Pune investment & industrial development

[adam_india]

Decision on non-starter SEZs will help Pune, Mumbai: Chavan

Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan on Friday said the decision to change the status of Special Economic Zones that failed to take off to local industrial parks might help bring in investment in the state. This would benefit “land crunch” areas of Pune and Mumbai where a number of SEZs were proposed, he said.

Asked about investors pulling out of SEZs, he said that the Centre has changed the tax structure and it was difficult to make changes at the state-level.

“I am talking with the departments to get the lands denotified so that they can be used for local industrial parks,’’ said Chavan.

He said many investors wanted to back out of the SEZs due to the tax burden and the state was preparing an exit policy for SEZ developers. The exit option will free up a lot of land for investments, especially around Mumbai and Pune where there is otherwise an acute shortage of land, he said.

Chavan has had discussions with the Union finance and commerce ministers on tax-free regime for SEZs. “However since it is a Centre’s decision, it is going to take time. The promoters were shying away from the plans due to tax burdens they forsee.”

IE

[adam_india]

IT firm Pitney Bowes sets up center for R&D in Pune

US based IT firm Pitney Bowes Inc has set up a research and development center in Pune which will focus on research and development for its global portfolio, including a digital mailbox solution Volly.

This is company's second centre in India followed by Noida.

The center will allow Pitney Bowes Inc. to expand capacity for local and global business demands.
There are around 200 employees working for this facility in Pune.

Commenting on this, Manish Choudhary, managing director, Pitney Bowes Software India said, "Pune has a strong talent pool and is a mature software product development destination.

It boasts of 12 per cent of Software Product Development headcount in India, is an education and research hub and this is one of the main reasons why we chose to set up our second R&D Centre here.

With the opening of Pune centre, we hope to incubate, sustain and support local talent and maintain high quality of contributions and value to Pitney Bowes globally."

Pitney Bowes Software has been present in India since 2007, and is headquartered in Noida.

It offers location intelligence, data management, customer communication management, and predictive analytics solutions.

With Pitney Bowes India, more than 600 employees working across business units.

http://www.business-standard.com/ind...n-pune/475049/

[adam_india]

Schmersal lays foundation of factory at Ranjangaon

Die Schmersal Gruppe hat den Grundstein für ihre sechste Produktionsstätte gelegt. In Ranjangaon bei Pune/Indien wird auf einem 20 000 qm großen Grundstück ein Werk mit knapp 4000 qm Produktions-und Lagerfläche errichtet, das Sicherheits-Schaltgeräte und Aufzugschaltgeräte für den indischen Markt herstellt. Das Werk wird im Frühjahr 2013 die Produktion aufnehmen.

Die Schmersal Gruppe ist seit 2007 mit einer eigenen Tochtergesellschaft in Indien präsent und übernahm damit eine Pionierposition im anspruchsvollen Markt der Maschinensicherheit. Schmersal investiert umgerechnet rund 8,7 Mio. Euro in die neue Produktionsstätte, die anfangs etwa 25 Mitarbeiter beschäftigen wird. Im zweiten Jahr soll diese Anzahl schon verdoppelt werden.

Parallel dazu wird der Vertrieb in Indien weiter ausgebaut. Philip Schmersal, Geschäftsführer der Schmersal Gruppe: »Wir werden in fünf bis sechs weiteren Städten Vertriebsbüros eröffnen und unser lokales Händlernetzwerk, das zurzeit rund 20 Partner umfasst, erweitern. Auch durch Dienstleistungen wie die Beratung in Fragen der Maschinensicherheit, werden wir neue Kundengruppen erschließen und die Bindung zu den bestehenden Kunden intensivieren

http://www.zuliefermarkt.de/ta001/na...dien_news.html

Summary:
The Schmersal group has laid the foundation of a plant at Ranjangaon totalling 20,000 sq. m. with around 4000 sq. m. production and storage area. The plant will come into operation in 2013. The Schmersal group is present in India since 2007 and has the pioneering position in machine security. Schmersal is investing around 8.7 million Euros and would employ 25 people at start.

[adam_india]

Continental expands manufacturing unit

Automotive supplier Continental has announced the expansion of its manufacturing and validation facility in India.

