Hella KGaA Hueck & Co., is expanding its development and production footprint in India. The company is building its second electronics plant near the city of Mehsana in the state of Gujarat. At the same time, the automotive supplier has recently inaugurated an additional development center for automotive lighting technology in the southern Indian city of Coimbatore.
“The investments serve to increase HELLA’s presence in one of the fastest growing automotive markets in the world”, says Hella CEO Dr. Rolf Breidenbach to an English daily. “This will enable us to meet the growing demand for lighting and electronics products even better while providing custom-made solutions for the Indian market.”
Dr. Naveen Gautam, Managing Director of Hella India adds: “The expansion is a clear commitment of HELLA to the Indian market and its trust in Indian opportunities. With the new automotive trends, especially for e-mobility, we expect increasing demand of our products and solutions.”
The additional electronics plant near the major city of Mehsana in the state of Gujarat increases the proximity to important customers, especially in the west and south of India. The region is considered as an up-and-coming economic location with increasing significance for the automotive industry. The plant opening is anticipated for early 2019. During the first expansion phase, the location will comprise a production surface of roughly 4’000 square meters and employ about 100 people. Investments for this first phase will total approximately EUR 5 million. Initially, the plant will mostly produce accelerator pedal sensors for the domestic market. During the second phase, other products are additionally planned.
Complementing the existing lighting development site in Chennai, Hella has, during the summer of 2017, opened an additional development center for automotive lighting technology in the southern Indian city of Coimbatore. The new location focuses primarily on developing headlamps, rear combination lamps, lighting modules and lighting electronics. The development team in Coimbatore is anticipated to increase to more than 200 employees over the coming years.
By Baishakhi Dutta
