The Economic Times, March 21, 2022
Aravind Melligeri, the US-based founder of Aequs, an Indian contract manufacturer, has sought production-linked incentives (PLI) for toy and consumer durable industries to boost exports and add jobs.
Aequs is developing the country’s first and largest toy manufacturing cluster spread over 400 acres at Koppal in Karnataka, besides an industrial park for consumer durables in Hubballi.
The Belagavi-headquartered Aequs is fully owned by Melligeri and his family members. The upcoming plug & play facility at Koppal will soon house four toy units, including two by Aequs itself. While Viscon Polymers is ready to commission its unit that will make toy parts, other units are under different stages.
The Koppal facility, the Aequs founder told ET, is a perfect fit for global toy brands looking to diversify from China as part of their China Plus One strategy. Koppal provides plots on a lease basis to manufacturers, he said.
This article first appeared in the Economic Times