Govt aims to make India globally trusted partner in supply chains: Piyush Goyal

Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal praised India’s engineering growth and visited the KIADB Aerospace SEZ, highlighting HAL and Safran's collaboration. Their LEAP engine parts production boosts “Make in India” goals and strengthens India’s role in global aerospace supply chains

New Delhi: India’s engineering excellence is powering some of the world’s most advanced sectors, Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal has said, adding that the government aims to make India a globally trusted partner in supply chains.

According to the minister, while a great deal of design and innovation is already happening through various Global Capability Centres (GCCs) in India, “our goal now is to not only design and innovate but also to patent and produce here, making India a globally trusted partner in supply chains”.

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He visited the Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board (KIADB) Aerospace Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in Devanahalli and appreciated French major Safran Aircraft Engines and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL)’s joint initiatives in the country.

“Also interacted with the leadership of several units operating from the SEZ and took their valuable feedback and suggestions to help strengthen the policy formulation process,” said Goyal in a post on X.

Last month, at the 55th edition of the Paris Air Show, Safran Aircraft Engines, the world’s leading French engine manufacturer in the design, development and production of aircraft engines, signed an agreement with HAL, India’s leading aerospace and defence company, for the industrialisation and production of rotating parts for LEAP engines.

This agreement supports the government’s “Make in India” policy and follows the memorandum of understanding signed by Safran Aircraft Engines and HAL in October 2023 to develop industrial cooperation in LEAP engine parts manufacturing, as well as the contract signed last February by both partners to produce forged parts.

Safran Aircraft Engines is thus continuing to expand its footprint in India and is extending the scope of its cooperation with HAL through the production of Inconel parts.

“We are really proud to expand this long-standing partnership with Safran and to develop our industrial expertise in forging processes for Inconel parts for the LEAP programme”, Dr DK Sunil, Chairman and Managing Director of HAL, had said.

Safran Aircraft Engines is thus boosting its capabilities and presence in India, where it already operates five production sites in Hyderabad, Bengaluru, and Goa.