Alstoms Chairman & CEO Patrick Kron visits Vadodara

  Strengthens Alstoms commitment to support Indias economic growth as a long term partner 

Alstoms hydro unit expands capabilities with installation of two new super heavy machines 

Also visits Alstom Grid facility - Indias Largest Transformer manufacturing and testing facility 

Alstoms Chairman & CEO, Mr. Patrick Kron visited today Vadodara in the state of Gujarat to re-emphasize Vadodara as a Centre of Excellence both for Hydro and Grid as well as underline Alstoms commitment to Indias long-term economic growth. One of the highlights of Mr. Krons visit to Vadodara was the successful installation and commissioning of two new super heavy machines which holds immense importance with regards to Indian hydro market requirements.

Two high capacity machines - 150T Heavy Boring Machine & 250T Heavy Vertical Turning Lath, were inaugurated by Mr. Kron, in the presence of Mr. Sunand Sharma, Country President, India & South Asia.

Aimed at increasing capacity and improving operational efficiency, these super heavy machines, with their state-of-the-art technology and large operational range, are equipped to take all the major load of Hydro products like Distributors, Runners, Shafts, Brackets and Rotor spiders. While the Heavy Boring Machine can handle jobs of 150 tonne weight and 9 metre diameter on rotary table, the VTL Heavy Vertical Turning Lath can handle jobs of 250 tonne weight and 10 metre diameter. The machines would be in operation from February 2012 onwards. With their installation, the Alstom Hydro Unit at Vadodara would be able to cater to upcoming projects with best solutions of high-precision milling, drilling, boring and turning of large heavy work pieces thereby strengthening the capability of Indian manufacturing to world class scale and standards for this extremely important sector of Hydro Electricity.

On this occasion Mr. Patrick Kron, Chairman & CEO, Alstom said, I am pleased to be here in Vadodara today in this Centennial year of Alstom in India. The event marks another important milestone in Alstoms growth strategy in the State of Gujarat, further demonstrating the companys stated commitment to India and its confidence in the long-term future of the power sector in India. The Government of India has embarked on an aggressive plan to tap the existing hydro potential, and Alstom is continuing to make investments in India to support these growth plans. Our investment in Vadodara further bolsters our commitment to our customers to continue providing them with the best products, technology and services in the industry.

The addition of new machines to the hydro manufacturing facility significantly increases Alstoms production capacity and improves the overall flow of the production processes. The expansion was fueled by the continued growth Alstom Hydro unit has witnessed in recent years. This facility will continue to play a vital role in addressing the increased demand for reliable, clean and affordable energy right here in the India and around the world.

So far, Alstoms Hydro facility in Vadodara has supplied major Hydro Power generation equipment for a total installed capacity of 4 GW for various projects in India & abroad. With the companys expanded production capabilities, Alstoms Hydro manufacturing unit in Vadodara expects to ramp up exports to more than 30% annually to markets all over the world. This move follows an investment completed last year to build Alstoms most advanced bearing production facility. So far two-third of the factorys existing capacity caters to the India region while one-third of the capacity caters to export markets.

Alstom has been present in Gujarat for over two decades now. With its two manufacturing bases - Hydro and Grid, Alstom has supported the regions economic growth by investing significantly in its facilities and by generating employment. The Hydro facility in Vadodara boasts of a state-of-the-art hydro manufacturing unit to cater to Indian and international projects, a Global Technology Centre - one of the most significant R&D centres established with an aim to tap the specific issues of the Indian hydro market and an advanced hydro bearing factory to manufacture bearings for medium to large size hydro power projects. Also present in Vadodara is the Alstom Grid facility, which is Indias Largest Transformer manufacturing and testing facility established in 2008 to successfully meet the rapidly growing demand in India and to better serve the customers around the world. Present in Gujarat region is another largest upcoming integrated facility for steam turbine, generators and auxiliaries manufacturing in Mundra. This partnership between Alstom Bharat Forge Limited has paved the way for making India a manufacturing hub for advanced power equipment.

In Vadodara, Mr. Kron, also visited the Grid factory, which is a world class factory set up to meet the future needs of the country as transmission voltage levels move to Extra or Ultra High Voltage levels (up to 1200 kV). In April 2010 Indias first indigenously developed 1000 MVA, 765 kV class UHV Inter-connecting transformer was manufactured and tested at the Vadodara factory. This was subsequently commissioned at LANCOs Anpara C Power Plant in February 2011.

Mr. Krons visit to Vadodara is an indication of the growing importance of the India operations in Alstoms global business strategy and in recognition of the consistently improving Indian markets contribution to the Alstoms global bottom line.

About Alstom
Alstom is a global leader in the world of power generation, power transmission and rail infrastructure and sets the benchmark for innovative and environmentally friendly technologies. Alstom builds the fastest train and the highest capacity automated metro in the world, provides turnkey integrated power plant solutions and associated services for a wide variety of energy sources, including hydro, nuclear, gas, coal and wind, and it offers a wide range of solutions for power transmission, with a focus on smart grids. The Group employs 92,700 people in around 100 countries, and had sales of 20.9 billion in 2010/11.

Alstoms presence in India
Alstom is a global leader in power generation, power transmission and rail infrastructure. Present in India since 1911, Alstom has strong capabilities in engineering, manufacturing, project management and supply of products and solutions for infrastructure. With 4 R&D centres: Alstom Infosys R&D Centre in Bengaluru, Transport in Bengaluru, Hydro Global Technology Centre in Vadodara and Hosur for Grid and ten manufacturing units dedicated to: Hydro in Vadodara, Boilers in Durgapur and Shahabad, Steam turbines in Mundra (upcoming) and Transport at Coimbatore and SriCity (upcoming), Grid in Padappai, Pallavaram, Hosur, Vadodara and Naini, Alstom's presence cuts across the length and breadth of India.

Press Contacts   

Rachana Panda (Alstom India) 
E-mail: rachana.panda@alstom.com
Tel:             +91 120 473 2535       
Website: www.alstom.com/India