Weber Hydraulik GmbH, is one of the leading International manufacturers offering sophisticated, patented and customer-specific solutions in the field of mobile hydraulics such as cabin tilt systems, steering and suspension systems, axle lift systems, hydro-pneumatic suspended axle.
With more than 1800 employees worldwide and US $ 345 million in revenues, headquartered in Güglingen, near Stuttgart in Germany, the company has been in the field of hydraulic solutions since 1939, catering to various applications like commercial vehicles, agricultural, off-highway, construction, material handling, solar technology, garage equipment, rescue and fire equipment.
Weber-Hydraulik entered the Indian market in July 2010 with the establishment of Weber-Hydraulic India Pvt. Ltd., a joint venture between Weber-Hydraulik GmbH and an Indian partner Mr. Hurssh Kalra, a Share Holder and Managing Director of Weber Hydraulic India Pvt. Ltd.
Mr. Hurssh Kalra – Promoter, Kalra Overseas and Precision Engineering Ltd. (KOPL), a 100 per cent EOU, accredited with the ISO-TS 16949 certification and implementing VDA 6.3, is engaged in the manufacturing and exporting of forged and precision machined components since the year 2000. KOPL markets its products to OEM and Tier 1 customers in Europe, USA, Asia Pacific and has been a successful supply partner of Weber-Hydraulik Group for some time.
With more than US $ 4 million being invested in 2012, the green field facility of Weber Hydraulic India with a factory building of approximately 27,000 square feet area will be in operation by September 2012 in the well-known Shirwal industrial area near Pune.
The factory will house state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities to include robotic welding, painting, in-house product testing and validation in line with existing European plants of Weber Hydraulik and will be fully supported for R & D, prototyping, and pre-series by the European plants of the Weber-Hydraulik Group.
To start with, Weber-Hydraulic India will supply domestic commercial vehicle manufacturers with cabin tilt systems, steering cylinders for their new generation trucks and is currently in series supplies, prototype development and in advanced stage of discussions with OEM’s like Ashok Leyland, Asia Motor Works, Daimler India, Foton, Mahindra Navistar, MAN and Tata Motors.
In the first phase of investment, Weber Hydraulic India will cater to approximately 60,000 each, cylinders and pumps, 120,000 latches and has a plan to double its capacities by 2014-15. The initial capacities will also cater to the non-automotive sector to include cylinders, HPU’s for the solar field applications.
Expansion of the product portfolio for other mobile hydraulics applications is also planned in the near future. Having identified the pool of rich talent in India, Weber is considering setting up a technical center in the country to support the monumental growth of the modern commercial / utility vehicle markets and solar fields in India.
Mr. Hurssh Kalra, Managing Director, said, “We believe in focussing on one thing at a time and doing it right. With proven and tested technology, emphasis on localization and value engineering to meet product and price requirements, we are confident of being able to service the ever-demanding needs of our customers.”