The company has set up a new test and validation lab for fuel supply systems at its Bangalore development centre. Two product lines for fuel rail assembly and in-tank fuel pumps are also being inaugurated at the Pune facility.

The company in a release said that the Pune plant expansion will result in the production of one million additional units of fuel rail injectors and fuel pumps.

Dr Markus Distelhoff, Executive Vice-President, Business Unit, Fuel Supply at Continental AG, said: “We are witnessing a huge traction for our Powertrain systems and technologies in India and we have been working on the Indianisation of these solutions tailor-made for Indian OEMs over the past few years. The current investments will definitely help us in meeting the increased customer demand.’’

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/...cle3515109.ece

[cncity]

In line with its strategy to expand the company’s industrial footprint in India, Royal Philips Electronics today announced commencement of operations at its first greenfield manufacturing facility for imaging systems in the country. Located in Chakan, near Pune, 200 kilometers east of Mumbai, the Philips Development and Manufacturing Centre will play an essential role in Philips’ commitment to locally develop and produce meaningful products and solutions that help improve access to healthcare for people in India and other growth geographies.

With this multimillion Euro investment, Philips has reinforced and optimised its production capacity in India. The facility will focus on diagnostic and interventional imaging solutions, initially developed for the Indian market and then for global markets. These solutions will primarily target cardiology (catheterisation lab) and radiology (general X-ray) applications.

The first products to be manufactured in the facility will be diagnostic X-Ray systems and the Allura FC – Philips’ first India developed catheterisation lab. The Allura FC is used in the diagnosis and minimally-invasive treatment of cardiovascular disease, one of the leading causes of death in India. Both products are aimed at the value segment in India and abroad.

According to Rajeev Chopra, managing director and vice chairman, Philips India, “This plant is an example of how Philips can combine its technology strengths and market knowledge to manufacture products for a healthier India. The Pune facility is producing X-ray and cath-lab equipment backed by Philips quality that is affordable for tier-two and tier-three towns and rural markets.”

The Pune facility was specifically designed with manufacturing flexibility in mind so that it can quickly adapt to changing market and product needs. Many of the products and components developed in Pune can also serve the needs of mature markets looking to replace or upgrade entry-level diagnostic devices.

Gene Saragnese, CEO, Imaging Systems at Philips Healthcare said, “The opening of the Pune manufacturing facility is further proof of Philips’ commitment to innovation in India. In order to make a difference in this market, we need local expertise, low-cost manufacturing capacity and close relationships with our customers. Equally exciting, several demanding customers in global markets are already using our ‘designed and made in India’ products, and the feedback is very positive.”

Philips conducted in-depth research to understand the on-the-ground requirements in India and worked closely with healthcare partners to gain better insight into their ‘made in India’ needs. This research indicated that several factors, including low operating costs, energy-efficiency, easy serviceability and support for high patient volumes, are critical to increasing healthcare access in India and thereby improving patient outcomes. The Pune facility will deliver this type of ‘designed for India’ product, enabling healthcare providers in the country to provide care to those communities who have not had access to high-quality healthcare in the past.

http://pharmabiz.com/NewsDetails.aspx?aid=69559&sid=2

[cncity]

NEW DELHI: GE India today said it would invest nearly Rs 1,100 crore (USD 200 million) to set up a new manufacturing facility in Pune for developing products for the energy sector.

"GE India announced that its new manufacturing unit would develop localised products and solutions for the energy sector in its first phase of operation commencing in 2013," the company said in a statement.

The Government of Maharashtra and GE have signed an MoU for the upcoming manufacturing site which is located at MIDC Industrial Park at Chakan, Phase II, Pune, it said.

"We are confident that such initiatives will strengthen the manufacturing sector in India and enhance growth," Prithviraj Chavan, Chief Minister of Maharashtra said.

"Our new manufacturing facility aligns well with the Government's objective of strengthening manufacturing and overall infrastructure of the country," John Flannery, President & CEO, GE India said in the statement.

GE, which already has a wind turbine assembly unit in Pune, will invest a cumulative amount of USD 200 million in building this multi-modal, large scale facility, the statement added.

The focus on manufacturing is in line with the need for localised products and solutions suited to Indian customers across GE's various businesses present in the country.

The facility, to begin with, will focus on Energy products and technologies driven by the industry needs for power generation, transmission and distribution as well as measurement and control.

