Macmet join hands with Zaragoza's firm for TAIM equipment

Kolkata: Kolkata-based Macmet India Limited (MIL), a leading supplier of bulk material handling solutions, has announced a joint venture (JV) with TAIM-TFG of Zaragoza (Spain) for manufacturing and marketing the full range of TAIM-TFG products in India.

The JV company is scheduled to be operational within a year and the manufacturing facility is being planned at Kalyani (West Bengal) on a five-acre plot.

P K Madappa, managing director of MIL, said, 'The manufacturing facility at Kalyani would make the entire range of TAIM-TFG products like ship loaders, unloaders, stackers, reclaimers, shiftable conveyors, specialised cranes and coal handling plants. MIL would invest Rs 7-9 crore for the manufacturing unit.'

Speaking on the occasion, Simon A Whalley, director (sales), said, 'The JV company is mulling a design centre for engineering and also an R&D facility in Kolkata. We are targeting a turnover of 20 million euro 12-18 months after resuming our India operations.'

Macmet's prowess in bulk material handling is already established and with our collaboration, we will be able to offer complete material handling solutions to our customers, Whalley added.

Apart from bulk material handling, TAIM-TFG also has interests in renewable energy projects like wind power, biomass and urban soild waste management and is keen on undertaking these projects in India.

TAIM-TFG which has a manufacturing unit in Zaragoza (Spain) and branch offices Iran, Morocco, Cuba and Vietnam posted a turnover of around 100 million euro in 2006-07.

Its proposed JV partner MIL clocked a turnover of Rs 70 crore in 2006-07 and expects it to double in the upcoming fiscal.

The order book status of Macmet curently stands at Rs 100 crore.

About 50 per cent of MIL's revenues comes from the power sector, 30 per cent from cement and the balance 20 per cent from steel, said AH Ansari, director of MIL.

The company exports mechanical equipment to over 15 countries and expects to commission the world's largest pipe conveyor within three to four months.