MSMEs in Coimbatore told to enter defence, aerospace sectors

There are opportunities for MSMEs to indigenise and encourage innovation in the sectors, defence secretary Ajay Kumar said. He said this while chairing a meeting to kickstart the defence activities through the CODISSIA Defence Innovation and Atal Incubation Centre (CDIIC) here at a virtual meet.

With the Centre aiming to double the number of MSMEs in the defence and aerospace sectors in the next four to five years, the industrial eco system and MSMEs here should now enter the sectors, a top official of the Defence Department said on Wednesday. There are opportunities for MSMEs to indigenise and encourage innovation in the sectors, defence secretary Ajay Kumar said.

He said this while chairing a meeting to kickstart the defence activities through the CODISSIA Defence Innovation and Atal Incubation Centre (CDIIC) here at a virtual meet. Kumar said the units should not look just at producing to meet only the domestic requirements but also at export opportunities.

He said global OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) are keen to source from India, and ensure that the products are of high quality and cost-effective. Dwelling on testing and certification, he said the procedures need to be bench-marked against the best in the world and there was also the need to bring the cost down.

A total of 50 products have been identified for indigenisation with CDIIC, joint secretary of the Department of Defence Production Sanjay Jaju said. The CDIIC signed agreements with five base repair depots, Air Force, and naval ship repair yard, Kochi, for indigenisation of their components and products.