Bengaluru: Karnataka’s Minister for Large and Medium Industries, MB Patil, who is currently leading a high-level delegation to Japan, has initiated talks with JFE Shoji Corporation on reviving the prestigious state-owned New Government Electrical Factory (NGEF) in Hubballi under a partnership model.

During a meeting with JFE’s top executives on Wednesday, Patil invited the company to visit the Hubballi unit for preliminary discussions on its revival. “JFE is a leader in transformer manufacturing. We have extended an invitation to the company to explore possibilities of reviving Hubballi NGEF in partnership with the state government,” he said.

Senior officials from JFE Shoji, including Hiroshi Iijima, General Manager of the Machinery Division, and Hidekazu Yoshioko, Manager of the Electrical Appliances Steel Planning Division, participated in the discussions. The company also assured Karnataka that its ₹400 crore project for manufacturing motor cores used in battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and electric vehicles (EVs) will be rolled out soon.

On the third day of the delegation’s Japan visit, meetings were also held with top executives of Sumitomo, Yaskawa, and JFE Shoji. In a significant development, Sumitomo confirmed an investment of ₹2,345 crore through Mukand Sumi, its joint venture with Bajaj Group, for setting up a steel manufacturing unit in Koppal. The unit, expected to be operational by 2028, will have an annual production capacity of 3.5 lakh tonnes of steel. Sumitomo also expressed interest in establishing a biomass plant in Karnataka. Meanwhile, Yaskawa confirmed its investment in a new Motion Control and Variable Frequency Drives unit in Bengaluru.

The facility will strengthen Karnataka’s position as a hub for advanced manufacturing technologies, the delegation noted. The high-level delegation also includes Dr. S. Selvakumar, Principal Secretary, Department of Industries, and Gunjan Krishna, Commissioner for Industries.