Factory inauguration: Plasser India

Around 140 guests from the public and private sector, as well as employees from India, Austria and other European countries, met in Karjan, India, to inaugurate the factory on 16 October 2019.

In the presence of the owners of Plasser & Theurer, her Excellency the Ambassador for Austria in India, Brigitte Öppinger-Walchshofer, representatives of the Austrian Trade Commission and the board members of Plasser & Theurer and Plasser India, the new manufacturing facility was officially put into operation by Vijay Rupani, Chief Minister of Gujarat. The new factory was completed in record time: from the start of planning in mid-2017, only 2.5 years passed to the start of production in October 2019.

Johannes Max-Theurer, CEO of Plasser & Theurer, thanked everyone involved in the project for the excellent collaboration, which allowed for the creation of this new, important production site. Mr Max-Theurer emphasised the significance of the new factory for the strategic direction of both Plasser India and Plasser & Theurer. “With this new factory and its increased manufacturing capacity, we are better prepared than ever for the growing Indian market.”

“The newly inaugurated production plant in Karjan is a part of Plasser India’s strategy for growth. Today we celebrate the next step in the development of Plasser India: the future development of the company will be based on this new factory, with its cutting-edge technology and green building concept.”
Siegfried Fink, Managing Director at Plasser India

The journey of Plasser India started in 1965, as a Plasser & Theurer service station in India. In 1967, production in the Faridabad factory was launched, where the manufacture of high-capacity machines is still running successfully.  Over the past 54 years, Plasser India has been right on track, producing 860 new machines for all kinds of track maintenance work.  During this time, production increased by as much as 100 %.

India is one of the most important countries in terms of railway system utilisation. Decades of experience, the enormous length of the network and the transport volumes of people and goods are fascinating. The demands for the future of the Indian railway system are both huge and impressive.

In India, expanded production capacities were needed to react optimally to the rising demand of the Indian Railway, private parties and the export market. Plasser India has aimed at pursuing the vision of “Make in India” in all its aspects. We want to provide both employment and skill development to the people of India.

Mid-2017, the building project started in Karjan, close to Vadodara in the state of Gujarat, with a team of contractors, architects and employees of Plasser India. The new location of Plasser India, originally conceptualised for an area of approximately 30,000 m², comprises approx. 110,000 m². The final building ended up being more than 50 % larger than planned and now comprises 46,000 m².

The construction period of 2.5 years was characterised by several climate challenges, e.g. the longest and most humid monsoon in 100 years. The city was partially flooded, as was the new factory building, yet the willingness and hard work of the architects, the contractors and the project implementation team of Plasser India allowed the project to be completed.

Production in the Karjan factory has already started. Plasser India now has two production sites with a total of approx. 790 employees, allowing for very short delivery times. Most machine models can be delivered within 12 months. The entire working process represents what Plasser & Theurer and Plasser India are known for: high precision, performance and reliability.