Move aimed to cater to domestic and SE-Asian market demand
BorgWarner, a global leader in clean and efficient technology solutions for combustion, hybrid and electric vehicles, has expanded the production operations at its Kakkalur plant at Thiruvallur near Chennai. Ms. Pei Wang, Vice President and General Manager of Asia, along with Ms. Min Du, Vice President of Supply Chain Management, and Mr. Al Moster, Director of Engineering – Timing Drive Application & Product Manager – Chain Products & Timing System, BorgWarner Morse Systems, inaugurated the new production line on September 20.
With this expansion, BorgWarner has added 1,500 sq. m. of manufacturing space to the existing 35,100 sq feet production line. Now with a total area of 43,300 square feet (4,023 square meters), the facility now includes an engineering, manufacturing, office areas and a warehouse space.
The company went ahead with the expansion in order to meet the increasing demand of the steadily growing Indian automotive market to meet the BS-VI norms and to prepare supplying for the growing Southeast Asian market.
The factory is set to hire more than 80 new workers for the expanded plant. BorgWarner did not disclose any information relating to the investment that went into the plant expansion.
Commenting on the need for the expansion, Mr. R. Murali, Director and Plant Manager, BorgWarner Morse Systems India Pvt. Ltd., said: “Many OEMs are upgrading their products and bringing in new engines for their vehicles. They are also upgrading their engines for the proposed emission norms. These steps would drive and develop our growth.”
The company aims to increase its production numbers driven by a large number of incoming orders and grow its presence in the market.
The production unit currently manufactures roller chains, silent chains, tensioners and products for variable valve timing applications. Following the addition of the new production line, it can now manufacture close to about three million engine chains a year.
“We are well established in India and have more local content and better engineering resources. Many of the other component manufacturers tend to depend on engineers abroad. We have around nine engineers who work with our customers and support them in India which gives us an advantage”, added Mr. Murali.
The introduction of the new Variable Cam Timing (VCT) Systems in the manufacturing operations helps vehicle manufacturers improve the engine efficiency, fuel economy and reliability.
According to Mr. Murali, the production of the VCT Systems is set to start in three months’ time.
“Very few OEMs have held discussions about electric vehicles. Our Indian operations are still focusing on the present combustion engine products”, he commented on the prospects of EVs.
However, BorgWarner is well equipped with products for EVs in the international level and is known for its ability to provide solutions for both combustion engines and EVs.