Amalgamations Valeo Clutch, the joint venture between the Amalgamations Group and Valeo of France, is setting up a new facility for clutch manufacturing at Oragadam near Chennai. The opening ceremony of the plant was held on February 19 including by the representatives from Valeo worldwide, senior executives from the vehicle OEMs and well-wishers.
In his welcome address at the function, Mr. A. Krishnamoorthy, Chairman, Amalgamations Group, outlined the group’s decades-long uninterrupted service to the automobile industry, and said: “Amalgamations, one of the largest light engineering conglomerates in India, is the vision of the late Anantharamakrishnan who foresaw the emergence of an automotive industry with global standards in the country and with huge demand for automotive components. Amalgamations Valeo, one of the most successful ventures of the group, has played an important part in the emergence of contemporary vehicles in the country. Valeo is a leading manufacturer of automotive transmission systems in the world. The joint venture has made rapid progress and is today a leading supplier of clutch systems in India.”
The new facility at Oragadam would centralise the manufacturing activities of the company spread over other locations. The joint venture was established purely for the manufacture of clutch systems. The market then was very limited with levels of product technology just enough to meet the requirements. The company vision and planning is based purely on the latest technology and the process available. The product is very well accepted and meets the demands and fulfil the needs of customers, he said.
The joint venture has been very successful all these years with both parties committed towards the success of their products.
Localisation of parts, Mr. Krishnamoorthy further said, is of paramount importance as it has proved a check against the fluctuating rupee value and has helped the company tide over tough conditions faced at the global level.
“A few of our parts are totally customised, specifically to suit the requirements of the Indian market, mostly in the small car segment. Valeo is well established in the automotive industry with high levels of acceptance of its products by vehicle manufacturers all over the world. We, at Amalgamations, are proud to be associated with the company”, he added.
Earlier, Mr. G. Jayakumar, Managing Director, Amalgamations Valeo Clutch Pvt. Ltd., welcoming the gathering, gave an overview of the new plant set up with hi-tech facilities as well as the successful relationship between the two joint venture partners. On the occasion, the senior executives from various vehicle OEMs felicitated the company for maintaining on-time delivery of world-class products.
Mr. Philippe Janvier-Kamiyama, Consul General of France, who inaugurated the plant, said: “France and India always maintain very fruitful bi-lateral relationship for several years, and this joint venture is a typical example.”
The others whose spoke on the occasion included Mr. Claude Leichle, Powertrain Systems Business Group President, Valeo Group, Mr. Xavier Dupont, Transmission Systems Product Group Vice President, Valeo Group, and Mr. R. Kuchelan, President, Simpson & Group Companies Workers Union.
Mr. Ashok Belani, Group President and Managing Director, Valeo India Pvt. Ltd., thanked one and all for their outstanding support to ensure the success not only of the joint venture company in India but also for the establishment of various Valeo Group companies.