Naini Aerospace Limited (NAeL) was incorporated on 29th December 2016 as a wholly owned subsidiary of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) to take-over sick Naini unit of Hindustan Cables Limited (HCL) which was closed for last 15 years. Commencement of business operations in Aerospace and Aviation Sector through revival of the plant was primary objective of the company. The company signed agreements with HCL for purchase of identified assets and for transfer of Manpower of HCL Naini unit on 30th January 2017 to be effective from 01st February 2017. Accordingly identified assets and employees of Naini unit of HCL were taken-over by NAeL on 01st February 2017.
Naini Aerospace Ltd is situated in the Naini industrial area of Prayagraj developed by UP State Industrial Development Corporation. The factory is located on Prayagraj-Mirzapur highway, approximately 20 km from Prayagraj city center. Naini, Prayagraj has been included in the proposed defence industrial corridor of Uttar Pradesh.
A core team of 06 officers derived from different divisions of HAL and headed by CEO were deputed to setup the company. Lean concept in management was guiding principle to promote fast decision making and accelerated implementation. Making access to buildings and hangers in factory complex, provisioning of basic amenities, power, drinking water, removal of old plant, machinery & other scrap belonging to HCL through MSTC and establishment of office infrastructure were initial priorities of the team. The company undertook repair, renovation and establishment of civil, electrical & IT infrastructure concurrently as the entire complex was in abandoned condition for many years.
Transfer of lease deed of Land in favor of NAeL, registration of lease deed, factory license, statutory labour & commercial registrations, requisite NOCs for commencement of business operations and regularization of various employees benefits like PF, Gratuity, GSLI etc. were completed in a time bound manner by 30th June 2017.
Structured skill development training program spanning over a period of 14 weeks was conducted for technicians at HAL Technical Training Institute (TTI) Bengaluru. Subsequently, they have been qualified through “On job training” at Helicopter and LCA divisions of HAL. Additional skill enhancement training specific to the assigned job is being continuously imparted to the employees.
Simultaneously, a temporary Loom Shop was established by utilizing internal resources at an alternate location pending completion of civil & electrical works of the designated hangar. Production of Aircraft Looms was launched on 10th July 2017 after completion of training and by arranging Loom boards, tools, equipment etc. and orders from Helicopter and LCA Tejas division of HAL to instill self confidence in the transferred work-force which was idling for last many years. Over 1200 looms of Dhruv Helicopter and Tejas fighter jet have been produced & delivered successfully since then and fitted on the platform.
The renovation, repair and establishment of infrastructure was completed on 30th June 2018. The production of Helicopter structures was launched on 11th July 2018 in newly constructed Aero-structure hangar equipped with State of Art facilities. The first batch of Helicopter structures duly cleared by Director General of Aeronautical Quality Assurance (DGAQA) were delivered to Helicopter division of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited on 22nd November 2018. 06 sets of Helicopter structures have been produced and delivered to Helicopter Division of HAL as of 31st December 2019. NAeL has now reached to the level of full-fledged operationalization with proven capabilities in the field of production of Aero-structures and Aircraft loom manufacturing. Currently, key managerial positions are occupied by ten experienced professionals assigned from HAL to ensure compliance of operations to Aerospace standards.