Jalandhar firm sent 1.5K valves for INS Vikrant

Jalandhar, September 11

A Jalandhar-based company is among the units in 17 other states and UTs that have contributed to the first indigenously designed and built aircraft carrier, INS Vikrant, which was commissioned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi as the beacon of Atmanirbhar Bharat last week.

Leader Valves, a renowned 50-year-old company, manufactured 1,500 valves for the warship. Since 1980s, the company had been making valves for the Navy, says owner Poornima Beri.

“The valves made by our company have been used in various naval ships, including INS Nilgiri, and now INS Vikrant. This project has given us a huge sense of accomplishment. We feel that we were a part of a big flagship mission for the country. Over 300 MSMEs from all over India were involved in the project. The Navy chief could not name all firms at the launch ceremony. But the contribution of each Indian company has been listed in the Navy magazines. Our name too figures in them,” Beri added.

She said, “It is my son, Hemant Beri, who has been closely working on the project for the past 10 years. There was an order for valves of different materials, categories and specifications. Some were to be used in the pipelines and some under water with specific grooves. The Navy wanted valves in different materials, including gunmetal, alloys of nickel and aluminum. Ahead of approvals, all our valves were subjected to various tests such as noise and shock proofing, etc. Our last consignment was in 2019.”