HELLA expands footprint in India
HELLA KGaA Hueck & Co., one of the world’s leading automotive suppliers for lighting and electronics, is building its second electronics plant near Mehsana in Gujarat. Recently it has inaugurated an additional development centre for automotive lighting technology in Coimbatore.
“The investments serve to increase HELLA’s presence in one of the fastest growing automotive markets in the world. This will enable us to meet the growing demand for lighting and electronics products better while providing custom-made solutions for the Indian market,” HELLA CEO Rolf Breidenbach, said.
Naveen Gautam, Managing Director of HELLA India said, “The expansion is a clear commitment of HELLA to the Indian market and to the Indian opportunities. With the new automotive trends, especially for e-mobility, we expect increasing demand for our products and solutions.”
The opening of the additional electronics plant in Mehsana 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 persons. Investments for this first phase will be about 5 million euros. Initially, the plant will mostly produce accelerator pedal sensors for the domestic market. For the second phase, other products are planned.
The Coimbatore centre is to complement HELLA’s lighting development site in Chennai. It focuses on developing headlamps, rear combination lamps, lighting modules and lighting electronics. The development team in Coimbatore is to be increased to more than 200 employees over the coming years.
HELLA has been present in India since the 1980s. Currently, the company employs more than 1,700 persons at 6 locations. With over 38,000 employees at over 125 locations in 35 countries, the HELLA Group develops and manufactures products for lighting technology and electronics for the automotive industry and has one of the largest retail organisations for automotive parts, accessories, diagnostics, and services within Europe.