News

Eberspaecher Expands Joint Venture Program in India

ESSLINGEN, Germany-(Business Wire)-September 3, 2008 - Eberspaecher, a leading global automotive supplier of exhaust-gas technology and vehicle heating systems, is expanding its Indian joint venture program with SMA (S.M. Auto Engineering Pvt. Ltd. Pune India).

Founded in 1997, SM-Eberspaecher Exhaust Pvt. Ltd. Pune India recently opened a new 53,800-square-foot facility in Chakan, near Pune. Located in the center of India’s rapidly growing automotive industry, the plant includes a state-of-the-art engineering office staffed by engineers trained in Germany to meet the country’s growing demand for exhaust-system technology.

The SMA-Eberspaecher joint venture also is planning a development center with advanced testing and inspection equipment to meet India’s vehicle exhaust requirements, according to Dr. Thomas Wuensche, Eberspaecher managing director for Exhaust Technology.

“The automotive market in India offers us excellent opportunities due to its dramatic rate of growth and Eberspaecher’s recognized expertise in exhaust technology, including exhaust emissions after-treatment systems,” Wuensche said.

“Not only have we mastered technologies that will be in future demand in India, we also are in a position to adapt them to meet market-specific conditions. Today we can offer our customers products and process technologies that meet Western standards, while providing local expertise and cost structures required for the Indian market."

Wuensche noted that meeting the technology needs of India’s commercial vehicle sector will be a special priority in the next several years. The gradual introduction in India of EURO 4 emission standards – first in congested urban areas and later throughout the country – will require after-treatment systems for exhaust emissions for the very first time.

He pointed out that with Eberspaecher’s global expertise and technology experience, SM-Eberspaecher Exhaust India will be able to offer its commercial-vehicle customers in India complete system solutions.

“A number of Indian vehicle manufacturers have entered into joint ventures with our international customers in recent years,” Wuensche noted. “The synergies for Eberspaecher are perfect.

“With Eberspaecher’s access to Western and Indian markets, our technological expertise and knowledge of local requirements, we are in an excellent position to gain additional business from national and international manufacturers for passenger cars and commercial vehicles.

“As our business in India continues to grow, the company also might look to add facilities in other Indian automotive centers such as Pithambur or Chennai. Those locations are quite conceivable, based on logistics alone.”

Eberspaecher ranks among the leading system developers and suppliers of exhaust-gas technology and vehicle heating worldwide. Customers include almost all European, North American and more and more Asian manufacturers for passenger cars and commercial vehicles. Worldwide, the internationally-active group of companies, which includes 38 operative companies in 19 countries, employs approximately 5,500 people. Annual sales exceed two billion Euros.

Send this news item to a friend.

Print This Page