M&M to bring acquired Boeing unit to Bangalore

Mahindra & Mahindra has decided to dismandle its recently acquired Boeing plant in Melbourne, Australia, which makes machinery for aircraft, and shift it to Bangalore.

It is also in talks with some of the world's largest aviation companies to be providers of components and services,according to Mahindra Group's Vice-Chairman and Managing Director, Anand Mahindra.

After launching Mahindra First Choice Wheels 2S Superstore here on Wednesday, he said: "We have asked the Karnataka government to allocate land close to the Bangalore airport."

The company hopes this would boost orders, as it is likely to help improve the quality of aircraft parts it produces and attract clients that need to fulfill their offset obligations in India.

Under Indian law, foreign companies selected for government defence contracts have to source about 30 per cent of the project value from local vendors if the project is worth Rs 300 crore (Rs 3 billion) or more.

"We are also in conversation with some of the world's largest aviation companies to be providers of components and services. These opportunities will increase even further. We will be providing services and goods to aviation companies that sell to Air India," said Mahindra.

"Manufacturing out of India is inevitable and we are planning to manufacture here and we have designed, along with NAL (National Aeronautics), the NM 5. We will shortly undergo a trial flight and hope to be pioneers in aircraft manufacturing," said Mahindra.

Last year, Mahindra purchased 75.1 per cent stake in two Australian aerospace companies, Gippsland Aeronautics and Aerostaff Australia, for a total of around Rs 175 crore (Rs 1.75 billion).