SQuAD Forging India reaches milestone of producing 25,000 aircraft wheels at Karnataka plant

Mumbai, Sep 23 (PTI) SQuAD Forging India on Tuesday said it has achieved the milestone of producing 25,000 aircraft wheels from its manufacturing facility at the aerospace cluster in Belgavi, Karnataka.

SQuAD, a joint venture between Aequs Limited and Aubert & Duval, which has been manufacturing aircraft wheels since 2018, took five years to make the first 10,000 wheels in August 2023.

The unit achieved the major milestone of 25,000th wheel in just two years since then, it said.

"Accomplishing this major milestone in time underscores the customer focus at SQuAD with all projects completed to customer requirements," said Aravind Melligeri, Executive Chairman and CEO, Aequs Limited.

He said Aequs has been able to leverage the end-to-end solutions at the aerospace cluster to achieve 100 per cent in-country value addition on several products, including the wheels it makes, reflecting the unique value proposition of the aerospace ecosystem at Belagavi.

A major player in the production of small and medium-sized aero-structural parts for the aerospace industry like engines, wheels, landing gear, turbine, structural part, braking systems, and spatial parts, among others, the company's facility is equipped with separate forging lines of 1,200-tonne screw press, a 10,000-tonne hydraulic press and other associated lines for heat treatment.

"By passing the 25,000-wheel milestone, SQuAD has reached an important position that demonstrates Aubert & Duval's unique metallurgical expertise and the relevance of the partnership between A&D and Aequs in serving our customers. This partnership enables Aubert & Duval to continue its development in India, a particularly promising and strategic market for the aerospace industry," said Etienne GALAN, Chief Executive Officer, Aubert & Duval SAS. PTI IAS HVA