Schaeffler CEO Sees India as Key Growth Hub Amid Global Challenges

Schaeffler AG, the German motion technology company, views India as a cornerstone of its global growth strategy, citing its resilient partnerships, skilled talent base, and long-term business potential, according to CEO Klaus Rosenfeld, who spoke with select Indian media on Wednesday.

“In this geopolitical environment with all the tensions, with all the stress in supply chains and disruption, our relationship with India has proven to be strong,” Rosenfeld said. “We've always seen reliable partners here. We've always tried to be a good local corporate citizen in this country.”

Globally generating revenues in the range of €24–25 billion, Schaeffler has deepened its India footprint with over €1 billion in local revenues and a workforce of 3,600 across six manufacturing facilities. The company recently inaugurated a new plant in India, reinforcing its long-term commitment.

Rosenfeld emphasized India’s “business-friendly environment” and fast-paced progress in infrastructure, digitization, and AI as factors that align strongly with Schaeffler’s innovation and sustainability-driven approach. “With the growth that we're seeing here, and the steps your government has taken—especially in infrastructure and digitalization—we feel confident about the road ahead,” he added.

Recasting Schaeffler’s identity beyond its legacy as an automotive component supplier, Rosenfeld positioned the company as a “motion technology” player. “We are not just an automotive supplier. That is only half of the equation,” he said. Schaeffler’s technologies—spanning bearings, actuators, and power electronics—serve diverse sectors including wind turbines, robotics, and e-mobility. “We pioneer motion,” he said, reiterating the company’s broader purpose.

India plays a pivotal role in Schaeffler’s Asia-Pacific operations, managed regionally from Singapore. The Indian leadership under Harsha Kadam has executed this strategy with a sharp focus on growth and alignment with the company’s global values of innovation, passion, and sustainability.

The company’s bullishness on India is further backed by recent global moves such as the €3.5 billion acquisition of Vitesco Technologies, aimed at strengthening its e-mobility and power electronics capabilities. In India, its acquisition of Koovers is aimed at bolstering its vehicle lifetime solutions strategy, which stresses reuse, repair, and sustainability. “You should not throw away cars. You should think about the value of these cars and what you can do with them,” Rosenfeld said.

Even as Schaeffler grapples with a cyclical global automotive market and rising competition from China, Rosenfeld views India as a strategic hedge. “The business in that sector is cyclical. In bad times, if people don’t buy cars, they repair them,” he noted, underlining the relevance of Schaeffler’s aftermarket and repair divisions.

Looking ahead, Schaeffler aims to tap growth opportunities in India’s two-wheeler, rail, and renewable energy sectors—particularly wind—positioning the country as a critical pillar of its global ambitions.