Gabriel India opens new two-wheeler R&D centre at Hosur

December 30, 2013: Gabriel India, the Anand Group flagship company, has opened its new R&D centre at Hosur. Autocar Professional had first reported on the facility in its November 15, 2013 issue. The new state-of-the-art R&D centre will cater to the two-wheeler segment and will help drive the company’s business since at present, over 50 percent of Gabriel India’s revenue is contributed by the two-wheeler business.

Speaking at the inauguration, Deepak Chopra, CEO, Anand Group and chairman of Gabriel India, said: “Despite the current slowdown of the Indian economy and the automotive industry, we at Anand have not compromised on any actions or investments needed for the long term sustenance and growth of the Group. Gabriel India's new R&D centre at Hosur, dedicated for ride control products for two-wheelers, would strengthen our ability to co-develop right from the drawing board stage with our OEM customers, products which are cost effective and suitable for the Indian road conditions and which ensure superior ride comfort and safety for the Indian consumers.”

The purpose behind this new centre is to establish a world-class centre encompassing product and process design and prototyping and evaluation section. The facility is fully equipped to develop and provide any type of two-wheeler suspension products. With this, Gabriel India will become a complete solution provider to its customers for suspension systems. The centre will offer advanced products and features, after robust internal testing, so that the customer gets products which are defect free and reliable. Also, the centre intends to provide a conducive environment for its staffers to encourage creativity and innovation.

Manoj Kolhatkar, managing director, Gabriel India, added: “Gabriel is the leading development partner for many of its customers who have shown willingness to work with us based on our technical capability and knowledge of the Indian conditions. The launch of this new R&D centre will make the company adept and versatile in fulfilling customer needs. By this significant milestone, we will improve our speed, agility and quality of product development, thereby increasing customer confidence and satisfaction.” In addition to this new centre, Gabriel India has a dedicated R&D setup for passenger cars and commercial vehicles segment at Pune.

Anand is among India's leading manufacturers of automotive systems and components. Set up in 1961 with Gabriel India as its first venture, the Group today has 19 companies spread across 51 locations and nine states in India. It also has successful partnerships with a number of leading automotive component companies from around the world – a total of 21 global alliances, 15 joint ventures and 6 technical collaborations.

SHOBHA MATHUR