Hindalco, Italy's Metra in tech partnership to build aluminium rail coaches

livemint.com:

Hindalco Industries Limited on Tuesday said it has signed a technology partnership with Italy-based Metra SpA, to bring 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 in the AGM. Hindalco plans to build a greenfield plant with the largest extrusion press in the country to manufacture products for high-speed aluminium rail coaches. This set-up will be part of the planned ₹2,000 crore investment.

The plant will consist of over 20 meter long extrusions, will be used to make side panels, floor panels, etc, and will consist of welding and machining facilities, the company said. It is also in talks with several railway original equipment manufacturer (OEMs) to provide the extruded aluminium. Metra SpA, the manufacturer of complex extruded aluminium profiles, will help enable production of large-size aluminium extrusion and fabrication technology for building high-speed aluminium rail coaches in India.