NAGPUR, March 12: The ordnance factory at Ambajhari, on the outskirts of the city, is in the final stages of manufacturing a high-technology hard-aluminium alloy bridge which can be erected in just 30 minutes, according to its general manager, R M K Pillai.The bridge, which can span a river or any other gap of 30 metres and can take a load of 60-tonne vehicles, will cost around Rs 4 crore, Pillai told media persons here today.Called MLAB MLC-60 (Manually Launched Assault Bridge, Military Load Class-60) the bridge will be of great use in helping military vehicles negotiate difficult terrains with streams and gorges. It can also help civilian authorities in restoring surface communications disrupted during disasters.The entire technology for materials and manufacture of the bridge, designed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), was developed at Ambajhari, Pillai said.This was possible because the factory has developed hard aluminium alloys which were as strong as steel buthave the added advantage of being lighter and free of corrosion, he said.The ordnance factory, 16 km away from Nagpur on the national highway to Mumbai, has several other unique facilities which can be used for civilian needs also, including export-oriented manufacture.The sophisticated facilities included computerised numerically controlled (CNC) and flow-turning machines, hydraulic presses for sheet metal shaping and an array of single and multi-spindle automats, besides a tool room with most advanced equipment.The factory's 50-bed hospital is likely to become the first in the country to receive ISO-9002 certification from the Bureau of Industrial Standards (BIS) by this month-end, the general manager said.It was also trying to get the IS0-14000 certificate as an eco-friendly factory as it had planted 2.5 lakh trees in its 3000-acre area where there were almost no trees when the land was taken over in 1966, he said.The factory manufactures heavy calibre ammunition and metallurgical itemsinvolving hard aluminium alloys. A programme for modernisation of the factory is currently on.
