Ordnance Factory Board

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Ordnance Factory Board
IndustryDefence Production
Founded1712; 309 years ago (1712) [1]
Headquarters
Ayudh Bhawan, Kolkata
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
C S Vishwakarma, IOFS
(Director General Ordnance Factories & Chairman, OFB) [2]
ProductsSmall arms, aircraft weapons, anti-aircraft warfare, naval weapons, anti-ship warfare, anti-submarine warfare, anti-tank warfare, missiles, missile launchers, rockets, rocket launchers, bombs, grenades, mortars, mines, metals, alloys, machine tools, military vehicles, engines, armoured vehicles, parachutes, optoelectronics, chemicals, clothing, artillery, ammunition, propellants, explosives
Revenue$3 billion (₹22389.22 crores)
(2020–'21) [3][4][5][6]
Number of employees
~80,000 [7]
Websitewww.ofb.gov.in

Ordnance Factory Board (OFB), consisting of the Indian Ordnance Factories, is an organisation, under the control of department of defence production (DDP), Ministry of Defence (MoD), Government of India. It is engaged in research, development, production, testing, marketing and logistics of a product range in the areas of air, land and sea systems. OFB comprises forty-one ordnance factories, nine training institutes, three regional marketing centres and four regional controllerates of safety, which are spread all across the country.[8][9] Every year, 18 March is celebrated as the Ordnance Factory Day in India.[10][11]

OFB is the 37th-largest defence equipment manufacturer in the world, 2nd-largest in Asia, and the largest in India.[12]OFB is the world's largest government-operated production organisation,[13] and the oldest organisation in India.[14][15] It has a total workforce of about 80,000.[7] It is often called the "Fourth Arm of Defence",[16][17][18] and the "Force Behind the Armed Forces" of India.[19][20] Its total sales were at $3 billion (₹22389.22 crores) in the year 2020–'21.[21]

History[]

Origins[]

Ordnance Factory Board predates all the other organisations like the Indian Army and the Indian Railways by over a century. The first Indian ordnance factory can trace its origins back to the year 1712 when the Dutch Ostend Company established a Gun Powder Factory in Ichhapur. In 1787, another gunpowder factory was established at Ichapore; it began production in 1791, and the site was later used as a rifle factory, beginning in 1904. In 1801, Gun Carriage Agency (now known as Gun & Shell Factory, Cossipore) was established at Cossipore, Calcutta, and production began on 18 March 1802. This is the oldest ordnance factory in India still in existence.[22]

Contributions[]

The Indian Ordnance Factories have not only supported India through the wars, but also played an important role in building India with the advancement of technology and have ushered the Industrial Revolution in India starting with the first modern steel plant of India much before Tata Steel,[23] first modern electric textile mill of India, first chemical industries such as smokeless propellant plants of India,[24] established the first engineering colleges of India as its training schools,[25] and also played key role in the founding of research and industrial organisations like ISRO, DRDO, BDL, BEL, BEML and SAIL.[23]

Timeline[]

  • 1712 – Establishment of the Dutch Ostend Company's Gun Powder Factory at Ichhapur.[1]
  • 1775 – Establishment of the Board of Ordnance at Fort William, Kolkata.
  • 1787 – Establishment of the Gun Powder Factory at Ishapore.
  • 1791 – Production of Gun Powder begins at Ishapore.
  • 1801 – Establishment of Gun Carriage Agency at Cossipore, Kolkata.
  • 1802 – Production begins at Cossipore on 18 March.
  • 1935 – Indian Ordnance Service was introduced to administer the whole Defence Production Industry of India.
  • 1954 – Indian Ordnance Service (IOS) renamed to Indian Ordnance Factories Service (IOFS).
  • 1979 – Ordnance Factory Board is established on 2 April.

