Bizz Buzz Bureau Amaravati

AndhraPradesh has taken another step towards strengthening its position as a global aerospace and advanced manufacturing destination, with UK based Sigma Advanced Systems commencing production at its dedicated aerospace manufac-turing facility at Sri City in Tirupati district.

The company has transitioned the facility from groundbreaking to active produc-tion in eight months, with the first batch of precision machined aerospace com-ponents manufactured and shipped to Sigma’s UK operations for final verifica-tion before delivery to the customer.

Sigma selected Sri City for its ability to support rapid capability development and long term manufacturing scale, as well as its connectivity to major international logistics gateways. Access to four major ports provides efficient connectivity for export oriented manufacturing.

Sunil Kalidindi, EO and Executive Director, Sigma Advanced Systems, said Sri City marks an important milestone in the company’s evolution as a global aero-space manufacturing partner. “We have moved from a greenfield facility to production in just eight months and have begun manufacturing aerospace components in India to the standards required by global aerospace programmes,” he said. “Our objective is not simply to add machining capacity in India, but to replicate the manufacturing capabilities we have in the UK and progressively bring a larger part of the aerospace manufacturing value chain into India,” Kalidindi said.

The 75,000 sq ft facility, part of a larger 500,000 sq ft campus, currently has a production capacity of 100,000 annual machining hours. It has been designed to scale up to nearly 300,000 annual machining hours, significantly expanding the State’s aerospace manufacturing capabilities. The facility is being developed to replicate Sigma UK’s established aerospace manufacturing capabilities in India. Once the planned expansion is completed, about 70 per cent of the manufacturing process is expected to be undertaken in India. The Sri City operation has also completed the initial stages of the source change approval process with Rolls Royce Aerospace, highlighting its ability to meet manufacturing standards. The remaining portion of the Sri City campus is expected to become operational over the next 12 months. Sigma also plans to develop specialised aerospace manufacturing skills through on campus training and capability development, strengthening the State’s skilled talent pool.