M and M Auto awaits large Japanese order

M and M Auto Industries, which makes automotive springs at Gurgaon near Delhi, expects to clinch an order from Japan. Samples of four varieties of springs have been sent to a leading spring manufacturer and are undergoing validation. The company hopes the order will materialise by the end of this calendar.

Vice-president (technical) SN Jaithirth told this correspondent during the ACMEE 2006 industrial exposition that M and M Auto has received drawings for 13 varieties of springs and that samples would be developed soon. Initial volumes will be around five million pieces. He said that the company is in talks with a couple of OEMs and Tier-1 companies in Germany, the UK and US.

M and M Auto is also setting up a Rs 25 crore greenfield facility in Manesar to meet growing demand from overseas customers. This will be its second plant with an annual capacity of 10,000 tonnes while the existing unit’s is 8,700 tonnes. The company has been outsourcing surface finishing like painting and trinickel process. The new plant will have these facilities in addition to powder coating. It will also follow cellular manufacturing focusing on the family of springs. Initially, it will have four dedicated cells such as engine valves/clutch springs, multiform springs, shock absorbers and heavy duty springs for commercial vehicles and railway applications.

Besides, most operations will be automated to improve quality and minimise rejections. Production at the plant will begin this December. During 2005-06, M and M Auto posted sales of Rs 37 crore and has targeted Rs 60 crore this fiscal. “We will cross Rs 100 crore in 2007-08 since the capacity of the new plant will have been fully used,” said Jaithirth.

The company makes springs through the cold coiling process. It produces the complete range of precision metallic coil springs like compressions, extensions, torsions, tensions, wire forms and flat springs in various sizes ranging from 0.10 to 16 mm wire diameter. Customers in the local market include Endurance, Gabriel, the Hero Group, Mico, Piaggio, Suzuki Motorcycles India, Ucal and Yamaha Motor India.

M and M Auto began exports in a small way last year catering to Ferper Springs in Italy, Bosch Rexroth in France and UZ-Daewoo in Uzbekistan. It also meets the needs of the white goods, textile, computer, electrical and engineering industries.