BENGALURU: Ordnance Clothing Factory (OCF), which has been manufacturing gear for the Indian armed forces for the past 200 years, is now planning to make it big in the global market. With Prime Minister Narendra Modi setting a target of USD 5 billion in defence exports, the unit of Troop Comforts Limited is gearing up to meet expectations.
Speaking to TNIE, Joint General Manager of OCF, Avadi, Chennai, Senthil Kumar P said the PSU is participating in the global tender through consultants. “Though we were announced as a PSU in 2021, exports are in the pipeline. We have already given samples of our products such as bullet-resistant helmets and combat uniforms to neighbouring countries like Sri Lanka and Nepal. We are also in talks with Bangladesh, while the Maldives has expressed keen interest in our products,” he said.
Elaborating on participation in global tenders, Kumar said the factory has appointed consultants to reach out to foreign countries, while High Commissions are also trying to boost partnerships. “We have plans to cater to the needs of defence forces in countries in Europe, Africa and South America. All our products meet the military standards of European and South American countries, and our products have the requisite global certifications, a pre-requisite to attend global tenders,” he added.
Sharing details of the products OCF Avadi plans to export, Senthil Kumar said its bullet-resistant jackets and vests are designed to meet even the highest level of threat, like taking a sniper bullet, while flying boots meant for fighter pilots are also of global standards. “We are indigenising anti-g-suits, which were being mostly imported from Europe and Russia, and we are set to release the prototype shortly,” he said, adding that the OCF is also partnering with leading defence manufacturers abroad for certain products.
Further, he said they are re-engineering body armour by embedding biosystems so that the vital parameters of soldiers in operations could be monitored remotely by commanders. “We have tied up with IIT-Madras for this and the first prototype is expected by June.”