Aluminium Extrusion Press Nagpur: Rajnath Singh Performs Bhoomi Pujan at YIL's Ordnance Factory Ambajhari

The Aluminium Extrusion Press Nagpur project took a formal step forward on June 19, 2026, as Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh performed the Bhoomi Pujan for a 10,000-Tons aluminium extrusion facility at Ordnance Factory Ambajhari. The unit is part of Yantra India Limited (YIL), a defence public sector undertaking formed after the corporatisation of the Ordnance Factory Board. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis was also present at the ceremony.

The press will produce large and complex aluminium alloy profiles used in defence platforms, aerospace structures, missile programmes, railway systems, and other strategic industrial applications. India has historically imported high-grade aluminium extrusions in this category. The facility is intended to cut that dependence.

What the Aluminium Extrusion Press Nagpur Will Produce

Rajnath Singh described the operational requirement plainly. Modern fighter jets, missiles, and space systems need metals that are both lightweight and capable of withstanding extreme stress. Those properties require specialised processing. The press addresses that gap at scale.

He also connected the project to Operation Sindoor, pointing to the performance of Made-in-India equipment during the operation as evidence that indigenous hardware works. Thousands of components constitute the true strength of large defence platforms, he said. The extrusion press feeds into that supply chain.

Conventional warfare and its hardware requirements remain as relevant as they were in 1947, Rajnath Singh added, and will retain that relevance through 2047. The facility is being planned with that long horizon in mind.

YIL Numbers Since OFB Corporatisation

The Raksha Mantri put YIL's post-corporatisation performance on record. OFB production in FY 2019-20, the pre-corporatisation year, was Rs. 12,755 crore. By FY 2025-26 that had risen to Rs. 26,282 crore. Defence exports from the entity went from Rs. 81 crore before corporatisation to Rs. 4,561 crore, with YIL contributing Rs. 397 crore to that figure.

He identified R&D and capital infusion as the two levers that determine whether an industrial entity stays competitive. New machinery brings new technology into the manufacturing system and lifts both efficiency and output quality. He called on all DPSUs to study and adopt international best practices where relevant.

Defence Production and Export Records

India's domestic defence production reached Rs. 1.78 lakh crore in FY 2025-26, against Rs. 46,000 crore in 2014. IDW covered the production milestone in detail when the figures were released. Defence exports hit Rs. 38,424 crore in the same year, from less than Rs. 1,000 crore a decade ago.

Rajnath Singh said the targets of Rs. 3 lakh crore in production and Rs. 50,000 crore in exports for the next two to three years are now achievable ahead of schedule.

Nagpur as a Defence Manufacturing Node

The Ambajhari facility sits in a city that has been accumulating defence manufacturing capacity. The BrahMos indigenous booster programme recently flagged off its 100th unit from Nagpur, with production running at six units a month. The aluminium extrusion press adds another layer to that emerging cluster.

Devendra Fadnavis described the press as a step toward Aatmanirbhar and Viksit Bharat, and said the collaboration between DPSUs and private sector firms is producing results visible internationally. He called Operation Sindoor a demonstration of the technological capabilities of the new India.

Officials Present at Bhoomi Pujan

Secretary (Defence Production) Sanjeev Kumar, Joint Secretary Dr. Garima Bhagat, and YIL's Director (Operations) and CMD (Additional Charge) Vijaykumar Iyer attended alongside defence forces officers and industry representatives. The indigenisation push extends across the sector, with domestic firms demonstrating precision systems to the Indian Army as the Aatmanirbhar Bharat manufacturing pipeline broadens.

Sources: PIB Press Release (PRID 2275099) | @rajnathsingh on X | Ministry of Defence