Picture caption: (L)
Philipp von Sahr, President, BMW Group India and Robert Frittrang, Managing
Director, BMW Plant Chennai
BMW India has partnered with
major Indian auto component suppliers for sourcing of components for local
production of its cars at BMW Plant Chennai. According to a BMW India press
release, the suppliers are Force Motors, ZF Hero Chassis, Draexlmaier India,
Tenneco Automotive India, Valeo India, Mahle Behr and Lear India.
Philipp von Sahr, President,
BMW Group India said, “BMW Plant Chennai is the heart of our India operations.
Since 2007, BMW Group has strengthened its commitment to the Indian market and
has continuously increased the number of its locally produced car models. With
a strong portfolio of locally produced cars, it is now the appropriate time for
us to partner with major Indian auto component suppliers who will play a
significant role in the future strategy of BMW Group in India.”
With the addition of these partnerships,
the level of localisation at BMW Plant Chennai will increase to approximately
50 pc.
Robert Frittrang, Managing
Director, BMW Plant Chennai said, “BMW Plant Chennai takes pride in producing
cars that have the same international quality standards as any of the 30 BMW
Group production and assembly facilities worldwide. Highly skilled employees,
advanced manufacturing processes along with state-of-the-art machinery and
technology provide all the necessary ingredients to achieve these tough standards.
We are confident that through our partnership with Indian auto component
suppliers, we will set even higher benchmarks not only in quality standards but
also in cost optimization and value addition.”
Some of the major auto
components sourced for local production of cars at BMW Plant Chennai are:
Engine and Gearbox from Force Motors; Axles from ZF Hero Chassis; Door Panels
and Wiring Harness from Draexlmaier India; Exhaust Systems from Tenneco
Automotive India; Heating, Ventilating, Air-conditioning and Cooling Modules
from Valeo India and Mahle Behr and Seats from Lear India.
Motown India had
broken the sourcing story when it reported in August 2014 that Force Motors was
planning to make engines and gear boxes for BMW cars in India. Prasan Firodia,
Managing Director of Force Motors had in an interview stated that it had won a
contract with BMW.
Read complete Prasan Firodia
interview on:
http://www.motownindia.com/Interviews/87/Prasan-Firodia-Managing-Director-Force-Motors#.VNI2UtKUfRM
“We have a dedicated plant
coming up in Chennai. This plant will be live in January 2015. All engines for
BMW, right from the X1, X3, X5 to the Q 3,5,7 and the Mini vehicle, all ranges
will be going from us. We will be the only company globally who will be supplying
engines to both BMW and Mercedes-Benz. In case of BMW it is even more unique
because this is the first time in the BMW universe where somebody else is going
to assemble and test their engines. This does not happen anywhere today. We are
putting in around Rs 100 crore in the plant,
BMW is putting in around Rs 200 crore. We got the contract in March
2014,” Firodia had stated in an interview with Motown India magazine in August
2014.
Force Motors has since 1997 done
close to 50,000 engines for Mercedes-Benz in India. “After a few years we added
axles. The portfolio increased from engines to axles. Now I am doing C, E, S,
M, GL and soon I will be doing the CLA and the GLA in terms of engines and
axles. The business has only grown. We
have a very good relationship with Daimler.
Hundred percent of all Mercedes cars built in India which are CKD have
engines and axles going from us,” Firodia had stated.