India (Commonwealth) _ Prominent tractor maker Sonalika Tractors has said that it will invest Rs 1,300 crore in Hoshiarpur, Punjab, to establish two new facilities: a high-pressure foundry factory and a tractor assembly plant. A total of Rs 1,000 crore will be invested in the tractor assembly factory, while another Rs 300 crore will be directed towards the high-pressure foundry plant.
Sonalika Tractors already has a 300,000 unit yearly production capability at its Hoshiarpur manufacturing site. It is said to be the biggest tractor manufacturing facility in the world. The new facility in Hoshiarpur will be able to produce 100,000 units. When completed, the business stated that the high-pressure foundry factory, DRAS, will be the biggest casting plant in northern India.
According to Sonalika Vice Chairman Amrit Sagar Mittal, “Sonalika’s recent round of investments in Hoshiarpur will pave the way for further cementing our position as the proud proprietor of the world’s biggest tractor manufacturing facility.”
The support provided by the government has been outstanding, especially with regard to its one-window mechanism for assisting in the creation of new ventures in Punjab. According to him, the government’s and the private sector’s joint efforts are creating an atmosphere that is favorable for company expansion and innovation.
An Indian company that makes agricultural equipment is called Sonalika Tractors. The business was established in Punjab, India, in 1995.As of June 2017, it was the third-largest tractor producer in India, able to produce 3, 000, 00 tractors annually. With 35,000 tractors sold in FY 2021–2022, the business has risen to the top of the Indian export rankings and is now present in more than 150 countries. It produces tractors of 20–125 horsepower. The flagship company of the Sonalika Group, International Tractors Limited, runs the business.
About 11.7% of the Indian tractor market is occupied by Sonalika Tractors.Thirty percent of the firm is owned by Japanese diesel engine maker Yanmar, while the remaining seventy percent is owned by Sonalika Group.It was chosen for Niti Aayog’s ‘Champions of Change’ 2017 initiative.
In Hoshiarpur, Punjab, Sonalika boasts the largest tractor manufacturing factory in the world. It contains full production facilities, from the engine to the assembly, and is situated on 85 acres of ground. The facility can produce three hundred thousand tractors a year. Amrendra Singh, the Punjabi chief minister at the time, opened Sonalika’s integrated tractor manufacturing facility in May 2017.
A robotic paint facility, which was first implemented in the Indian tractor sector, is another feature of the Hoshiarpur factory. Assembly facilities for Sonalika are located in Argentina, Brazil, Iran, Algeria, and Cameroon. Its market shares are 20% in Bangladesh, 22% in Nepal, and 60% in Algeria. The firm is one of the leading tractor exporters from India and works in more than 150 countries.
International Tractors Limited was founded in 1969 and is the owner and operator of the Sonalika Tractors brand. Lachhman Das Mittal started it.In 1996, it sold its first tractor. After being formed on October 17, 1987, International Tractors Limited started producing Sonalika tractors, which were created by the Central Mechanical Engineering Research Institute (CMERI).
Symbolically presenting Armenia with Sonalika tractors that India has donated, Vice President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat met with Armenian Minister of Agriculture Davit Lokyan in Yerevan on October 7, 2005.
Renault Agriculture, a French tractor manufacturer, established a joint venture with Sonalika to sell its tractors globally in 2000 after purchasing a 20% interest in the business for 80 million francs, or $11.4 million.
Following its partnership with Renault Agriculture, the business began manufacturing authorized Renault tractors under the Renault Sonalika International brand. The tractors are sold under the “Solis” brand name in the United States, however in India, they are sold under the “Sonalika” brand name. Sonalika repurchased its interest from Renault in August 2005 following the acquisition of Renault Agriculture by Claas Motors of Germany. A Japanese business called Yanmar purchased a 12% share in Sonalika Tractors in October 2005.
In June 2013, the business introduced the Worldtrac 90 heavy range air-conditioned tractor series. For around ₹1,600 crore, Yanmar purchased an 18% share in Sonalika in December 2016. After Blackstone left, it now holds a thirty percent ownership in the business. In October 2018, it established a new joint venture in Algeria with FAMAG.
