Tata Hitachi Construction Machinery announced a Rs 200 crore investment in its manufacturing facilities to enhance quality, innovation, and localisation. The company, a joint venture between Tata and Japan's Hitachi, aims to increase localisation levels to 70% within the next two to three years, according to Managing Director Sandeep Singh.

The investment will bolster operations at Tata Hitachi's plants in Kharagpur, West Bengal, and Dharwad, Karnataka. This initiative underscores their commitment to innovation and achieving self-reliance (Atmanirbharta) in manufacturing. Singh highlighted plans to introduce 60-tonne dump trucks in India, leveraging technology from Hitachi Canada for the mining sector.

"With a cumulative capital expenditure of Rs 2,000 crore, including our Kharagpur plant, which is Southeast Asia's largest excavator facility, we are positioning ourselves for sustained growth and technological leadership," Singh noted.

Celebrating 40 years of partnership between Tata and Hitachi, Singh emphasized that localization remains crucial for cost efficiency. Despite challenges from Chinese imports, the company aims for an 8% revenue growth, building on last fiscal year's revenue of approximately Rs 5,000 crore, with plants operating at 75-80% capacity.

Singh expressed optimism regarding the Union budget's potential to boost infrastructure development, which is expected to drive demand for construction equipment in the latter half of the year.