The site will enable assembly and production support for any GE business that needs local manufacturing capability in India, it further added.

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/...w/14148726.cms

[adam_india]

Faurecia opens new unit in Pune

French auto components maker Faurecia has inaugurated a new, expanded R&D facility in Pune for automotive interior systems, automotive seating and auto exteriors, three of its four business groups.

Designed to accommodate 800 engineers, the tech centre is a fully integrated facility that can work on product design to validation for the three groups in which it is present in India.

Mr Christophe Schmitt, Executive Vice President, Faurecia Interior Systems, said that the company aims to develop products that are high on safety, quality and comfort at this centre.

This is Faurecia’s second centre in India after Bangalore where emission control technologies are developed. The company also has nine manufacturing plants in the country.

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/...ref=wl_opinion

[adam_india]

UK-based NRI to set up steel modular building factory in Pune

A London-based NRI-led company will set up the world’s largest steel modular building factory at Indapur in Maharashtra at a cost of Rs 100 crore.

Chairman of Modulex Modular Buildings Plc, UK, Mr Suchit Punnose, made the announcement at a function held here last night in the presence of Mr Harshavardhan Patil, Maharashtra’s Minister for Co-operation and Parliamentary Affairs, who is also an MLA from Indapur.

Mr Punnose said the factory would be built at a cost of Rs 100 crore and production would start in March next.

Mr Patil said, “All support will be extended to the project, which is expected to provide employment for over 900 people.”

He said the State Government has already sanctioned 40 acres and may consider sanctioning another 30 acres for the project.

Mr Patil, who visited modular buildings in London, said India needs the technology to support infrastructure and economic growth.

Modulex’s technology produces high quality buildings at a fixed cost and time guarantee, Mr Punnose said.

“The factory will have four production lines with an annual capacity of 2 million sq ft, operating on an 8-hour shift five days a week for 11 months,” he said.

This equates to twenty 100-room hotels plus a 1,000 residential or office buildings of 1,000 sq ft each, or accommodation for 2,000 hospital beds, he added.

The factory will be situated on a 40-acre site in Indapur MIDC Industrial Estate, Pune district, 280 km from Mumbai.

“The design, the logistics and the technology compatibility studies have been completed, the land has been acquired, planning and all necessary permissions have been received, debt syndication has been finalised and now ground preparation has started,” Mr Punnose said.

On the technology use and benefits, he said hotels, schools, hospitals, commercial offices, residential buildings, military accommodation and railway stations can be built very quickly with minimum disruption on site.

For example, he said, a 100-room hotel can be constructed in 24 weeks using the technology, with 90 per cent of the work being completed offsite and just 10 per cent onsite.

The cost of modular buildings is the same as traditional buildings and can be built to any design required.

Buildings can be as high as 22 floors, Mr Punnose said.

He said many hotels such as Premier Inns, Travelodges and Days Inns have been built using this technology in the UK. As many as 440 McDonalds restaurants were rolled out in the UK by the management team now employed by Modulex, Mr Punnose said.

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/...cle3576373.ece

[adam_india]

Geometric expands operations in Pune

Geometric, a leader in Product Lifecycle Management (PLM), Global Engineering Services, and Offshore Product Development (OPD) solutions and technologies, announced the opening of a new delivery centre at the Blue Ridge SEZ in Hinjewadi Phase I, Pune. The company plans to use this 300-seater facility to cater to new projects and businesses. This facility will add to the already significant presence of Geometric in Pune; Geometric has its largest delivery centre in the Hinjewadi Phase II, and its joint venture company, 3DPLM Software Solutions in Hinjewadi Phase

http://www.moneycontrol.com/news/ann...ne_723627.html

[adam_india]

Mahindra inaugurates two-wheeler R&D centre to launch 3 bikes

Mahindra 2 Wheelers today inaugurated its two-wheeler research and development centre at Pune that was set up at an investment of Rs 100 crore.

From the centre, the company unveiled two indigenously developed engines -- a 110 cc and a 300 cc liquid cooled one.

The company also announced to launch three new motorcycles during this financial year.

"The new dedicated facility will enable us to harness the technology of the future to create tomorrow's products. It will allow us to design in India, for the discerning Indian consumer," Mahindra Group Vice-Chairman and MD Anand Mahindra said in a statement.

