Alphacraft invests INR 80 crores to construct fifth aluminium die-cast unit in India

According to sources, a Coimbatore-based aluminium die cast maker, Alphacraft, will invest almost INR 80 crores in materialising its fifth plant. The Managing Director of Alphacraft, M Ramesh, claimed that the expansion is due to the rising demand for aluminium components required by the automobile industry.

The company has taken this calculative step to suffice purchase orders of big industrial names like Aston Martin, which is in need of powertrain parts specially crafted for its flagship sports car. Alphacraft, at this moment, supplies 16 components for Aston Martin and will develop eight more car parts in the upcoming days for the brand.

Moreover, the aluminium die-casting expert will provide two viscous clutch projects for customers abroad. The company is also preparing itself to accomplish orders from notable electric carmakers for aluminium battery cases.

Among Alphacraft's famous customer base is William Advance Engineering, a renowned technology and engineering solutions provider experimenting with motorsport. The company is engrossed in making huge aluminium enclosures for its EV batteries that will be exported to the US.

Alphacraft's aluminium components are also ordered by Mahle Behr and Modine Thermal Systems in the US, along with Porsche in Germany. The company also has international customer bases in the Netherlands, Mexico, the Czech Republic and France. 

On a national scale, the Indian component maker supplies fork arms to Ola Electric and is currently working on the company's new model. It also supplies aluminium die-casted components to Modine, Gates India and John Deere.

Among Alphacraft's products are engine cooling solutions, powertrain aggregates, viscous clutch, transmission parts and housings.

MD Ramesh also claimed that the company is witnessing upstream demand for aluminium cast products to suffice the emerging e2W market in India. Alphacraft wishes to surpass machined castings in making complete solution kits for the modern age that is bustling with new transportation modules each year.

The new aluminium component-producing unit will be built in the Coimbatore District Small Industries Association Industrial Park. The project will host a gravity die-casting (GDC) technology incorporated from the mother plant established in 1998. The project will be completed in two separate phases; while the first will have a 50,000 sq ft expansion plan, the second phase will see a 70,000 sq ft enlargement.

If everything goes accordingly, the plant will be optimised in about 18 months after being certified by IGBC as a green building with its own functional treatment plant and high-end technologies to utilise daylight as energy.

Ramesh seems sceptical about how much time will be spent getting all the permissions from Government departments to jump-start the factory. He jocularly commented: "The single window clearance reference is merely on paper. In reality, there are over 20 windows where it is akin to building a wall in front of these windows and then creating another window in the wall."