, these are some of the factors but over and above I think the future is reasonably bright. And I think that growth has been reasonable in this segment. It could have been better but I think we are on the right track and it is doing well.

How has the Covid-19 outbreak affected the operations of Bharat Forge Defence and Aerospace and how are you dealing with the same?