Faurecia’s new plant in Chennai to go on stream in mid-2013, will consolidate two existing facilities

Bangalore, February 5, 2013: France-based automotive equipment major Faurecia is building its new manufacturing plant in Chennai. The new facility is to consolidate two existing production facilities in Chennai, a top official of the company said.

Talking to Autocar Professional, Mahendra Killedar, country general manager of Faurecia Emissions Control Technologies (FACT), said: “The new mega production facility will cover around 16,000 square metres in Pondhur, near Chennai. The new plant is to consolidate both the existing manufacturing units in Chennai.”

Currently, the company has its Chennai plant-1 in Maraimalainagar and plant-2 in Vallam, each spread over 3,000 square metres. These two plants manufacture emission control products such as cold and hot ends. While the Maraimalainagar plant caters to the needs of Ford India and Renault-Nissan, the Vallam plant supplies systems to Hyundai Motor India.

“The construction of the new plant is getting completed. Installation of machines and other works is underway in the new plant, which is expected to be ready for operations in June this year,” said Killedar (pictured).

The new manufacturing facility will have an initial capacity to produce to supply around 200,000 cold ends to Ford India, 250,000 cold ends and 200,000 hot ends to HMIL, 200,000 hot ends to Renault-Nissan, and 175,000 hot ends to Ford India.

In 2012, the Maraimalainagar facility supplied 115,000 units to Ford and 115,000 units to Renault-Nissan while the Vallam plant supplied 85,000 hot ends and 135,000 cold ends to Hyundai. All Chennai-based customers, Ford, Hyundai and Renault-Nissan will source their emission control requirements from the upcoming new plant in Pondhur once it commence its operations by mid-2013.

Apart from Chennai, Faurecia also has manufacturing centres, one each in Bangalore and Pune under its emission control technologies business division in India.

On January 21 this year, Faurecia inaugurated its new plant in Bidadi near Bangalore. The plant manufactures hot end, cold end and instrument panel reinforcement tubes for Toyota Kirloskar Motors. Faurecia is the supplier of emissions control solutions for the Toyota Etios, Liva, Innova, Fortuner and Corolla vehicles in India.

JAISHANKAR JAYARAMIAH