Defence Minister Inaugurates BEL Transducer Production Facility, Oxygen Concentrator

Defence Industry
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, virtually launching the BEL Oxygen Concentrator

Bengaluru. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated (through Videoconference) the Transducer Production Facility established at Navratna Defence PSU Bharat Electronic Limited (BEL)’s Bangalore Complex, and Oxygen Concentrators manufactured by BEL under the PM Cares initiative, at a ceremony organised as part of the 75th Independence Day celebrations (Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav) of India.

Mrs Anandi Ramalingam, officiating CMD, Directors and other senior officers of BEL and the Ministry of Defence were present.

Transducer Production facility: Set up at a cost of Rs. 30 Crores, this is a very large in-house facility catering to the production and testing of a wide range of Transducers and underwater equipment. The Transducer Test facilities include Pressure Test Facility, Acoustic Test Facility and Load Test Facility. It is well equipped with precision equipment to control quality and technical specifications at various stages, like precision jigs and fixtures for stacking of Piezo-ceramics, measuring and tuning of the transducer element / hydrophones, Post Vulcanisation Bonding machines, etc.

Mrs Anandi Ramalingam, Officiating CMD, BEL, cutting the ribbon at BEL-Bangalore during the virtual inauguration of BEL Transducer Production Facility by the Defence Minister Rajnath Singh

The facility is expected to generate an annual turnover of Rs.75-80 Crores in the initial years and up to the tune of Rs.200 Crores by 2026. The Transducer is a part of the Naval equipment, which BEL has been manufacturing and supplying since four decades.

BEL Oxygen Concentrators: BEL is manufacturing 30,000 numbers of 5LPM and 10LPM Oxygen Concentrators for ONGC with indigenous technology from BPL Medical under the PM Cares initiative.

An oxygen concentrator works by filtering and concentrating oxygen molecules from the ambient air to provide patients with 90% to 95% pure oxygen. The BEL-made Oxygen concentrator, with dual flow output, is used for therapeutic requirements of patients with heart problems, respiratory diseases, brain fatigue, athletics fatigue or plateau hypoxia. The Oxygen Concentrator is meant to combat the COVID-19 pandemic and also to be used for Oxygen Scarcity Management and providing an industrial eco system for medical devices.

The BEL Oxygen Concentrator, which will be delivered in 4-5 months’ time, is expected to generate a turnover of Rs. 184 Crores for BEL in 2021-22.