The R&D centre, recognised by Department of Science and Industrial Research (DSIR), will enable Mahindra 2 Wheelers to undertake in-house design and development of engine technology for its motorcycles, the company said.

"Home to over 175 engineers and designers, the new Mahindra 2 Wheelers R&D facility was created at an investment of about Rs 100 crore and has two-wheeler experts, who are leading various technology and product development projects," it added.

The new Duro DZ and the recently launched Rodeo RZ with the new 'Z' series engine were developed at this facility, the company said.

Commenting on new products, Mahindra 2 Wheelers President Anoop Mathur said: "I am also happy to announce that Mahindra 2 Wheelers is set to launch three new motorcycles in this financial year."

http://business-standard.com/india/n...ikes/177434/on

[adam_india]

Italy car parts maker Sogefi adds capacity in India

Italian auto parts maker Sogefi Group is adding new manufacturing capacity in India to increase the share of its Indian revenues to 5 percent of total group sales in the next five years from a current 1.2 percent, it said on Wednesday.

"The consolidation of our presence in India and the new investments we plan to make in China will make Sogefi an increasingly global supplier able to provide manufacturers with the most advanced technologies in the main markets they operate in," said Sogefi Chief Executive Emanuele Bosio in a statement.

Sogefi said on Wednesday it opened a new suspension components plant in Pune, India, and that it is doubling the size of its filter factory in the Bangalore area in tandem with its joint venture partner MNR.
Sogefi's total investment in India is about 10 million euros, it said, with a total of three plants and over 500 employees.

Sogefi, controlled by holding company CIR , has 44 plants in 16 countries.

Total group revenue in 2011 was 1.16 billion euros, up 25.3 percent year-on-year.

The new Pune plant will supply Tata , Mahindra , Fiat and Piaggio .

The company said that "in the near future" it will add General Motors , Ford and Renault-Nissan to its client list, as the Indian and Asian markets boom.

http://www.business-standard.com/ind...ndia/177440/on

[adam_india]

City to get lab for enforcement of wine law

The city-based Indian Grape Processing Board (IGPB) plans to set up a high-tech wine analysis laboratory in the city, with a view to enforce the latest wine legislation that will come into force across the country. The proposed laboratory will be in line with latest international standards and all wineries will have to obtain a certificate of compliance from it. The estimated cost of the lab is Rs 10 crore.

Rajiv Seth, chairman of IGPB's oenology committee, said, "All wineries will have to obtain a certificate of compliance from the lab. Basically, this certificate will prove that the wine is produced according to the approved procedures for wine-making (oenological practices) and meets the requirements for wine to be placed in the market for human consumption. Practically, it means that the wineries will have to obtain a number of analytical tests reports like the total dry extract, total acidity, volatile acid content, citric acid content, total sulphur dioxide content and actual alcoholic strength by volume of wines."

Seth added that if a winery fails to comply with the wine laws, the IGPB, as the regulatory body, will initiate legal proceedings against the offenders and will ensure the licenses of such wineries are cancelled. He added that all wines in the country will be tested at the lab. "A sample from each lot produced will have to be sent to the lab for testing," said Seth.

IGPB chairman Jagdish Holkar, who is also the president of the All-India Wine Producers Association, said, "The lab will be part of an institute the IGPB is planning to set up here. The analytical lab will basically

be a 'wine chromatography lab' and will involve wine analysis using various processes such as gas chromatography and mass spectrometry, among others, helping us identify the contents of a wine. This will help in evaluating whether a wine meets the global standards."

The lab will not only help in wine analysis, but will also be used to undertake research in the field of viticulture, which is the science, production and study of grapes, dealing with the series of events that occur in the vineyard. "The lab will be used for soil, water and vine analysis, among other aspects of the 'terroir'. 'Terroir' is the complete natural environment in which a particular wine is produced, including factors such as the soil, topography, and climate. The kind of grapes and wine a region produces depends on its 'terroir', which also includes the sunshine in the region throughout the year, humidity, moisture content, atmospheric gases, wind flow, altitude at which the grapes grow, soil and the like," said Holkar.

Wines, once tested at the lab, will also have to go through the process of physical tasting. "Whatever wine will be produced in the country will have to be approved by the lab, receiving a 'quality acknowledgement' from it," he said.

