In a significant advancement for the government’s Make in India initiative, Nitin Gadkari, the Union Minister of Road Transport, inaugurated one of the nation’s largest medical equipment and hematology reagent manufacturing units by HORIBA India in Butibori, Nagpur, on Saturday. This facility, which is the largest of its kind in India for medical equipment and consumables, is the third manufacturing unit established by the Japan-headquartered HORIBA Group in India, complementing its existing two facilities.
“The futuristic vision with a futuristic technology, India is the fastest growing economy in the World and that is the reason whatever new technology is available in world, we want to take it to India. India is appropriate land for development, the trained manpower and young talent is available here” said Gadkari during the inauguration event.
In a company statement, it was revealed that with an investment of Rs 200 crore, the Nagpur facility will gradually serve more than 30,000 diagnostic labs and hospitals across India. Maharashtra’s Deputy Chief Minister, Devendra Fadnavis, also attended the inauguration event.
Fadnavis said “The medical devices sector is growing rapidly in India and also globally. India which was a net importer of medical devices is now a big exporter. Our entire export in the sector is touching around USD 10 billion with an annual growth rate of around 10 per cent. India is also becoming a medical tourism destination and now out of world’s 27 medical tourism destinations, India is at tenth medical tourism destination”
At the inauguration, the company announced that the new Nagpur facility spans 50,000 square meters and includes production units for blood diagnostics, clinical chemistry equipment, and medical consumables (reagents). It also features the HORIBA India Technical Institute, which provides biomedical learning programs in collaboration with Nagpur University, and the HORIBA Experience Zone, showcasing the complete range of HORIBA healthcare equipment. Additionally, the facility includes an international training center and a central warehouse. Currently employing 100 staff, the workforce is expected to nearly double in the next five years. The company further stated that this facility will serve as an export hub for neighboring countries, initially aiming for 50% localization of products and eventually increasing to 80-90%.
“The facility will play a crucial role in reducing turnaround time and minimizing costs by promoting local production, thus supporting the Government’s initiative to enhance Make in India and Self-Reliance. It also aims to evolve into a one-stop solution for India, initially catering to the Bio & Healthcare segment, with future plans to expand into the Materials & Semiconductor and Energy & Environment sectors” said Jai Hakhu, Board of Directors, HORIBA Ltd., Japan and Chairman, HORIBA India.
