HMT

Hindustan Machine Tools Limited, commonly known as HMT Limited, is an Indian state-owned manufacturing company. It was established in 1953 by the Government of India with the aim of promoting indigenous capability in precision engineering and reducing dependence on imports. The company began as a tool room to develop and manufacture machine tools and later expanded into other product lines, including the production of wristwatches under the HMT Watch division. For decades, HMT Watches was a well-known Indian brand, producing mechanical watches and clocks for domestic use and export.

HMT operates multiple facilities across India, producing a range of machine tools such as lathes, milling machines, grinders, and gear cutting equipment, as well as components for other industrial sectors. The company has historically supplied equipment to public sector units and defense-related projects, contributing to industrial modernization and local capability building.

In the 2010s and 2020s, HMT faced financial and strategic challenges common to several state-owned manufacturing enterprises. The government implemented restructuring measures, including consolidations and partial divestment of non-core assets, and some units were closed or repurposed. Despite these changes, HMT remains a government-owned company focusing on core machine tool manufacturing and related engineering activities.

HMT is also used as an acronym in other contexts, but Hindustan Machine Tools is the most widely recognized usage in India. See also HMT Watches.