Jessop & Co has acquired the plant and machinery of the closed foundry division of Mukand at Kurla near Mumbai .This is a prelude to Jessop's capital expansion plan in West Bengal.

In early February 2005, Jessop acquired the entire range of plant and machinery of the foundry division of Mukand through a special purpose vehicle, Pallavi Manufacturers Pvt Ltd. The foundry was closed for more than three years. Mukand will, however, continue to own the land.

The plant and machinery will be used to set up a facility at Durgapur in West Bengal to improve the performance of Jessop's wagon division.

The new facility would be commissioned within six months at a total cost of Rs.15 crore.

Though the new facility is capable of making a range of foundry products relevant to Jessop's line of business, initially the plant will concentrate on producing bogies and couplers, currently in short supply.

Jessop is also keen on acquiring the closed facilities of the Mining & Allied Machinery Corporation Ltd in Durgapur as part of its backward and forward integration drive. It is also pursuing acquisition of a medium-sized company in eastern India to provide impetus to its structurals business.