Auto supplier Magna building pair of new plants in India
by Canadian Manufacturing Staff
Magna said plants in Gujarat, about 500 kilometres north of Mumbai, will make seats, body and chassis systems
AURORA, Ont.—Magna International Inc. is adding nearly 600,000 sq.ft. of manufacturing space in India as it continues its push to expand globally.
The Aurora, Ont.-based auto supplier, which already has eight manufacturing sites in India, according to its website, said it will add two new facilities in the Sanand region of the state of Gujarat, about 500 kilometres north of Mumbai, that will make seating systems and body and chassis systems for undisclosed customers.
“Magna’s growth in markets such as India reflects our customers’ need for world-class, innovative suppliers,” Jim Tobin, Magna’s chief marketing officer and president of Magna Asia, said in a release.
“With almost a million square feet of capacity now installed in India, we believe we are extremely well-positioned to support the increasing vehicle production forecast for the Indian automotive industry.”
Magna said it will make complete seat systems for a leading automaker at one of the new plants, a 215,000-sq.ft. facility that will employ about 200 people.
At Magna’s second new facility, the company will manufacture body and chassis systems for multiple customers.
The 356,000-sq.ft. plant will employ about 400 people.
Both facilities are expected to begin volume production in 2015.
Among Magna’s existing manufacturing facilities in India, it operates a 279,000-sq.ft. body and chassis plant in Pune, southeast of Mumbai, a 225,000-sq.ft. body and chassis plant in Chennai, in southern India, and a vacuum pump manufacturing plant, also in southern India.
The company also operates five engineering, product development and sales offices in the country.
It employs approximately 1,600 people in India.
