Stanadyne opens Sharjah facility

Stanadyne, a fuel injection system developer based in Windsor, Connecticut, recently announced the opening of its first Middle East facility. It was also revealed that a long-term partnership has been finalised whereby the new plant, based in Sharjah, will produce diesel fuel pumps for Millat Tractors - an agriculture tractor manufacturer - based in Lahore, Pakistan.
"Stanadyne is serving a worldwide niche by customising fuel systems for our customers' needs," said Sanjay Chadda, managing director of Stanadyne. "In addition to Sharjah, the company has manufacturing plants in China, India, Italy and the United States. The Sharjah facility will cater to GCC states, Pakistan and Turkey and plans to double its capacity in three years."

The Stanadyne-Millat agreement, inked by both parties at a ceremony at the Sharjah facility, is for an initial volume of 30,000 mechanical rotary pumps per year. The pumps will be assembled at the Sharjah facility and deliveries from the facility will begin in August 2016. This model pump, used worldwide in 50-85 horsepower diesel engines, has never been available in the region at this scale until now. "We were very keen to establish our ME presence since the region is of strategic importance to us. Future businesses in the region will be easier to manage. The export markets can be especially served conveniently due to better connectivity," said Chadda.
Stanadyne is the first fuel injection system company to commence manufacturing operations in the Saif Zone and establish its presence in the region. The firm has technologically advanced products suited for both agriculture and gen-sets used in the infra segment. It sees the Middle East region having a growing demand.
"With rigorous emissions standards coming into effect around the globe, our goal is to establish a nearby presence to better serve our customers and support the fuel system transition necessary for lower emission engines," added Chadda. "We're working to establish partnerships that will allow us to apply our best-of-breed technology and enable customers to expand their share in domestic markets and increase exports."
"Having a flexible manufacturer local to our region allows us to build tractors faster, more reliably and keep costs down," says Sikandar M. Khan, chairman of Millat Tractors, which sells nearly 30,000 tractors annually. "The competitive advantage Stanadyne can provide through their fuel system technology as well as the emissions benefit will help our company grow in local markets and increase our export business."
Stanadyne is the first fuel injection system company to establish large-scale manufacturing in the region. The new plant is located in the Sharjah Airport International Free Zone and occupies 600 square metres with capacity to assemble 3,000 diesel rotary pumps a month. Stanadyne will add 60 employees, including machinists, assembly technicians, administration and management.
Asked if the firm is open to explore other opportunities in the region, Chadda said: "We are working with Millat to upgrade their engines to meet stringent emission norms so they can export their products to various other markets. Stanadyne will get the benefit of the increased volumes. We expect to get further business opportunities from other customers in the region. Thus, the demand for our products will double in the next few years, which requires both capacity expansion and capital investments."
- sandhya@khaleejtimes.com