The IGPB has prepared a report on the institute which will contain the lab and will soon share the same with key people from the government and the wine industry.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/c...w/14758171.cms

[adam_india]

Industry turns gaze, money towards research facilities

A motorcycle manufacturing company, that has its Research and Development (R&D) wing in Pune, has come up with a triple spark engine to give its bike better mileage.
* A water heater manufacturer claims its R&D facility has helped develop a product that allows people to set time and temperature at which they need hot water.

These innovations, touted as world class, have one thing in common: they have come from the R&D facilities of these firms in Pune.

Companies are not only setting up their R&D facilities here, but also spending huge sums — from 0.5 to 1 per cent of the turnover, which goes up to Rs 150 crore annually — on the existing R&D facilities in the city.

During the 2011-12 financial year, Bajaj Auto spent Rs 155.5 crore on R&D, as against Rs 124 crore in the previous year. This was 0.83 and 0.78 per cent of the total turnover of the company in the two years. Likewise, during 2011-12, Kirloskar Oil Engines (KOEL) invested Rs 30 crore (1.3 per cent of the company turnover) in R&D.

Companies are not only making dedicated capital expenditure to upgrade their R&D facilities, but also creating new facilities to improve products and services.

Oerlikon Balzer, a Swiss company, recently set up its R&D facility in Pune for its coating business. “Coating increases the life and efficiency of products. With the research facility, we will be able to understand how we can improve on the existing coating technologies,” said A V Badve, chairman emeritus and member, management board, Oerlikon Balzers.

This month, Mahindra 2 Wheelers inaugrated its Rs 100-crore R&D centre at Chinchwad. Last month, the French engineering solutions provider, Faurecia, set up its Rs 110-crore R & D centre in Bhosari.

Companies are also rolling out new products from their research facilities. Managing director of Racold, Mathew Job, said, “Two new products — Eterno DG and Eterno 3 — are advanced versions of water heaters. Not only do they use super polymer coating for resistance against the rust, but also a new heating element in Eterno 3 heats up water faster.”

The triple spark engine of Bajaj Pulsar 200NS increases mileage while features like underbelly exhaust and liquid cooling system are meant to improve the bike’s efficiency, say company officials.

http://www.expressindia.com/latest-n...lities/972025/

[cncity]

NEW DELHI, JULY 22:
Global technology firm Pitney Bowes is strengthening its research and development activities by setting up a second facility in the country at Pune, where it plans to hire about 200 people in the next few years.

The company already has its largest global R&D facility (outside of North America) at Noida with 600 staff.

The new centre will focus on development of Pitney Bowes’ global portfolio of solutions, including Volly (a digital mailbox solution) as well as other innovations.

“In line with our global strategy of shifting from a hardware approach to becoming a digital solutions based firm, the new centre assumes significance. The Pune team will ensure seamless delivery of Volly to global customers,” Pitney Bowes Software President and CEO Mr John O’Hara told PTI.

Volly has already been selected by Australia Post and is expected to be rolled out later this year. Using Volly, consumers will be able to receive, view, organise, manage, pay and store bills, statements and other content from the companies like banks and retailers that they do business with.

The service consolidates information from multiple providers, reducing the consumer’s need to visit multiple websites or send physical checks through the mail, while ensuring security of data.

Mr O’Hara said discussions are on with enterprises globally for roll-out in other parts of the world as well.

“We expect the current expansion to further our goal to lead the way in customer communication technology locally, regionally and globally. India is a strategic market for us and we expect to employ over 200 employees over the next two years,” Pitney Bowes Software India Managing Director Mr Manish Choudhary said.

Last year, the company had said it plans to invest Rs 400 crore over the next three years in India to strengthen its product development centre, and sales and marketing team in the country.

Pitney Bowes is a postage and mailing solution provider. Its focus on verticals include telecom and banking and financial services.

“We are actively targeting the BFSI and public sector enterprises in India and the region. This investment will help us create and deliver solutions to existing and potential customers in the region,” Mr O’Hara said.

Pitney Bowes has been present in India since 2007 and is headquartered in Noida, which is its largest R&D facility outside of North America. It has four other R&D centres across the globe with a total head-count of 600 people.

