The story
Public-sector HMT started making machine tools in Bengaluru in 1953 and trained a generation of machinists and engineers. Many of them later started their own firms in the Peenya industrial area, one of Asia's largest small-industry estates. Demand from automobile, aerospace and defence buyers kept the cluster growing. The city is now the main base of India's machine tool industry body.
In numbers
Bengaluru alone produces 60% of India's machine tools by value, estimated at Rs 2,160 crore, out of a national production of Rs 3,600 crore.
Karnataka State Industrial Profile 2015-16 (MSME-DI Bengaluru, DC-MSME) · 2016
Ways in for a newcomer
- Do job-work machining for larger machine tool makers
- Make jigs, fixtures and press tools
- Offer CNC repair, retrofit and maintenance
- Trade cutting tools and machine spares
Problems the cluster faces
- Imports from China, Taiwan and Germany
- High cost of CNC machines
- Shortage of skilled machinists
- Delayed payments from large buyers
Businesses to start here
Tool Room for Sheet Metal Dies →Tool Room for Plastic Moulds and Dies →Hydraulic Press and Shearing Machine Manufacturing →Gear and Gear Box Manufacturing →