Midland auto firms target Indian market for growth
BIRMINGHAM-based GKN Driveline is using the expansion of the Indian automotive sector to spearhead its own growth ambitions.
The company is a leading supplier of automotive driveline components and systems and it sees the Indian market as one ripe with opportunity.
In the last 12 months GKN Driveline has followed in the footsteps of Jaguar Land Rover and broken ground on a new facility in Pune. It has also opened a precision forge at Oragadam near Chennai.
It said the continued expansion enabled it to remain close and accessible to its customers in India. With the completion of these new facilities GKN Driveline will employ 1,200 people in India, an increase of 20%.
The new 8,000sqm facility at Pune will manufacture products from GKN Drivelines CVJ Systems and Trans Axles Solutions product portfolio. The £18m factory will employ more than 200 people and is strategically located close to a number of major GKN Driveline customers, including Fiat, Volkswagen, General Motors, Tata and Renault.
When fully operational in September 2012, the plant will have an annual production capacity of 1.2m CVJ systems. The new plant is also planned to manufacture differentials from GKN Driveline’s Trans Axle Solutions product range.
GKN opened its £6.6m precision forge at Oragadam in November. The 5,000sqm facility supplies precision forgings to GKN Driveline’s Oragadam CVJ Systems manufacturing plant, which annually produces 1.2 million CVJ systems for automotive manufacturers in South India. The new forging facility currently employs 60 people.
Ravindra Ojha, managing director of GKN Driveline in India, said: “GKN Driveline has posted an annual growth rate of more than 15 percent over the past five years in India. India clearly is a critically important market for the company.”
He said the sub-continent was expected to remain a high-growth automotive market for many years to come and GKN would continue to invest in the economy to meet the needs of customers.
The importance of India’s massive automotive sector is being highlighted at the latest Auto Expo event in Delhi. The exhibition is India’s largest car show and is growing in importance as a global showcase for major manufacturers.
Tata Motors-owned Jaguar Land Rover has shunned the expo’s main rival in Detroit in favour of the Delhi event.
It is using the exhibition to showcase two of its groundbreaking new concepts – the C-X75 hybrid supercar, left, and C-X16 sports car.
Adrian Hallmark, Jaguar Global Brand Director, said: “Both the C-X75 and C-X16 won best-in-show awards following their global debuts, and we’re proud to introduce these exciting concepts to the Indian market at the New Delhi Auto Show.”
Shown alongside the C-X75 and C-X16 will be the XF, XJ and XK models, the latter in 550PS, 186mph XKR-S form.
