ZF Group, a leading supplier of automotive systems for automobiles, has inaugurated its new manufacturing facility near Chennai, Tamil Nadu, to produce auto-components and systems for electric vehicles. The plant is the company’s 19th production unit in the country and its 10th in Tamil Nadu .
The plant will see an investment of Rs 1,800 crore and generate 5,000 jobs over a ten-year period. More than 80% of the workforce at the plant will be women . The company has already invested Rs 175 crore so far and will pump in another Rs 30 crore this year to take its capacity to Rs 100 crore worth of production by the year end. The plant will cater to both domestic and global markets.
ZF Group aims to contribute to India’s automotive landscape
Speaking at the inauguration, state industries minister T R B Rajaa said that ZF Group has so far invested Rs 3,500 crore in the state creating 9,500 jobs in Tamil Nadu . He said that the inauguration of the new facility and the other MoUs signed by the state government with various multinationals were creating job opportunities in Tamil Nadu. He also praised ZF Group for its focus on renewable energy and female empowerment.
Akash Passey, president, ZF Group India, said that the inauguration of the Oragadam plant reflects ZF Group’s enduring commitment to India. He said that the company aims to contribute significantly to India’s automotive landscape with innovation and growth. He also said that by combining its ‘Make in India for India and the World’ approach with a workforce that is mainly women, the company is not just manufacturing products, but creating opportunities and empowering talent aligned to the growth opportunities.
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ZF Group, which is targeting 3 billion euro sales out of India by 2030, is focusing on not just its traditional stronghold of commercial vehicles but also passenger cars, both ICE and EV. Passey said that a number of OEMs are going into full electric platforms which is a big opportunity for the company and that in passenger cars, EV will primarily offer maximum opportunity in India.
Apart from the newly opened Oragadam plant, ZF Group’s Chennai tech centre employs around 700 engineers and is the company’s second biggest R&D unit after Hyderabad. The company’s plant in Coimbatore, which makes transmissions and axles for the off highway segment both for India and global markets, is also in expansion mode which should be complete in a year. Coimbatore is also the hub for transmission systems for windmills mostly for export but the company is now looking at opportunities in India as well.
Peter Laier, member of the ZF group board of management and head, commercial vehicle solutions and industrial technology, said that the company will be very happy to supply to the Indian market as there is a good opportunity for renewable energy thanks to government focus.
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