Hindalco brings in Italian tech to build rail coaches
Hindalco Industries Ltd said on Tuesday it has signed a technology partnership with Italy-based Metra SpA, to bring the latest aluminium extrusion technology to India for building rail coaches. The company will set up an extrusion press in the country as part of the ₹2,000 crore investment that Kumar Mangalam Birla, chairman of the company, had announced during the company’s 64th annual general meeting (AGM) last month.
“We are even more excited to partner Indian railways and the passenger coach manufacturing ecosystem for the ambitious high-speed Vande Bharat trains. An investment of ₹2,000 crore is planned for the project and technology tie-ups are in place to bring new extrusion and fabrication technologies to India," Birla had said.
Hindalco plans to build a greenfield plant with India’s largest extrusion press to manufacture extruded products for high-speed aluminium rail coaches. The over 20-metre-long extrusions will be used to make side panels, floor panels, etc., and will consist of welding and machining facilities.
The company added that it is also in talks with several railway original equipment manufacturer (OEMs) to provide the extruded aluminium. Metra SpA, the Italian manufacturer of complex extruded aluminium profiles, will be helping enable this production of large-size aluminium extrusion and fabrication technology for building high-speed aluminium rail coaches in India.
Hindalco plans to combine Metra’s cutting-edge technology with their experience in aluminium manufacturing to drive the ambitious upgradation programme of Indian Railways which runs one of the world’s largest rail networks. “This is in line with our capability building for aluminium in commercial vehicles, freight wagons, electric
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