OFB Corporatisation[]

In May 2020, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government announced that it will corporatize Ordnance Factory Board units. As part of Prime Minister's Self Reliant India Atma Nirbhar Bharat scheme, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on 16 May 2020 announced the decision to corporatize the OFB units.[26] The move has not gone down well with the 80,000 plus work force of OFB units who have threatened an indefinite strike against the move.[27] The Ministry of Defence formed a high level official committee, comprising officials from the department of defence production and Indian Army, to address the concerns of defence employees unions and OFB officers' association.[28]

Restructuring OFB into seven PSUs[]

On 17 June 2021, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh announced plans to restructure OFB into seven PSUs wholly owned by the government. All previous factories and employees will become a part of these seven PSUs.[29][30]

Infrastructure and leadership[]

OFB's office at Esplanade, Kolkata [31][32][33]

Headquarters[]

  • Ordnance Factory Board, Kolkata
  • Armoured Vehicles Headquarters, Chennai
  • Ordnance Equipment Factories Headquarters, Kanpur
  • Ordnance Factory Board, New Delhi Office
  • Ordnance Factory Cell, Mumbai
  • Ordnance Factories Recruitment Centre, Nagpur

Apex Board[]

The Apex Board is headed by the director general of ordnance factories, who acts as the chairman of the board (ex officio secretary to Government of India) and consists of nine other members, who each hold the rank of Additional DGOF. Ordnance factories are divided into five operating divisions, depending upon the type of the main products/technologies employed. These are:

  • Ammunition and Explosives
  • Weapons, Vehicles & Equipment
  • Materials and Components
  • Armoured Vehicles
  • Ordnance Equipment Group of Factories

Each of the above group of factories is headed by a member/Additional DGOF who is in the rank of Special Secretary to Government of India. The four remaining members are responsible for staff functions, viz personnel, finance, planning and material management, and technical services, and they operate from Kolkata.

Ordnance factories[]

Factory Location State Product
Ammunition Factory Khadki (AFK) Pune Maharashtra
Cordite Factory (CFA) Aruvankadu Tamil Nadu
Engine Factory Avadi (EFA) Chennai Tamil Nadu
Field Gun Factory, Kanpur (FGK) Kanpur Uttar Pradesh
Gun Carriage Factory Jabalpur (GCF) Jabalpur Madhya Pradesh
Grey Iron Foundry (GIF) Jabalpur Madhya Pradesh
Gun and Shell Factory (GSF) Kolkata West Bengal
Heavy Alloy Penetrator Project (HAPP) Tiruchirappalli Tamil Nadu
High Explosives Factory (HEF) Pune Maharashtra
Heavy Vehicles Factory, Chennai (HVF) Chennai Tamil Nadu
Machine Tool Prototype Factory Ambernath (MPF) Mumbai Maharashtra
Metal and Steel Factory (MSF) Kolkata West Bengal
Ordnance Clothing Factory Avadi (OCFAV) Chennai Tamil Nadu
Ordnance Factory Chandigarh (OCFC) Chandigarh Chandigarh
Ordnance Clothing Factory (OCFS) Shahjahanpur Uttar Pradesh
Ordnance Equipment Factory Kanpur (OEFC) Kanpur Uttar Pradesh
Ordnance Equipment Factory Hazratpur (OEFHZ) Hazratpur Uttar Pradesh
Ordnance Factory Ambernath (OFA) Mumbai Maharashtra
Ordnance Factory Ambajhari (OFAJ) Nagpur Maharashtra
Ordnance Factory Bhandara (OFBA) Bhandara Maharashtra
Ordnance Factory Bhusawal (OFBH) Bhusawal Maharashtra
Ordnance Factory Bolangir (OFBOL) Bolangir Odisha
Ordnance Factory Kanpur (OFC) Kanpur Uttar Pradesh
Ordnance Factory Chandrapur (OFCH) Chandrapur Maharashtra
Ordnance Factory Dumdum (OFDC) Kolkata West Bengal
Ordnance Factory Dehu Road (OFDR) Pune Maharashtra
Ordnance Factory Dehradun (OFDUN) Dehradun Uttarakhand
Ordnance Factory Itarsi (OFI) Itarsi Madhya Pradesh
Ordnance Factory Khamaria (OFK) Jabalpur Madhya Pradesh
Ordnance Factory Katni (OFKAT) Katni Madhya Pradesh
Ordnance Factory Muradnagar (OFM) Muradnagar Uttar Pradesh
Ordnance Factory Project (OFN) Nalanda Bihar
Ordnance Factory Project Korwa (OFPKR) Korwa Uttar Pradesh
Ordnance Factory Project Medak (OFPM) Hyderabad Telangana
Ordnance Factory Tiruchirappalli (OFT) Tiruchirappalli Tamil Nadu
Ordnance Factory Varangaon (OFV) Varangaon Maharashtra
Opto Electronics Factory (OLF) Dehradun Uttarakhand
Ordnance Parachute Factory (OPF) Kanpur Uttar Pradesh
Rifle Factory Ishapore (RFI) Kolkata West Bengal
Small Arms Factory (SAF) Kanpur Uttar Pradesh
Vehicle Factory Jabalpur (VFJ) Jabalpur Madhya Pradesh

