Heavy engineering industries are important industries as they provide machinery for industries and equipment for the agriculture, transport, mining, and construction sectors.
Heavy Engineering Industries
Heavy Engineering industries require the following:
- Bulky raw materials
- Advanced technology and large capital resources
- Huge workforce
- Iron and steel industries, shipbuilding industries, and automobile industries are heavy Engineering industries.
Shipbuilding industry
Factors favouring the development of the shipbuilding industry in India are
- Because the shipbuilding industry requires bulky raw materials, it is located near the source of raw materials.
- It requires a skilled labor force.
- It is also located near deep waters which can be used for navigation.
- It needs a large tract of level land.
Major Shipyards
| Name of the Company | Features |
|---|---|
| Hindustan Shipyard Limited | Located in Vishakhapatnam, it was the first shipyard to obtain ISO-9001 accreditation. It builds cargo vessels, passenger vessels, and small craft for ports and customs. |
| The Cochin Shipyard | Located in Kochi, it has large docks to construct and repair ships. It has repaired more than 1200 ships so far. |
| The Garden Reach Workshop | Located in Kolkata, it is one of the leading shipyards in India. It constructs ships, floating dry docks, passenger and other types of vessels, and fishing trawlers. |
| The Mazagaon Dock Limited | Located in Mumbai, it builds frigates, cruisers, and other ships for the Indian navy. It also builds cargo ships, passenger vessels, and dredgers. |
Automobile Industry
Four requirements of the automobile industry are
- Raw materials such as iron, steel, and paint
- Tools and machinery for running and maintaining factories
- Finished goods such as tyres, tubes, and batteries
- Coal and hydropower India has several automobile units. It is the sixth-largest passenger car and commercial vehicle manufacturing country in the world.
Railway Locomotives
Railways are an important means of transport in the country. Units producing locomotives and coaches for the railways come under the Ministry of Railways. These are
- The Chittaranjan Locomotive Works: it is located at Chittaranjan in West Bengal. It manufactures electric railway engines, broad gauge and metre gauge, and diesel locomotives.
- The Diesel Locomotive Works (DLW): It is located in Varanasi. It produces broad gauge and metre gauge diesel engines.
- The Integral Coach Factory: Located at Perambur near Chennai, it manufactures fully furnished passenger coaches.
- The Rail Coach Factory: It is located at Kapurthala in Punjab and produces high-speed lightweight railway coaches. Other plants producing diesel-electric engines are located at Jamshedpur and Patiala.
Aircraft Industry
Hindustan Aeronautics Limited was set up in 1964 with its corporate office in Bengaluru. It was the first aircraft industry to be set up in India. Its main functions are
- To design, manufacture, repair and overhaul various types of aircraft, aero engines, avionics, instruments and accessories.
- Design and develop advanced light helicopters and light combat aircraft.
Heavy Electrical Industry
This industry consists of the equipment used for the generation, transmission, distribution, and use of power. It includes items such as generators, boilers, turbines, and cables. Three main heavy electrical industries in India are
- The Heavy Electrical Limited at Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh,
- The Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited at New Delhi,
- The Hindustan Cables Factory at Rupnarainpur in West Bengal,
Also, Read Industries in India