Oerlikon Opens Third Drive Systems Plant in India
Oerlikon’s Drive Systems Segment inaugurated its third plant at Sanand in Gujarat, India. This is the 10th production facility for the Segment globally.
Dr. Bernd Matthes, CEO of Oerlikon’s Drive Systems Segment , said, “This inauguration marks an important milestone for the further development of Drive Systems Segment in India. With the additional production capacity, we continue our growth in India and further upgrade our capabilities in high-tech driven products.”
Oerlikon’s Drive Systems Segment has been present in India since 1999, with production sites of both its brands Oerlikon Graziano and Oerlikon Fairfield at Greater Noida and Belgaum respectively. With the region acquiring increasing significance for Oerlikon, both as a market and as a manufacturing base, this production site will further boost the ambition of the company to be a trusted partner for OEMs in emerging markets as it already is in developed markets.
Matthes continued, “In less than two years after the ground breaking ceremony, we have commenced production at Sanand. With this new capacity we will continue our journey in India and upgrade our capabilities in high-tech driven products strongly supporting our customers in developing new innovative solutions for the domestic as well as international markets.”
Oerlikon’s Drive Systems Segment has shown growth in India over the last decade and a half. Today it serves domestic as well as export markets, covering not only the Agricultural market, but also Construction Equipment, Commercial and Utility vehicles as well as industrial applications. The new plant is spread across 35 acres, and will employ more than 1,000 people when in full production.
Vivek Prakash, Business Unit Head, India at Oerlikon’s Drive Systems Segment, said, “More than a third of the site has been planned to be ‘green’. We have an energy efficient building resulting in 30% reduction in energy requirements, plus zero discharge of water and 100% rain water harvesting and waste water management. We have built the plant to comply with LEED Gold Standard criteria and will be applying for certification shortly. We aspire to be sustainable in all aspects and emerge as the trendsetter amongst our peers in the region.”
Sanand is an established hub for automobile companies and is a key area for good engineers specializing in assembling products and prototyping. The new plant would not only give proximity to the port but will also enable Oerlikon’s Drive Systems Segment to make high-tech products and solutions at competitive costs by leveraging India’s strength as best cost labor market and with numerous existing and potential customers being in the region it will give Oerlikon an added advantage of being close to them, the company said. The next phase of construction of the Sanand plant will commence soon given the above advantages. While the plant in Noida is more specialized in manufacturing high-precision gears and synchronizers under the Oerlikon Graziano brand, the Belgaum plant focuses on assembly drive units for industrial applications under the Oerlikon Fairfield brand. At the Sanand plant, the range of products will be from transmission synchronizers, for which India is already recognized as an international competenc center, to assemblies for full and final transmissions as CVT transmission for Agricultural tractors, transaxles for leisure vehicles, and axles for wheeled loader and other on/off-road applications.
