ORDNANCE FACTORY BOARD

ORDNANCE FACTORY BOARD

Enterprise Introduction:

The Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) was a government-owned organization in India, directly under the Department of Defence Production of the Ministry of Defence. It was a major industrial conglomerate involved in the research, development, production, testing, marketing, and logistics of a comprehensive array of defense products and equipment for the Indian Armed Forces. Its product range included ammunition, explosives, weapons, vehicles, military equipment, and general stores. As of October 1, 2021, the Ordnance Factory Board was dissolved and its functions were corporatized into seven new Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) to improve autonomy, efficiency, and accountability. These new entities continue the manufacturing operations previously managed by OFB.

Factory or Trader:

The Ordnance Factory Board was primarily a manufacturer, operating numerous production facilities across India. It was a factory, not a trader. It produced a vast array of defense items directly for the Indian Armed Forces and other security agencies.

The Ordnance Factory Board of India manufactures or sells a wide range of products primarily for defense applications. These include:

Small Arms: Rifles, carbines, machine guns, pistols.

Artillery Guns: Field guns, howitzers, anti-aircraft guns, tank guns.

Ammunition: Artillery ammunition, tank ammunition, small arms ammunition, mortar bombs, rockets, grenades, pyrotechnic devices.

Explosives and Propellants: High explosives, propellants for various ammunition, demolition stores.

Armored Vehicles: Tanks, armored personnel carriers, mine protected vehicles, specialized military vehicles.

Opto-electronic Devices: Night vision devices, binoculars, sights, periscopes.

Clothing and General Stores: Uniforms, parachutes, tents, boots, engineering equipment, general stores for military use.

Components and Spares: Spares and components for all the above mentioned products.