Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL)

Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) is a state-owned electronics company with about nine factories, and few regional offices in India. It is owned by the Indian Government & primarily manufactures advanced electronic products for the Indian Armed Forces. BEL is one of the eight PSUs under Ministry of Defence, Government Of India. It has even earned the government's Navratna status.

As of April 1, 2008, BEL's order book is estimated to be around 9,450 crore (US$2.1 billion).

Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) was established at Bangalore, India, by the Government of India under the Ministry of Defence in 1954 to meet the specialised need of Indian defence services. Over the years, it has grown into a multi-product, multi-technology, multi-unit company serving the needs of customers in diverse fields in India and abroad.

BEL, is a strategic electronics company of the Ministry of Defence. The company specialises in the manufacture of a wide spectrum of technology like Radars, Military Communications, Naval Systems, Electronic Warfare Systems, Telecommunications, Sound and Vision Broadcasting, Opto-Electronics, Tank Electronics, Solar Photovoltaic Systems, Embedded Software and Electronic Components. The company also claims to provide turnkey systems solutions.

Defence continues to be BEL’s prime focus but the company has also diversified into civilian areas. Some of the successful civilian products include electronic Voting Machines, solar Powered LED-Based traffic signal lighting, simputers, set top boxes etc.

BEL offers contract-manufacturing services for both domestic and international customers. It has automated assembly, inspection and testing facilities as well as precision machining capabilities.

BEL has its corporate office at Bangalore and manufacturing units at nine locations in India. A network of marketing and customer support centers across India completes the vertically integrated company profile. Two offices, one in New York and the other in Singapore mark the company’s current international presence.

The BEL R&D lab is located in Ghaziabad.

Naval weapons developed by BEL are tested at plants in Mumbai, Vishakhapatnam and Kolkata . Its radar equipment is tested in its Hyderabad plants as well as series production of weapons. Series production plants of different weapons are located at Ghaziabad, Panchkula, Pune, Hyderabad,Vishakhapatnam, Machlipattam, Taloja, Chennai, Mumbai.

BEL developed weapons are tested and improved for cold weather and mountainous regions in its Kotdwara plant.

PRODUCTS-

BEL designs, develops and manufactures products in the fields of:

• Electronic Voting Machines
• Radars
  • BEL Weapon Locating Radar
  • BEL Battle Field Surveillance Radar
  • Indian Doppler Radar
  • Samyukta Electronic Warfare System
  • Central Acquisition Radar (3D-CAR)
• Telecommunications
• Sound and Vision Broadcasting
• Opto-electronics
• Information Technology
• Semiconductors
• Missile
  • Akash missile
• Sonars
• Composite Communication System (CCS)
• Fire-control system
• Electronic Warfare Systems
  • Samyukta Electronic Warfare System
• Simulators
• Tank electronics
  • Combined day sight for Arjun MBT
• Defence Communications
  • Data Link II communications system for the Indian Navy’s P-8I
• Solar systems
• Naval systems

Development Timeline

Starting with the manufacture of a few communication equipment in 1956, BEL went on to produce Receiving Valves in 1961, Germanium Semiconductors in 1962 and Radio Transmitters for AIR in 1964.

In 1966, BEL set up a Radar manufacturing facility for the Army and in-house R&D, which has been nurtured over the years. Manufacture of Transmitting Tubes, Silicon Devices and Integrated Circuits started in 1967. The PCB manufacturing facility was established in 1968.

In 1970, manufacture of Black & White TV Picture Tube, X-ray Tube and Microwave Tubes started. The following year, facilities for manufacture of Integrated Circuits and Hybrid Micro Circuits were set up. 1972 saw BEL manufacturing TV Transmitters for Doordarshan. The following year, manufacture of Frigate Radars for the Navy began.

Under the government's policy of decentralization and due to strategic reasons, BEL ventured to set up new units at various places. The second unit of BEL was set up at Ghaziabad in 1974 to manufacture Radars and Tropo communication equipment for the Indian Air Force. The third unit was established at Pune in 1979 to manufacture Image Converter and Image Intensifier Tubes.

In 1980, BEL's first overseas office was set up at New York for procurement of components and materials.

In 1981, a manufacturing facility for Magnesium Manganese Dioxide batteries was set up at Pune. The Space Electronic Division was set up at Bangalore to support the satellite programmes in 1982. The same year saw BEL achieve a turnover of Rs.100 crores(US$21 Million).

In 1983, the Andhra Scientific Company (ASCO) was taken over by BEL as the fourth manufacturing unit at Machilipatnam. In 1985, the fifth unit was set up in Chennai for supply of Tank Electronics, with proximity to HVF, Avadi. The sixth unit was set up at Panchkula the same year to manufacture Military Communication equipment. 1985 also saw BEL manufacturing on a large scale Low Power TV Transmitters and TVROs.

1986 witnessed the setting up of the seventh unit at Kotdwara to manufacture Switching Equipment, the eighth unit to manufacture TV Glass Shell at Taloja (Navi Mumbai) and the ninth Unit at Hyderabad to manufacture Electronic Warfare Equipment.

In 1987, a separate Naval Equipment Division was set up at Bangalore to give greater focus to Naval projects. The first Central Research Laboratory was established at Bangalore in 1988 to focus on futuristic R&D.

1989 saw the manufacture of Telecom Switching and Transmission Systems as also the setting up of the Mass Manufacturing Facility in Bangalore and the manufacture of the first batch of 75,000 Electronic Voting Machines.

The agreement for setting up BEL's first Joint Venture Company, BE DELFT, with M/s Delft of Holland was signed in 1990. Recently this became a subsidiary of BEL with the exit of the foreign partner and has been renamed BEL Optronic Devices Limited.

The second Central Research Laboratory was established at Ghaziabad in 1992. The first disinvestment (20%) and listing of the Company's shares in Bangalore and Mumbai Stock Exchanges took place the same year.

BEL units obtained ISO 9000 certification in 1993-94 and in 1996, BEL achieved Rs 1,000 crore(US$215 Million) turnover.

In 1997, GE BEL, the second Joint Venture Company with M/s GE, USA, was formed as also the third JVC with M/s Multitone, UK, BEL Multitone. The same year, the US imposed supply restrictions on BEL.

In 1998, BEL set up its second overseas office at Singapore to source components from South East Asia. The same year, US and European sanctions were imposed on BEL. The Company was able to overcome the effects of the sanctions and insulate Indian defence forces from the fall-out of denial regimes by finding technical solutions to circumvent the denials and by keeping up the promised deliveries to customers.

The year 2000 saw the Bangalore unit, which had increased in size substantially being reorganized into six Strategic Business Units (SBUs). The R&D groups in Bangalore were also restructured into Specific Core Groups and Product Development Groups. The same year, BEL shares were listed in the National Stock Exchange.

In 2002, BEL became the first defence PSU to get operational Mini Ratna Category I status. In 2003, the Company's turnover crossed the Rs.2,500 crores mark(US$540 Million).

In 2005, BEL achieved a turnover of Rs.3,220 crore(US$695 Million).

BEL achieved a turnover of Rs.3,560 crore(US$767 Million) in 2005-06.

In June 2007, BEL was conferred the Navratna status based on its consistent performance.

On May 12, 2010 Boeing announced that it received the Data Link II communications technology for the Indian Navy’s P-8I from Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) in April, one month ahead of schedule. BEL delivered the Indian-designed communications system that will enable exchange of tactical data and messages between Indian Navy aircraft, ships and shore establishments. Boeing will install the system during P-8I final assembly.