EBC's Hyderabad Bearing Plant Moving Forward

EBC's Hyderabad Bearing Plant Moving Forward European Bearing Corp. (EBC; Russia) through its recently-established subsidiary, EBC Bearings India Ltd., is continuing to move forward in establishing a bearing manufacturing facility in Adibhatla Village, in a large industrial Hardware Park on the outskirts of Hyderabad. The plan for a bearing plant in India was originally announced in mid-2006; proposal development and land acquisition has been ongoing. EBC plans to manufacture large-size bearings in India, 400mm to 700mm OD, primarily for rail, mining, and other high-demand industrial applications. Earlier this year, the company received government approval to establish a vendor park around its main site, so its bearing component suppliers could set up satellite facilities nearby. EBC's facility will be located on 50 acres it has now acquired for just that purpose, building a plant to manufacture large-size bearings. The government reportedly agreed to charge EBC Rs 50 lakh (USD $123,000) per acre. The total project has been budgeted by EBC at over USD $30 million through the end of 2008. The entire industrial park set aside is almost 750 acres. Most of the land is earmarked for technology businesses such as Wipro and Cognizant, and related light manufacturing activity. But some heavy manufacturing such as EBC's is also being encouraged. Once EBC's plant is online and in full production, employment could reach as high as 1,600 workers.