India disbands unwieldy OFB
The Dhanush 155mm towed howitzer is one product from the Ordnance Factory Board. (Gordon Arthur)
India’s MoD dissolved all 41 Ordnance Factories Board (OFB) entities on 1 October, transferring employees, management, control, operations and maintenance to seven new wholly-owned government companies.
The majority of the OFB’s 76,000 employees declared it a ‘black day’, but it yielded little response from the government. According to documents viewed by Shephard, the seven new companies were formed in mid-August.
The OFB currently has an order book worth around $10 billion, and these have been renegotiated as contracts with the new companies.
As the economy limps back to pre-COVID times, the timing of the decision is perfect for India
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