Shree Ref adds laser cutting at 50,000-sq-ft Unit 2 plant

Shree Refrigerations Limited has added a roughly 50,000-sq-ft greenfield Unit 2 at Karad, Maharashtra, bringing laser cutting, shot blasting and paint-shop capabilities into its stated manufacturing infrastructure. Shree Ref says the unit can expand to about 1,00,000 sq ft, while two 650-kilowatt marine-plant test beds support controlled performance validation.

What does Shree Ref’s Unit 2 add?

Shree Ref’s Unit 2 adds laser cutting, shot blasting and paint-shop capabilities at a facility of roughly 50,000 sq ft. The company identifies a laser cutting machine, a paint shop and shot blasting as the new additions, and says the greenfield plant is designed to enhance capacity, efficiency and operational scalability.

The laser cutting machine is intended to enhance precision cutting, while the paint shop is intended to strengthen finishing capabilities and process control. Shree Ref says shot blasting supports improved component quality and finishing, describing the additions as part of integrated manufacturing infrastructure with enhanced in-house capabilities.

The broader manufacturing equipment list includes computer numerical control (CNC) laser cutting, bending, drilling and grooving machinery for tube sheets, as well as plasma hole-cutting and chamfering machinery for condensers. It also includes robot welding stations, heavy-duty plate-rolling machines, CNC equipment and two 25-metre-span cranes rated at 15 tonnes each.

How much larger is Shree Ref’s manufacturing site?

Shree Ref’s roughly 50,000-sq-ft Unit 2 is about 2.5 times the stated size of its approximately 20,000-sq-ft Unit 1. The two facilities therefore have a stated combined footprint of about 70,000 sq ft, although the presentation does not provide a production-capacity or utilisation measure for either unit.

Unit 2 has stated expansion potential to approximately 1,00,000 sq ft, or five times Unit 1’s stated area. This is an indicated facility footprint rather than a disclosed output target, and Shree Ref gives no timetable, capital-expenditure figure or expected delivery-time change for a further expansion.

Both the head office and factory are listed at Karad, Maharashtra. The two 15-tonne cranes, robot welding stations and heavy-duty plate-rolling machines indicate equipment for handling and fabricating substantial assemblies, but Shree Ref does not state which machines are assigned to Unit 1 or Unit 2.

Which marine systems can Shree Ref’s plant manufacture?

Shree Ref’s manufacturing platform covers marine heating, ventilation, air-conditioning and refrigeration (HVAC&R) systems, including chillers for warships and submarines, turnkey HVAC&R systems and electrical control panels. Its air-conditioning (AC) plant range is 5 refrigeration tons (TR) to 300 TR, while its refrigeration plant range is 0.5 TR to 35 TR.

The portfolio also includes self-contained air conditioners, marinised split air conditioners, starter and control panels for pumps and motors, and air-handling and fan-coil units. These products link the added cutting and finishing processes to marine cooling and air-distribution equipment, although the presentation does not assign a specific product line to the new laser cutter or paint shop.

Shree Ref lists completed assignments on INS Dhruv, INS Jalashwa, Brahmaputra Class vessels, P17A Nilgiri Class ships and the P75 Scorpene submarine INS Vagsheer. The cited work includes AC and refrigeration plants, control panels, unit coolers, self-contained air conditioners, fan-coil-unit AC plants and turnkey HVAC, with no revenue or unit volumes disclosed for the projects.

The company also lists ongoing work in three categories for Fleet Support Ships: AC plant, refrigeration plant and HVAC. Other ongoing entries include turnkey HVAC for FPV at MDL, two B-Class AC-plant assignments, Shivalik AC plant, NGMV refrigeration plant with control panel, NGOPV turnkey HVAC and a Kongsberg cooling system for replenishment-at-sea and fuel-at-sea applications.

How does Shree Ref test marine cooling equipment?

Shree Ref operates two test beds for 650-kilowatt marine plants, its largest quantified testing resource. The in-house test facility also includes a controlled-ambient AC test room, leak-test capability for heat exchangers and AC plants, and a chiller tilt-test facility.

The company says the facility enables performance validation, quality assurance and rigorous tests under controlled conditions. This testing infrastructure is separate from the Unit 2 additions: the new plant adds identified fabrication and finishing processes, while the test facility focuses on product validation before delivery.

Shree Ref describes every system as inspected and signed off stage by stage under naval quality standards. The presentation does not disclose test-cycle times, pass rates, the capacity of the tilt-test facility or whether Unit 2 increases the number of systems that can be tested simultaneously.

What registrations and certifications does Shree Ref cite?

Shree Ref cites ISO certification, ZED Gold and Indian Register of Shipping certification for its manufacturing facility. Its certification page also identifies an ISO 9001:2015 quality-management-system certificate, an Indian Register of Shipping Works Approval Certificate for manufacturing air-conditioning and refrigeration plant, a Directorate General of Quality Assurance certificate and a CE compliance document.

For defence registrations, Shree Ref cites the Ministry of Defence Navy’s Directorate of Marine Engineering for AC and refrigeration plants, the Directorate of Electrical Engineering for motor starter panels and the Directorate of Naval Architecture for HVAC systems. These registrations correspond to three product areas in its marine portfolio rather than a disclosed volume of naval orders.

The ZED Gold certificate shown in the presentation is under the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises’ Sustainable ZED Certification Scheme. Shree Ref also lists installation and service teams in six coastal cities, Mumbai, Goa, Kochi, Kolkata, Vizag and Chennai, alongside business-development and sales offices in Delhi and Pune.

Conclusion

Shree Ref has expanded its stated manufacturing footprint from an approximately 20,000-sq-ft core Unit 1 to a combined roughly 70,000 sq ft with Unit 2. The new 50,000-sq-ft facility adds laser cutting, blasting and painting, while the two 650-kilowatt test beds and stage-by-stage naval-quality sign-offs connect fabrication, finishing and validation for marine HVAC&R systems.

The next item to watch is whether Unit 2 advances towards its stated approximately 1,00,000-sq-ft expandable footprint. Shree Ref has not disclosed a timetable or output target, while its listed ongoing Fleet Support Ships, FPV, B-Class, Shivalik, NGMV, NGOPV and Kongsberg assignments provide the disclosed project context for the added infrastructure.