Located 45 kilometres from Islamabad, Wah Cantonment is a sprawling complex of 14 defense production and home to Pakistan Ordnance Factories (POF). Its 14 defense production units and 12 subsidiaries produce 112 major defense products, commercial explosives and industrial chemicals.
The main products include: automatic rifles, machine-guns, snipers, sub-machine guns, anti-aircraft guns, complete range of mortar and artillery ammunitions, aircraft and anti-aircraft ammunitions, tank and anti-tank ammunitions, bombs, grenades, rockets, military explosives, pyrotechnics, commercial explosives, detonators and commercial products for the Armed Forces and civilian needs.
As a state-of-the-art production facility, the POF focuses on research and development to minimise Pakistan’s dependence on foreign suppliers. The factories in POF employ the latest processes, including computerised numerical controlled machines and flexible manufacturing systems for the production of precision components.
With its continued focus on innovation, the POF has made a visible standing in the international defense market and the company is able to successfully engage the international buyers for exports.
Its success in the international market can be attributed to the forward thinking, as the POF had been given the mandate to export goods since the time of its inception. For decades the POF has utilised its surplus capacity, which is available in terms of labor and by-products, for exports and local sales.
With time and advancement in the highly competitive and evolutionary defense sector, exports have become its top priority. Its export strategy mainly includes price competitiveness, short delivery schedules, and diversification into the new product lines, and is backed by strong proactive marketing endeavours. The POF currently exports to over 40 countries in the Far East, the Middle East, Europe, the United States of America and Africa. POF’s participation in a number of international defense exhibitions in South Asia, the Middle East, UK, USA and Europe has also opened new linkages for the company.
In line with the national development vision of Pakistan, the POF has evolved a futuristic strategic vision to achieve its goals and objectives. Its ‘vision 2025’ is primarily based on four pillars which are technology acquisition, outsourcing and system integration, research and development, and human resource development.
A brief history
During the colonial era, the British had built 16 ordnance factories. However, most of these were inherited by India, leaving Pakistan without a substantial weapons development sector. As such, Pakistan’s first Prime Minister Liaquat Ali Khan issued a directive calling for the establishment of an ordnance factory in collaboration with British Royal Ordnance Factory to manufacture 0.303 calibre rifles. A few years later, in December 1951 Pakistan’s second Prime Minister Khawaja Nazimuddin, inaugurated the first four POF workshops in the small town of Wah Cantonment.
Since then the POF successfully engineers, develops, produces, manufactures, and promotes the wide range of different types of infantry and special purpose weapons, explosives, ammunition, mortars, rockets, and the military gear for Pakistan’s military and private buyers.
As it was originally made in collaboration with the British, its earliest products heavily resemble and reflect British military equipment. However, with its growth, it later featured US style firearms, and also developed its own unique style of production. Currently, the POF majorly produces weapons that meet the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation specifications.
Being a formal part of the Pakistan Army, the POF leadership is selected and appointed from its General Headquarters (GHQ), with the Chief of Army Staff’s approval. As the oldest military corporation, the POF is widely considered the best in the country and it has influenced the establishment of many other inter-services military corporations.
