Micro-Precision India factory offically open, with next phase planned

Located in Bangalore, Micro-Precision officially opened the doors to its new 20,000 ft ² facility at the end of 2012, with production volumes have ramped up during the first quarter of 2013. The company has also purchased 3 acres of land on the Bangalore Aerospace Park for the second phase of its expansion strategy. The company, a Tier1 supplier of aerospace components, stresses that this is not a move away from the UK, but a true expansion; servicing customers with high precision component parts locally in the first instance, while adding the capability to produce larger volumes of routine parts for the international market. Terry Grubb, managing director and founder of Micro-Precision, explains: "The design technology for our precision gear components is still centred on the UK, as are many design operations in the aerospace and automotive industries. It made commercial sense, however, for us to look at emerging markets for growth and also to take the opportunity to develop a production facility for our higher volume products, something that we have always wanted to do." The new facility also houses a joint venture between Micro-Precision and Uniflo Engineering, India. Uniflo Engineering is a precision engineering company, established for over 30 years, specialising in the manufacture of gear pumps. Uniflo gear metering pumps are commonly used for specialist applications, such as in the manufacture of viscose, acetate and acrylics, filament yarn and tyre cord applications. The range also includes hydraulic pumps and lubricant pumps, plus micro geared DC motor drives (high torque low noise/rpm) for a variety of applications, such as automatic doors, windows and other custom made products. Adds Mr Grubb: "The first phase production facility in Bangalore is very much on plan and already we are finalising plans for the second phase development on the Bangalore Aerospace Park. It has taken a lifetime to amass the machinery and experience to produce specialist short-run parts for motorsport, medical and aerospace in the UK, and there is little point in reproducing that in its entirety. The new factory in Bangalore is a response to customer demand for higher volumes of some products and new ranges of other products, where we have a demand already in geographic areas closer to the site and that it isn't practical to service from the UK. "We have been very impressed with the level of local engineering talent and also with the positive attitude of what is the next generation of Micro-Precision personnel in India. With a combination of specialty manufacturing knowhow and experience in precision gear pumps, we have the right expertise to deliver and support our expanding range of precision engineering products in India and the surrounding geographic areas."