Balzers, Liechtenstein, 19 October 2018 – On 12 October, Oerlikon Balzers India, a leading provider of surface solutions, inaugurated its largest Indian production centre in Manesar in the presence of Hereditary Prince Alois of Liechtenstein and Dr Doris Frick, the Ambassador of Liechtenstein in Switzerland. The new facility represents a further major commitment by Oerlikon Balzers to the Indian market as it continues to grow, and this significant investment in the future and in India will allow Oerlikon Balzers to serve its customers across various industries even more effectively.
Marc Desrayaud (Head of Business Unit Balzers Industrial Solutions), H.S.H Hereditary Prince Alois of Liechtenstein, Suman Kant Munjal (Chairman & Managing Director, Rockman Industries Ltd.), and Robert Straw (Regional Talent Development Manager Europe) cut the ribbon.
Von l.n.r: Marc Desrayaud (Head of Business Unit Balzers Industrial Solutions), Dr. Doris Frick (Botschafterin von Liechtenstein in der Schweiz), Suman Kant Munjal (Chairman & Managing Director, Rockman Industries Ltd.), S.D. Erbprinz Alois von und zu Liechtenstein, Pravin Shirse (Managing Director Oerlikon Balzers Indien), B. C. Rao (Managing Director Kennametal), Robert Straw (Head of Talent Management Europe) und Manfred Biedermann (Head of BL TF Equipment) vor der traditionellen Einweihungstafel nach deren Enthüllung.
With its 20th anniversary of service in Northern India and the commissioning of Oerlikon Balzers' largest coating system, the inauguration of the new customer centre also marked another milestone in the history of Oerlikon Balzers in India. The official opening ceremony began with the traditional ribbon cutting, which was hosted by the Head of Business Unit Balzers Industrial Solutions, Marc Desrayaud, the Managing Director of Oerlikon Balzers India, Pravin Shirse, the Chairman and Managing Director of Rockman Industries, Suman Kant Munjal, and the Directors of Jaquar Group, Kishan Mehra and Rajesh Mehra, who were joined by the guests of honour, H.S.H. Hereditary Prince Alois of Liechtenstein, and the Ambassador of Liechtenstein in Switzerland, Dr Doris Frick.
H.S.H. Hereditary Prince Alois of Liechtenstein praised the diplomatic and economic relationship between India and Liechtenstein, which stretches back many years: “Liechtenstein’s economy is very diversified, and almost 40% of its GDP is created by people in the manufacturing sector in companies operating internationally like Oerlikon Balzers. I am very pleased that the long-standing diplomatic and economic relations between the two countries – and Oerlikon Balzers’ commitment to India is a perfect example – have contributed to continuous growth, and I am proud that Liechtenstein has consistently created a large number of jobs in this industrial sector for so many years.”
Marc Desrayaud, Head of Business Unit Balzers Industrial Solutions, said in his speech: “I am absolutely delighted with the growth that all eight of our customer centres in India have achieved in the 24 years of our operations here in India. It is not by chance that India is one of our key markets, where we are constantly investing in our geographical footprint, in the technology being developed here, in our employees in terms of pure numbers and by developing their professional skills, and of course in enlarging our range of products and services so that we can meet all our customers’ expectations.”
The new facility is part of the company’s long-term growth strategy, allowing Oerlikon Balzers to deliver a wider range of services even more effectively in the Manesar region and throughout India. Desrayaud continued: “We want to offer our customers the best possible service, as for them it is our technologies and our services that make the difference in the highly competitive and booming Indian market. My big thank you goes to our customers for their loyalty since more than 20 years, and I’d also like to congratulate our team for their enduring commitment.”
Oerlikon Balzers strongly supports “MAKE IN INDIA”, the programme for economic growth launched by the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP), the Ministry of Commerce and Industry and the Indian Government. With the opening of the company’s largest customer centre in India in the presence of Hereditary Prince Alois of Liechtenstein, Oerlikon Balzers has proved the reality and importance of trilateral economic relations between Liechtenstein, Switzerland and India.
India’s first customer centre was founded in August 1994
It was back in August 1994 that Oerlikon Balzers established its coating business in India with the opening of its first customer service centre in Pune. Over the years, demand has grown for its high-end coatings and pre/post-treatment processing, and consequently the existing centre in Gurgaon, which began production in 1998, has been relocated to the new nearby customer centre in Manesar, providing a production space which is five times larger and can offer new and additional services, such as full reconditioning for tools in a state-of-art inspection facility. A separate area enables larger tools to be processed, and there is also a dedicated line for forming tools with low pressure nitriding (LPN) and polishing.
Investment into the growing Indian market
This significant investment in the future and in the growing Indian market allows Oerlikon Balzers to serve its customers from various industries – primarily tool manufacturers, but also businesses in the aviation, oil & gas, medical and machining industries – more quickly and efficiently. The high-output INNOVENTA giga coating system, installed in the new production facility in Manesar, offers customers new coatings for large forming tools and provides additional capacity for machining tools, all with significantly reduced delivery times, and the new customer centre meets today’s safety, health and environment requirements.
