Kennametal India Limited (KIL), a subsidiary of Kennametal Inc., has announced the launch of its new metal cutting inserts manufacturing facility on its Bengaluru, India campus. The facility was inaugurated by Sanjay Chowbey, Vice President, Kennametal Inc. & President Metal Cutting Segment, and Vijaykrishnan Venkatesan, Managing Director, KIL. This state-of-the art facility, a part of Kennametal Inc.'s global modernisation program, will support key management services for Kennametal and WIDIA brand inserts from customers across India and beyond.
Customers around the world rely on Kennametal and WIDIA brand inserts for performance and value to help them build everything from automotive industry and aircraft to medical devices and power generation technology. The new facility consolidates inserts manufacturing process previously housed in multiple production process units within the Bengaluru plant and incorporates intelligent manufacturing assembly lines for improved quality control, consistency and lead times—while also expanding Kennametal's capabilities and capacity to support growing demand from the Asia Pacific market. The company has also invested in training the workforce with the specific skillsets needed to leverage these advanced technologies to their fullest.
"Our manufacturing plant in Bengaluru spans over 27 acres and has been pivotal to our growth in India for decades. It has unique capabilities for end-to-end manufacturing of industry-leading metal cutting tools and technologies that enable exceptional performance for our customers," said Venkatesan. "The new inserts facility deploys state-of-the-art equipment and lean processes to help us innovate and meet the needs of diverse and high growth market segments in India, including motor vehicle, aerospace, general engineering and energy. And in keeping with our core values, we have also integrated best-in-class environmental, health and safety practices right from the planning stages to ensure safe and sustainable operations."
In addition to inserts, the Bengaluru plant also works on producing goods other Kennametal and WIDIA brand Metal Cutting solutions, including milling, turning, hole-making, threading, and tooling systems—as well as special purpose machines, fixtures and tooling solutions through the WIDMA brand.