Employees being reskilled, says Minister Naik
Globally sourced modern technologies have been inducted into the Ordnance Factories as per the Comprehensive Modernization Plan for the XIth and XIIth five-year Plan, Minister of State for Defence Shripad Naik said in a written reply to Rajya Sabha on 23 Mar 2020.
To keep pace with the contemporary manufacturing technologies, the Ordnance Factories Board (OFB) now prepares an annual investment plan towards modernization of its existing Plant and Machineries and other infrastructure.
The main technologies upgraded and inducted by OFC are:
CNC 5 Axis Machines
Laser and Water Jet Cutting Machines
Hull Machining Centre
Robotic Welding
Flexible Manufacturing System (FMS)
Cold Swaging
Radial Forging Plant
Electro-Slag Refining (ESR)
Natural Gas (NG) Furnaces
Co-ordinate Measuring Machine (CMM)
Digitally Controlled Strength Testing Machine
HMX Plant
Auto-frettage Plant
Universal Tensile Testing Machine
EDM Wire Cut Machine
Heavy Duty Extrusion Press.
Also, OFB has been training and re-skilling its employees to meet the requirement of changing environment
In addition, OFB has planned for training its suitably qualified Industrial Employees in new digital technologies such as artificial intelligence, internet of things, data analysis and additive manufacturing, which collectively comprise what is referred to as Industry 4.0.
OFB is also developing an internal repository of trainers among suitably qualified staff and officers with the help of premier institutions to impart training to Industrial Employees on these technologies.
OFB has recently signed an MoU with Directorate General of Training, Ministry of Skill Development And Entrepreneurship, New Delhi on 11 Feb 2020 for carrying out re-skilling in the selected trades to the level prescribed under National Skill Qualification Framework (NSQF).
The Government has taken a number of steps to strengthen the functioning of OFB. These include:
OFB has been delegated with the enhanced financial powers for Revenue and Capital procurement in September 2016.
OFB has been granted Approval-in-Principle by the Government for Capital procurement of Plant and Machinery for up-gradation and modernisation with estimated cost of about Rs.1,727 Crores since September 2016.
To streamline the purchase process of OFB, Procurement Manual – 2018 (Stores Procurement) has been approved and has come into effect from September 2018.
Towards ease of doing business, revised Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for vendor registration by OFB has been formulated since January 2019, thereby making vendor registration process in OFB simplified and more business friendly.
OFB has been geared up to focus on the export market and adequate thrust has been given to export of Arms and Ammunition by way of re-structuring export governance in OFB.
To provide flexibility to OFB to bid in export enquiry in a time bound manner, powers have been delegated to Member/OFB (in March 2019) to bid in export enquiry provided the bidding cost covers the cost of production. fiinews.com