Each ordnance factory is headed by a general manager who is in the rank of Additional Secretary to the Government of India.

Training institutes, regional centres and controllerates[]

There are Ordnance Factories Institute of Learning (OFIL) in Ambajhari, Nagpur; Ambernath, Mumbai; Avadi, Chennai; Dehradun; Ishapore, Kolkata; Khamaria, Jabalpur; Kanpur and Medak. Each OFIL is headed by a principal director, and NADP by a senior principal director. NADP provides training to Group A officers, whilst the other eight institutes impart training to Group B and Group C employees of the ordnance factories.

OFB has Regional marketing centres and Regional controllerates of safety as well.

Joint Ventures[]

In 2017, as a part of the their efforts to improve the productivity and efficiency in the organization, the Department of Defense Production under the Ministry of Defense opened itself to for Joint Ventures with OFB and DRDO was also tasked with identifying their products and patents, with the scope of commercial production[34]

A joint venture between Ordnance Factory Board (50.5%), Kalashnikov Concern (42%) and Rosonboronexport (7.5%) established to produce AK-203 (7.62×39mm) assault rifles intended for Indian Security Forces.[35]

Indian Ordnance Factories Service (IOFS)[]

Main article: Indian Ordnance Factories Service

The Indian Ordnance Factories Service (IOFS) (Hindi: भारतीय आयुध निर्माणी सेवा) is a civil service of the Government of India. IOFS officers are Gazetted (Group A) defence-civilian officers under the Ministry of Defence.

IOFS is a multi-disciplinary composite cadre consisting of technical – engineers (civil, electrical, mechanical, electronics), technologists (aerospace, automotive, marine, industrial/product design, computer, nuclear, optical, chemical, metallurgical, textile, leather) and non-technical/administrative (science, law, commerce, management and arts graduates). Technical posts comprise about 87% of the total cadre. The doctors (surgeons and physicians) serving in OFB belong to a separate service known as the Indian Ordnance Factories Health Service (IOFHS). IOFHS officers are responsible for the maintenance of health of the employees, and the hospitals of OFB. They report directly to the IOFS officers. IOFS and IOFHS are the only two civil services under the Department of Defence Production.[36]

Products[]

The type of ordnance material produced is very diverse, including various small arms to missiles, rockets, bombs, grenades, military vehicles, armoured vehicles, chemicals, optical devices, parachutes, mortars, artillery pieces plus all associated ammunition, propellants, explosives and fuses.[37]

Civilian products[]

Civilians are required to hold an Arms License (issued only for non-prohibited bore category weapons) in order to buy firearms in India. The following products of the Indian Ordnance Factories Board are available for civilians:

Arms[]

Ammunition[]

  • Cartridge Rimfire .22" Ball
  • Cartridge SA .32" Revolver
  • Cartridge SA .315" and 30 06 Ball
  • Cartridge SA 12 Bore 70mm
  • Cartridge SA 12 Bore 65 mm Special

Customers[]

Armed Forces[]

The prime customers of Indian Ordnance Factories are the Indian Armed Forces viz. Indian Army, Indian Navy and the Indian Air Force.[38][39] Apart from supplying armaments to the Armed Forces, Ordnance Factories also meet the requirements of other customers viz. the Central Armed Police Forces, State Armed Police Forces, Paramilitary Forces of India and the Special Forces of India in respect of arms, ammunition, clothing, bullet proof vehicles, mine protected vehicles etc.[8][40]

Civil trade[]

