Telangana, the country’s youngest state, secured its maiden industrial investment on Monday from a Tata group company Tata Advanced Systems Ltd. (TASL). The company will manufacture the fuselage and wings of Dornier 228 aircraft produced by Switzerland-based RUAG Aviation AG. This partnership is TASL’s fourth such in the aerospace sector. In a short span of five years since 2009, TASL has become a significant player in the global aerospace market, already establishing 100 per cent export-dedicated joint ventures with Sikorsky and Lockheed Martin. The ground-breaking ceremony for the manufacturing facility here was held in the presence of K. Chandrashekar Rao, Chief Minister of Telangana, S Ramadorai, Chairman of TASL, and Martin Bühlmann, Vice President – Supply Chain Management of RUAG Aviation. Commenting on the relationship, Mr Bühlmann said, “With TASL, we have found the right partner for the future of the RUAG Dornier 228 Programme. Tata’s strong track record in similar programmes and their ambition to become one of the world’s leading manufacturing companies in the aviation sector make us confident that this partnership will be successful and offer long-term benefits to both Tata and RUAG Aviation.” Speaking on the occasion, Mr Ramadorai said, “The Tata-RUAG partnership is a glowing example of cooperation between India and Europe. That RUAG has entrusted us to deliver its showcase product, the Dornier 228, at world-class standards of precision and quality, demonstrates our success in developing a highly skilled and motivated workforce with established credentials to undertake high-technology work for global customers.” This project is the fourth aero structures unit to be set up by TASL in Hyderabad. The joint venture with Sikorsky has already delivered over 70 Sikorsky S-92 cabins, successfully indigenising the production of the entire cabin. The joint venture with Lockheed Martin manufactures the empennage and centre wing box for the C-130 J Aircraft.
