French manufacturing company, Alstom is planning to double its manufacturing capacity in SriCity, in Andhra Pradesh, to 480 train sets per annum in near future. 

In addition to that Alain Spohr, MD, Alstom, India & South Asia shared, "The company will be increasing its headcount from current 5,000 people to 8,000 by March 2023."

Currently, the company is executing orders for Chennai Metro, Montreal Metro and Mumbai Metro Line. With a mix of domestic and exports production  of 50:50 at present, the company is comfortable. It has a localization of around 75 percent in India.

After completing the supply for Chennai Metro, for which it has manufactured 42 trains and producing an additional 10 trainsets, by this financial year, it will participate in tenders for the new metro projects in other cities.

However, even with so many projects and now plans to expand operations in India, there is one thing the French company is not happy about. 

Spohr said, "One of the things which I am not happy at all is that after doing all these investments, including in factories, people etc, I am not allowed to be considered as an Indian company and bid on those tenders."

There are about two to three tenders in which Alstom cannot participate across the country due to some restrictive clauses. Spohr suggested that government should ensure that for future jobs, fair play is respected. 

Some might argue that falling investment in manufacturing in the last one decade is at the heart of the country’s present economic woes. The country’s ability to boost its exports and attract domestic and foreign direct investment in the manufacturing sector determines the growth of the job market. The more companies invest in the country, the more opportunities are created for  India's workforce. 

Image source: RFI