HMT factory in Haldwani reopens to meet orders

To complete a pending order worth Rs 1.5 crore, iconic Indian watchmakers Hindustan Machine Tools (HMT) factory in Ranibagh, three kilometer away from Haldwani, will open its doors on Friday. The factory has been shut for the last two years.

An order for 5,500 watches was received from the Bangalore office which has to be completed by March 2016. Post that, senior employees believe the factory may eventually be transformed into an ordinance unit and will not function as an HMT arm once the pending order is completed. A decision was taken by the central government to close all HMT units across the nation. The employees say that the factory has advanced machines for ordinance projects as they had previously worked on projects for Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).

As of now the employees are happy about the reopening but at the same time wouldn’t mind working as employees of the ordinance unit. The factory is spread over 91 acres and has more than 500 machines. It also has residential quarters for 300 employees.