KOCHI: Sixty years after the inauguration of the HMT Machine Tools unit at Kalamassery, employees say the iconic public sector factory is battling for survival, with salaries unpaid and hopes resting on a long-pending revival package from the Centre.
The fourth HMT Machine Tools unit was formally inaugurated on July 1, 1966, though production had begun partially in October 1964 after the Centre approved the project in 1963. The Kalamassery unit was chosen for its proximity to the port, railway and national highway, apart from the availability of land.
Once regarded as a symbol of India’s industrial self-reliance, the plant manufactured precision machine tools that powered sectors ranging from defence and railways to shipbuilding, space and atomic energy.
At its peak, HMT reportedly had an annual production capacity of 14,500 machine tools and employed around 31,700 workers across its factories. According to the HMT Employees Union, the Kalamassery unit has produced around 52,000 machine tools since its inception.
“HMT Machine Tools is the ‘mother of all machines’. The machines manufactured here helped build the country’s industrial base,” the union said in a statement marking the anniversary.
However, following policy changes, production steadily declined. Despite the availability of skilled workers and manufacturing facilities, the company failed to receive the support required for revival.
The union attributed the company’s decline to a plethora of factors, including the absence of sustained policy support. It said employees have gone without salaries for months and urged the Centre to implement a comprehensive revival package. “Even after completing 60 years, the workers are waiting not for celebrations but for a revival package that can secure the future of the unit and its employees,” the union said.
Despite its current predicament, employees maintain that the Kalamassery unit retains a highly skilled workforce.