In order to build Vande Bharat trains in India, Hindalco Industries Limited plans to invest about 2,000 crore in new extrusion and fabrication technologies, according to Kumar Mangalam Birla, chairman of the company, who made the announcement at the company’s 64th annual general meeting (AGM).
“We are even more excited to partner with Indian Railways and the passenger coach manufacturing ecosystem for the ambitious high-speed Vande Bharat trains. An investment of Rs.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 said.
The company Birla stated that it is making every effort to help the Indian Railway’s carbon targets, which include achieving net zero and tripling freight capacity.
“We plan to introduce three more designs of freight wagons in the coming months targeting specific end-use applications including bagged cement, and foodgrains,” he added.
Birla further disclosed that the business is investing an additional 2,000 crore to build a plant for recovering copper and E-waste that is the first of its kind.
“At present, due to a lack of advanced metal extraction and refining technologies domestically, a substantial volume of e-waste is exported to other nations. Bringing this cutting-edge technology to India marks a transformative step towards offering a tangible solution, aligned with your Company and our nation’s circular economy agenda,” he further stated.
As the company closely collaborates with original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to co-develop and manufacture crucial components like battery enclosures, motor housings, busbars, structural and safety components, lightweight load bodies, etc., Hindalco will also be looking to scale up EV manufacturing in India.