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/...cle3669523.ece

[cncity]

Pune has emerged the new semiconductor design and R&D hub of India for global companies, and an alternative location to Bangalore that is home to the majority of these companies. With attrition on the rise in Bangalore, companies keen on multiple locations are expanding to other cities. The abundant talent in Pune is attracting semiconductor R&D companies to head for Pune, where 5,000 electronic engineers come up every year.

Pune is the fastest growing destination for semiconductor companies, says Santhanakrishnan Raman, MD, LSI India Research & Development Pvt Ltd. LSI has a base in Bangalore and has set up a centre in Pune. One-third of the LSI team is based here.

“Talent is the only ingredient needed for this industry and that is not easily available. So you go where the talent is,” says Raman on the emergence of Pune.

Another semiconductor design company, Applied Micro has one-third of its global design team based in India at Pune, says Pradeep Dharane, MD of Applied Micro. Nvidia has a large R&D team doing critical work out of their centre. Marvell Semiconductors, Imagination, Qlogic, eInfochips, MindTree, Open Silicon, Tensilica, Wirpo, Sasken are there and now Intel has joined the list. There are 20 companies just doing VLSI (very large scale integration) work. VLSI enables creation of integrated circuits with millions and billions of transistors.

This industry is present in select pockets in India. Besides Bangalore they have a presence in Pune and Noida. Hyderabad has stagnated. Most of these companies are captives of global companies but as the ecosystem grows the number of homegrown start-ups are growing. At present, about 15-20% of these companies are Indian start-ups. To showcase Pune’s prominence on the global semiconductor, electronic design and embedded systems map, VLSI Design is holding an international conference in Pune in January 2013. Pune was selected for the 26th international conference, which is hostaed by the VLSI Society of India, indicating its emergence on the global semiconductor, electronics design and embeded systems map, Niranjan Pol, coordinating the event said.

While it is hard to put a value on the work being done here, these companies contribute to multi-billion dollar products in design and R&D, says Raman.

“We are on par in the VLSI space and embedded software with US, Japan and Europe but as their size is small the visibility is not there,” says Raman.

But when it comes to the complexity and criticality of work, the average revenues per employee at these companies can be around US $ 500,000 compared to software services industry’s average revenues per person of about US$ 80,000 in the best software services companies. Dharne says these companies in India are doing design and R&D work that could be as much as 50% to 70% of the work.

According to Zinnov Management Consulting global R&d spend is expected to grow to US $ 1.4 trillion in 2012 and drive up demand for R&D and product engineering services and on an average 45% of the R&D headcount either captive or outsourced would be located outside the headquarter country. India is a leading offshore engineering R&D and product engineering services destination with the presence of 15 of the top 20 global service providers. Semiconductor is the third the largest vertical in the global R&D service provider landscape, says Zinnov. The semiconductor industry R&D spend is around US $ 36 billion. About 11% of the revenues for engineering R&D and product engineering services comes from the semiconductor sector.

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/pu...or-map/977425/

[cncity]

PUNE: Pune-based Nichrome India announced the inception of its new R&D facility and office building. The new R&D centre was inaugurated at the hand of Mr. EK Kumar, general manager (Asia-Pacific) of Tata Global Beverages Ltd. Mr. S. V. Joshi- founder chairman, Nichrome India and Mr. Harish Joshi, managing director, Nichrome India were also present on the occasion.

Nichrome provides packaging solutions to the food and FMCG industry. Covering a total area of 12000 sq ft, having capacity to house 150 persons, the new R&D centre houses the complete engineering and design facility with hi-tech 3D modelling software, parametric design and product data management facility. The new facility has a training centre for conducting customer training programs and a Pouch and Brand gallery. The new facility is also equipped with a Product and Pouch testing lab.

Mr. Kumar said, "The association of Tata Global Beverages goes back to 1985 when Tata Tea launched the first pouched tea in India using Nichrome machines. Nichrome first developed an electronic weighing system on its packaging machines for Tata Tea back then. Seventeen years on and more than 70 machines later, Nichrome is still a preferred packaging partner of Tata Global Beverages."

Speaking about the R &D centre, Mr Harish Joshi said, "The packaging industry is one of the most rapidly growing industries and has scope for constant improvement. This lead to the vision of setting up an extensive R & D facility."


http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/...w/15142458.cms

[adam_india]

Mercedes-Benz plans Rs 250 cr investment at Pune plant

German automobile manufacturer Mercedes-Benz on Wednesday said it plans to increase investment in India to Rs 850 crore by 2014.