Customers are in the civil sector, central/state government organisations and departments such as Indian Railways, Indian Space Research Organisation, Defence Research and Development Organisation, Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre, Nuclear Fuel Complex, Aeronautical Development Agency, Department of Atomic Energy, Department of Telecommunications, and State Electricity Boards.[41][42][43][44] Public Sector Undertakings in India (PSUs) such as HMT Limited, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited, Bharat Dynamics Limited,[45] private companies and individuals etc. who purchase industrial chemicals, explosives, arms, ammunition, brass ingots, aluminium alloy products for aircraft, steel castings and forgings, vehicles, clothing and leather goods, cables and opto-electronic instruments.[46]

Exports[]

Arms and ammunition, weapon spares, chemicals and explosives, parachutes, leather and clothing items are exported to more than 30 countries worldwide.

  • Asia: Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Vietnam, Nepal, Singapore
  • Europe: Germany, Belgium, Cyprus, Greece, Turkey, Russia, Sweden, France, Switzerland, United Kingdom
  • Middle East: Oman, Egypt, Israel, Saudi Arabia, UAE
  • Africa: Kenya, Botswana, Nigeria
  • North and South America: United States, Canada, Brazil, Chile, Suriname[46][47][48][49]

Notable employees[]

  • Narinder Singh Kapany – Former IOFS officer. Invented fibre optics that revolutionised laparoscopic and endoscopic surgery, telecommunications, power transmission, etc. Named as one of the seven "Unsung Heroes of the 20th century" by Fortune magazine for his Nobel Prize-deserving invention.[50] Known as the "Father of Fibre Optics" and "The Man who Bent Light".[51] Former Professor at Stanford, Universities of California at Berkeley, Santa Barbara and Santa Cruz. Had more than 150 patents to his credit.[51] Conferred upon with Padma Vibhushan, the second-highest honour in India, Pravasi Bharatiya Samman, Fellowship of the Royal Academy of Engineering (FREng).
  • Nalini Ranjan Mohanty - Former IOFS officer. Secured All India 2nd Rank in the Engineering Services Examination of 1965, served as the Chairman & Managing Director of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, Director of Kudremukh Iron Ore Company, Mahanadi Coalfields, National Aluminium Company (NALCO), Bharat Earth Movers (BEML). Awarded Padma Shri in 2004 by the Government of India for his role in the development of LCA – Tejas.
  • Brijmohan Lall Munjal - Founder of Hero MotoCorp, the world's largest two-wheeler manufacturer, and Hero Cycles, world's largest cycle manufacturer. Awarded Padma Bhushan.
  • H. P. S. Ahluwalia – IOFS. First Indian to climb Mount Everest.[52][53] Author, mountaineer, social worker. Founder & Chairman of Indian Spinal Injuries Centre. Conferred on with the Arjuna Award, Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan by the Government of India, Fellowship of Royal Geographical Society (FRGS). Also served as a Commissioned officer in the Indian Army and Member of Planning Commission (India).
  • Santu Shahaney - IOFS. Served as the Director General Ordnance Factories (DGOF). He was awarded Padma Shri in 1962, and Padma Bhushan in 1965, by the Government of India, in the Civil Service category, for his contributions during the Indo-China War of 1962 and the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965, respectively.[54]
  • Waman Dattatreya Patwardhan - IOFS officer. Developed the solid propellant for India's first space rocket launched from Thumba, and the detonation system of India's first nuclear bomb used in Operation Smiling Buddha. Served at the Ammunition Factory Khadki, and as the first Director of High Energy Materials Research Laboratory (HEMRL) and the Armaments Research and Development Establishment (ARDE) of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). Awarded Padma Shri in 1974.
  • H.G.S. Murthy - IOFS. Known as one of the "Seven Pioneers of the Indian Space Programme".[55][56][57] He served at the Machine Tool Prototype Factory (MTPF), Ambernath, and as the first Director of the Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station (TERLS) of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
  • K. C. Banerjee - Joined as an IOFS officer. Received Padma Shri in 1967 for his contributions during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 as General Manager of Rifle Factory Ishapore.[58]
  • O. P. Bahl - Served as an IOFS officer. Former Additional Director General Ordnance Factories and Member of the Ordnance Factory Board. Received Padma Shri in 1972 in the civil-service category for his efforts during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971.[59]

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