By Neena Bhandari
Sydney, 20.01.2013 (Business Standard): Leading Australian train manufacturer and engineering firm, UGL, has a joint venture with India’s rail freight car manufacturer and diversified engineering services company, Texmaco Rail & Engineering of the K K Birla Group, to establish a manufacturing plant in Belgharia, Kolkata. UGL’s Chairman, Trevor Rowe, speaks to Neena Bhandari about the plant, set to start production by July 2012, initially for the Australian market. Edited excerpts:
When did you start thinking about establishing a manufacturing facility in India and why?
The idea crept in about two years ago when UGL was thinking of its long-term procurement strategy. While the other Australian manufacturer of rolling stock and locomotives have been making bogies and wagons sourced from China, we, too, needed an alternative venue to source them. Consequently, we entered into a joint venture with Texmaco. Ours is an equal partnership signed last December, and since then we have had people involved in management, design and engineering of the plant visit India several times.