The company, which has already spent in excess of Rs 600 crore, plans to invest another Rs 250 crore in its Chakan facility near Pune for local production of a range of products, including sports utility vehicle (SUV) M-Class.


The company, which has already spent in excess of Rs 600 crore, plans to invest another Rs 250 crore in its Chakan facility near Pune for local production of a range of products
“The investment will help strengthen production and operational capabilities of existing products, and of our exciting and aggressive product (new) offensive, which we are readying for the Indian market,” said Peter T. Honegg, managing director and chief executive, Mercedes-Benz India.

According to the company, the investments will be completed by 2014 for local manufacturing of M-Class.

The India manufacturing would be among the first productions outside Mercedes’ parent, Daimler’s mother SUV plant in Alabama, USA.

Mercedes has, however, fallen behind rivals BMW and Audi in terms of sales, as the other two companies have introduced aggressively priced products.

Sales of Mercedes-Benz’s cars fell to 1,257 cars behind Audi’s 1,908 cars sold during April to June 2012. BMW stayed in the lead with 2,088 units sold.

Currently, the company manufacturers sedans like C-Class, E-Class and S-Class in its Chakan plant. The company plans to produce cars locally to beat rivals in terms of price.

“Mercedes-Benz India’s aggressive growth plan includes the local manufacturing of several new models in the coming years, beginning with the new M-Class,” said Piyush Arora, director (technical), Mercedes-Benz India.

The company added that its new paint shop at Chakan would be operational by October 2012. It will have a production capacity of 20,000 units annually, which can be scaled up to 40,000 units. The company currently has a network of 72 sales outlets across 31 cities.

http://www.firstpost.com/business/me...nt-445769.html

[adam_india]

DSK Motowheels to invest Rs 600 cr on new bike plant

DSK Motowheels will invest up to Rs 600 crore in the next five years to set up a manufacturing plant for rolling out 'Hyosung' bikes from the stable of Korean firm S&T group, apart from setting up a research and development centre.

The Pune-based company said it also plans to enter the commuter segment bikes in India around 2015-16 by launching 150 cc and 125 cc, which would be locally developed with the help of the Korean partner.

"The idea is to start local manufacturing of Hyosung bikes by 2014. We are setting up a plant with a capacity of one lakh units and the total investment would be around Rs 500-600 crore in the next five years," DSK Motowheels Director Shirish Kulkarni said.

The company has already identified a 100 acre site, about 70 km from Pune, where it would set up a paint shop, assembly line and a research and development centre, he added.

http://businesstoday.intoday.in/stor.../1/188026.html

[adam_india]

Inteva Products opens new manufacturing facility in India

US based automotive systems supplier Inteva Products has opened a new $10m closure systems and motors manufacturing facility in Pune, India.

The new 72,000sq ft facility will produce non-plastic parts such as door latches, window regulators and motors for automotive original equipment makers in India.

The company said that the plant has the potential for future expansion into its other product lines of interior systems and roof systems.

Inteva Products India Automotive managing director Sanjay Kataria said, "This new plant in Pune enables us to offer the excellent customer service, innovative products, new technology and efficient manufacturing processes customers expect right here in India."

Inteva started its manufacturing operations in Pune in 2008, supplying interior systems and components to global auto companies that include Ford, Volkswagen, Tata Motors, Hyundai and Mahindra and Mahindra.

Besides the Pune Operation, Inteva has a technical center in Bangalore.

http://manufacturing.automotive-busi...n-india-120912

[adam_india]

Schindler to build new escalator plant in India

The multi-million euro plant is to be built on a new 160,000-m2 site in the Chakan Industrial Estate outside Pune. The site, owned by Schindler, will also be home to an R&D center and an elevator factory.

"The new plant will enable Schindler to provide escalators at more competitive conditions for the local market," said the company's Chief Executive Officer, Jürgen Tinggren. Mr Tinggren added that India is of strategic importance for Schindler and the new investment reaffirms the company's long-term commitment to this growing market.

Currently, Schindler supplies the Indian market with escalators from its production facilities in China and Europe.

http://www.4-traders.com/SCHINDLER-H...ndia-15197362/