In a major push to strengthen North Karnataka’s footprint in advanced manufacturing, Karnataka Minister for Large and Medium Industries, M.B. Patil, held strategic discussions with Patrick Remil, Chief Financial Officer of French aerospace giant Aubert & Duval, to explore expanding the firm’s manufacturing operations in Belagavi.
Aubert & Duval, a global supplier of high-performance metallic materials, components, and critical forgings, currently operates in Belagavi through SQuAD Forging India—a joint venture with contract manufacturing leader Aequs situated inside the Aequs Aerospace Special Economic Zone (SEZ).
The high-level meeting centered on scaling Aubert & Duval’s local production capabilities and channeling fresh investments into the region’s growing precision-engineering ecosystem.
“We discussed opportunities to further expand Aubert & Duval’s manufacturing presence in Belagavi, building on its existing partnership with Aequs,” Patil stated. “Our objective is to bring more high-value manufacturing capabilities to North Karnataka, strengthening the region’s position as an emerging aerospace hub, creating quality employment opportunities, and deepening Karnataka’s role in India’s aerospace and defence supply chain.”
The state government has actively promoted the ‘Beyond Bengaluru’ initiative to decentralize industrial growth, positioning Belagavi as a premier center for aerospace components, precision machining, and defence fabrication. Broadening the collaboration with Aubert & Duval is expected to draw tier-1 global aerospace suppliers, generate skilled technical jobs, and further integrate domestic capacity into international aviation supply networks.
