Daimler India Commercial Vehicles Pvt. Ltd. (DICV), a 100 per cent wholly owned subsidiary of Daimler AG, participated at the five-day (April 13 – 17, 2015) Hannover Messe held at Hannover in Germany which is the world’s leading Trade Fair for Industrial Technology.
This year, India was the ‘Partner Country’ at the Hannover Messe, which attracts nearly two lakh global leaders in business, technology, industrial scientists and policy makers. About 300 Indian companies including public sector giants participated in the 5-day fair, seeking technology collaborations, business tie‐ups and showcasing India’s capabilities in global trade. Earlier, India had been the ‘Partner Country’ at the Hannover Messe in 2006.
At the fair, DICV was part of the India Pavilion displaying its range of ‘Make in India’ products that include the HDT (heavy duty truck) Cabin, HDT Engine and G 85 Transmission.
The HDT cabin being showcased sets high standards in comfort and safety on the roads in India by mixing a spaciously designed interior with excellent illumination thus offering a high degree of driver visibility. The other class-leading display items, the OM 906 engine and the G 85 transmission were also seen in the hall.
Mr. Erich Nesselhauf, Managing Director and CEO, Daimler India Commercial Vehicles said, “We are in line with the Make in India campaign, our state of the art manufacturing plant in Oragadam manufactures world class products for both Indian and global markets. Our BharatBenz trucks are synonymous with quality, reliability and efficiency. This is established with the remarkable rise in our sales by 59 per cent over the previous year. The start of the bus production later this year marks the next chapter of our success story. We are excited to present our accomplishments in India at the Hannover Messe”.
Daimler is investing another 50 million Euros in the bus plant, in Oragadam, near Chennai, which will start operation on the premises of the existing plant at the end of May. The plant is set up for an initial capacity of 1,500 units per year with a possible expansion to 4,000 buses. This is where rear-engine buses for the premium segment will be rolling off the assembly line under the Mercedes-Benz brand. The product portfolio will also include front-engine BharatBenz buses tailored to the requirements of the Indian high-volume bus market.
Daimler’s activities in line with “Make in India” initiative
On the occasion of the Hannover Messe, Mr. Dieter Zetsche, Chairman of the Daimler Board of Management and Head of Mercedes-Benz Cars, met the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Among the topics discussed were Modi’s initiative of “Make in India” which seeks to further strengthen India’s industrial base, thus developing the country to an internationally recognized production hub. With a high level of localization and the export business from India, DICV’s business is already a prime example of the “Make in India” objective. About 85 percent of the vehicle components are produced locally at Oragadam.