Sigma Corporation India Ltd. (SCIL), one of the foundation arms of the 50-year-old Sigma Group and the country’s largest automotive components export house, is making rapid strides to become a powerhouse in the global automotive aftermarket space.
Being Asia’s largest manufacturer of automotive rubber molded components for global aftermarkets, the company is already supplying its products to over 50 markets, including the US, the UK, Japan, Germany, etc., both in passenger and commercial vehicle segments. Strictly following the ‘Make-in-India’ approach decades before the Government’s new campaign announcement, Sigma has its own tooled up range of products that fit applications in the US and Europe for cars from as far back as 1970 to those currently running on roads for various brands of vehicles such as Mercedes-Benz, VW, BMW, Opel, Volvo, Renault, Fiat, GM, Ford and Chrysler running in millions for US and European passenger cars and heavy duty vehicles in the aftermarket space.
The company also produces a wide range of heavy-duty commercial vehicle suspension and brake parts such as brake and wheel parts, including brake chambers and spring brakes. There are also plans to tap the burgeoning domestic aftermarket.
In an exclusive interaction with MOTORINDIA, Mr. Preet Singh, Vice President, Corporate Marketing, Sigma Corporation India Ltd., said: “Sigma is a 50-year-old automotive group based in New Delhi, producing automotive components for the worldwide OEM applications as well aftermarkets. It is India’s leading specialist in vibration control technology for cars and trucks producing parts such as engine mounts, strut mounts, bushings, engine pulleys and various commercial vehicle suspension parts for the aftermarket. Over the last several decades we have built a strong reputation in developed markets like the US, Canada, Mexico, Germany, France, Italy, Spain and Japan. Today we are not only known for the quality and range of products but also for product management, product research and e-cataloguing services which give us a unique advantage over our competitors. The next step for us is to set up local warehouses for our aftermarket customers to give them a total solution.”
It is to be mentioned here that SCIL is catering to both passenger cars and truck-trailer parts (commercial vehicles) segments. For the former, it is selling rubber to metal bonded parts, engine & transmission mounts, strut mounts & complete kits, hydraulic & pneumatic mounts, hydraulic bushes, torsional vibration dampers, propeller shaft rubber couplings, engine pulley, etc. For the latter, it is selling engine, transmission & body mounts, torque rods & torque rod bushes & repair kits, suspension rubber bolsters and bushes, suspension sheet metal & fabricated parts, U. bolts, forged & casted suspension parts, axle, brake and wheel machined parts, etc.
Talking about the scope of domestic market, Mr. Singh observed: “The growing car pool in the country has led to the aftermarket attaining critical mass today. Further, while the poor road conditions are adding to the woes of vehicle owners on the one hand, this is pushing aftermarket growth to even higher levels on the other. Events like ACMA – Automechanika have offered us good starting point to understand the overall scenario in the market – products, competitors, pricing points, distribution channels, etc. At the last event we showcased our strength in the line of anti-vibration-rubber parts, in particular the line of strut mounts replacement kits for the Indian aftermarket. With sustained leadership in India for vibration control, Sigma enjoys goodwill in the market and therefore we witnessed an exciting level of interest in our products from distributors and end user alike.”
Today the OEM competitive landscape in India remains diverse and growing, with brands like GM, Ford, VW, Hyundai, Toyota, Honda, Volvo, Skoda, Mercedes, BMW and Audi already making inroads. This therefore is a good time for the company to introduce in the domestic market products sold in the global market for years.
“We continue to evolve our strategy for a successful foray into the domestic market which until sometime ago was not even on the radar. The challenge however is not only to have the product range and price points that suit the market but also find the right distribution and sales channel that gives us the maximum market penetration”, added Mr. Singh.
When queried about Sigma’s presence in the CV segment, he highlighted: “India is among the top 5 CV markets of the world. No wonder Daimler for the first time in its history created a market-focused brand called ‘Bharat Benz’. No wonder therefore that Sigma also focuses on this segment for growth, in both OEM and aftermarket space.”
Mr. Singh further observed: “Through our metal stampings company, Sigma Molds and Stampings, we make heavily supplies to the CV OEM customers. The products include various metal brackets, assemblies and housings used for suspension, brakes and engine parts. Although the industry is seasonal and has had its share of problems in the last few years, the prospects that lie ahead remain positive overall. With the Government plan of expansion of the national highway network and overall domestic infrastructure, road transport is expected to grow and provide an added impetus to this segment”.
SCIL, a TS-16949 : 2002 certified company, is already running three state-of-the-art plants spread over 250,000 sq.ft. space and is currently expanding production into a new facility in Manesar, which, when completed, will add an additional 100,000 sq.ft. of production space. It has fully integrated manufacturing facilities with complete rubber mixing plants, state-of-the-art rubber testing labs, presses for metal stampings, metal treatment, moulding machines, product testing facilities, an extensive tool room and independent assembly lines to produce a range of high quality automotive vibration control products. While the company employs over 1,200 workers at its various sites, the group employs over 5,000 workers across 15 plants across India.
Sigma Corporation’s sister companies:
Sigma Freudenberg NOK Pvt. Ltd. (SFN), a joint venture between Freudenberg of Germany and NOK of Japan, the world leader in sealing technology and OEM for major car, truck and industrial & consumer durables manufacturers worldwide
Sigma Moulds & Stampings Pvt. Ltd. (SMS), a manufacturer of high precision sheet metal components & assemblies for global OEMs
Sigma Automotive Materials Pvt. Ltd. (SAM), a specialist in machined parts, mainly castings and forgings, also providing engineering and SCM services to Tier-1s acting as their forward supply base in India. The company provides development & supply chain management support for procurement of fully machined metal components
Sigma Global Inc. of the US is involved in marketing and marketing research activities, sales, warehousing and distribution of products turned out by various divisions of the group.