The new year 2018 is a landmark one not just for the Gold Seal Group but also for the Indian auto component industry as a whole. Started in 1958, Gold Seal, SIAM and ACMA will all be completing 60 years of success and growth this year – a laudable feat indeed, having crossed market fluctuations and ups and downs in the industry for six long decades.
Gold Seal was established in 1958 when the Indian auto industry started spreading its wings. The company supplied the first Indian rubber weatherstrip to the traditional Indian car brands like Fiat and Ambassador 60 years ago. The very same year, the Indo-German Chamber of Commerce (IGCC) was started, indicating India’s intentions of taking a giant leap forward in technology adoption. With IGCC in place, a number of Indo-German JVs were formed, one of which was Gold Seal-SaarGummi (GSSG) India Pvt. Ltd. established in 1998 and now completing two decades this year.
The JV firm supplies to prestigious clients such as Ashok Leyland, Bajaj, CNH, Daimler, Force, Ford, Fiat, Greaves Cotton, Indo Farm, John Deere, L&T, Mahindra, MAN, Nissan, Renault Nissan, Reydel, Scania, Skoda, Tata, TAFE, VW, Varroc and Zetor in the passenger car, utility vehicle, bus & heavy vehicle, farm & construction equipment and recreation vehicle segments, while also offering cabins and enclosures for other automotive & industrial equipment.
From a 10 ft x 10 ft fledgling operation at first, the Gold Seal Group has grown to a very renowned and respected supplier having a manufacturing footprint of over 300,000 sq. ft. area with over 11 extrusion lines and 40 million meters of polymer profiles of EPDM rubber, TPE, TPV, PVC and NR for cars, SUVs, LCVs of European, American & Indian heritage for all countries bearing the prestigious Gold Seal Mark backed by ISO 9001 2008, TS 16949 and ISO 14001 amongst other quality standards.
Of all the seven Gold Seal plants spread across four locations, the one in Ahmedabad, equipped with the latest machinery, is its fastest-growing facility. The Gold Seal Group employs over 1,000 workers who ensure its innovatively designed, developed and manufactured products exceeding the expectations of its OEM customers across its 29 customer locations in India and 23 export markets worldwide.
Innovation, design & development are the three pillars of success and growth at the Gold Seal Group. Its global design and technology centre at Ahmedabad works in tandem with the four global design centres of Saar Gummi worldwide.
Gold Seal has been regularly receiving accolades from OEMs, with the latest one coming in the form of the VW “Q” Award presented to Mr. Urvaksh C. Aga, Managing Director, at a glittering awards function held in Pune in December last.
With OEM customers constantly encouraging GSSG to put up new plants, the company has planned to set up a new facility in Chennai to cater to the future requirements of brands such as Hyundai, Daimler, Renault Nissan and other new entrants like Group PSA-Peugeot.