§1What this business is
A hand press is a simple, low-cost machine tool worked by the operator's own effort through a screw, lever, rack and pinion or toggle. Workshops use it for light piercing, blanking, bending, forming and assembly of small parts. In this unit the cast iron frame is bought from a foundry, checked for defects, stress-relieved and seasoned. The frame, ram, guides, screw, shafts and flywheel are then turned, milled, drilled, slotted and ground. Sliding faces are lapped, the parts are assembled and aligned, and the press is painted, test-run with a trial die and inspected with dial gauges. The report was written by DC-MSME to replace imports of presses; it puts the HSN code at 84621030.
Capacity: About 1,200 hand presses a year of various types and sizes, at three-quarters of full capacity; single shift.
§2Is it right for you?
Who it is for
A mechanical engineer or tool-room hand with machine shop experience, close to a foundry cluster.
Who it is not for
Someone who cannot check castings or hold machining tolerances.
Advantages
- A standard general-purpose machine shop is enough
- Sheet metal, electrical and jewellery workshops use hand presses everywhere
- No power cost for the buyer, so the press suits small units
- The same shop can move up to power presses later
Drawbacks
- Many old makers in Batala, Ludhiana and Rajkot sell at low prices
- Casting quality decides the life of the press
- Working capital is nearly three times the machinery cost
- Buyers are small workshops who ask for credit through dealers
Skills you need
- Turning, milling, slotting and grinding
- Screw cutting and fitting
- Alignment testing with dial gauges
- Selling through machine tool dealers
Why difficulty 3/5: Ordinary machine shop work, but accuracy and casting quality decide repeat orders.
§3Market
Who buys
- Sheet metal and press shops
- Auto component, electrical and electronic parts makers
- Jewellery, lock, utensil and hardware workshops
- ITIs and training workshops
How it sells
- Machine tool dealers
- Direct sale to workshops and industrial estates
- Industrial exhibitions and online B2B listings
Good to know
- The report takes an average price of ₹30,000 a press and a single unit's output at about ₹3 crore a year.
- It estimates room for about 150 more such units in India, including import substitution.
§4Raw material & machinery
| Item | Qty | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Centre lathe 250 × 800 mm with accessories | 1 | ₹4,00,000 |
| Universal milling machine 300 × 800 × 400 mm, 5 kW | 1 | ₹6,00,000 |
| Radial drilling machine, 50 mm, 3 kW | 1 | ₹2,50,000 |
| Vertical slotting machine | 1 | ₹60,000 |
| Power hacksaw, 1 HP | 1 | ₹40,000 |
| Bench drilling machine, 1 HP | 1 | ₹30,000 |
| Double-ended bench grinder, 200 mm wheel | 1 | ₹30,000 |
| Flexible shaft grinder, 1 HP | 1 | ₹10,000 |
| Arc welding machine, 300 amp | 1 | ₹60,000 |
| Hand press, 2 tonne | 1 | ₹15,000 |
| Manual chain hoist crane, 2 tonne | 1 | ₹40,000 |
| Air compressor with spray gun, 1 HP | 1 | ₹30,000 |
| Weighing machine, 1 tonne | 1 | ₹40,000 |
| Surface plates, jigs, fixtures, gauges, measuring instruments and hand tools | 1 lot | ₹4,00,000 |
From: DC-MSME import-substitution DPR — Hand Presses (2021)
- Cast iron castings, forged steel and mild steel sectionsabout 15,000 kg a month for 100 presses at an average ₹80 a kg = ₹12,00,000
- Bought-out items — screws, gears, springs, fasteners, bearings₹5,000 a machine = ₹5,00,000 a month
- Welding consumables, primer, paint and packaging₹2,000 a machine = ₹2,00,000 a month
From: DC-MSME import-substitution DPR — Hand Presses (2021)
§5Licences & registration
- Udyam registration
- GST registration
- Factory licence and approval of the factory plan
- Consent from the State Pollution Control Board
- ESI and PF registration as the staff strength requires
- Import Export Code (IEC) if you export
Start it in your state
Pick your state: today’s cost, central + state subsidy, raw material, land and help, on one page.
§6Schemes & subsidies
At ₹90.87 lakh the project is above the PMEGP ceiling of ₹50 lakh for manufacturing. CGTMSE can cover the bank loan without collateral.
§7Money
How the investment is worked out: Machinery and equipment ₹24.25 L (machine tools, tooling ₹4.00 L, furniture ₹2.00 L, computer ₹1.50 L; building rented) + working capital for 3 months ₹68.62 L = ₹90.87 L. Means of finance in the report: promoter ₹27.26 L, bank loan ₹63.61 L (70%).
Working capital: Monthly recurring cost ₹22.87 L, of which ₹19.00 L is castings, steel and bought-out parts for 100 presses. The report takes 3 months: ₹68.62 L.
§8Export potential
Confirm the HS code in the DGFT ITC(HS) lookup before you export
Export council / board: EEPC India
- The report prints HSN 84621030 for these presses and says an IEC is needed for export.
- It was written as an import-substitution study; it notes that India exports machine tools to several countries.
§9Risks — where people fail
- Porous or cracked castings found after machining
- Price undercutting by established clusters
- Pig iron and steel price swings
- Dealers delaying payment
§1030 / 60 / 90-day plan
A general plan that applies to any business. A plan for this business will be added after research.
- Days 1–30: Visit a working hand press (fly press) manufacturing unit, ask 10 buyers about price and quantity, and get quotations from 3 suppliers.
- Days 31–60: Udyam and the licences you need (Udyam registration, GST registration), a project report (DPR), and the scheme or loan file.
- Days 61–90: Space and machines, trial production, and first deliveries to 10 customers.
§11Who to connect with
§12Watch
There is no episode on this business yet. Shows are coming soon on the Podcast page.
Want to start Hand Press (Fly Press) Manufacturing?
DPR, loan file or registration — ask us on WhatsApp.
¶Sources
Data review: 6 October 2026. Spotted a mistake? Report it. For information only — not legal or financial advice.