Sandvik setting up multi-nodal facility, R&D Centre in Pune.

The Sweden-based global industrial group Sandvik is setting up an R&D centre in Pune and has concluded land acquisition in Chakan for building a new multi-nodal facility which is a part of its emerging markets strategy.

'The new R&D Centre will complement and support existing R&D units locally and globally, focusing on material and process engineering for its present and future business. We are initially especially interested in computational simulation competence, where we already have a good team in Pune,' Parag Satpute, Managing Director, Sandvik Asia, said.

The R&D centre is expected to begin operations two years from now, and Sandvik plans to ramp up the team to nearly 100 engineers and scientists in four years.

Elaborating on the new site at Chakan where the company has acquired 50 acres of land, Satpute said Sandvik would invest in a phased manner for its five business streams, all of which are already represented in India. 'We plan to set up a multi-nodal facility at Chakan, and a blueprint for the site is being formalised,' he said.

Sandvik is now in its next phase of growth globally and as India is an important part of the group's emerging markets strategy, it plans to ramp up its production and market penetration here. One of the key plans to support this growth ambition is to drive.

HBL