Mahle India, a leading international development partner and supplier to the automotive industry, has inaugurated its new Mahle Engineering, Information Technology and Sales shared services Centre at Pune, Maharashtra.

Built over 55,000 square feet, this new facility currently employs more than 450 engineers and technicians. The company plans to double its engineering manpower over the next three to five years. With this, the Mahle Engineering centre becomes an integral part of the global Mahle R&D network and opens up its services to all divisions of Mahle, be it for conventional or electrified powertrain. The new unit in Pune becomes the third global IT and shared centre of Mahle, with the other two being Mexico & Poland.

Speaking at the inauguration, Arnd Franz, Member of the Management Board, Corporate Executive Vice President, OE- Automotive Sales and Application Engineering, Mahle, said: “India is at the epicentre of Mahle’s dual strategy. As part of the global green initiative, there is a rising trend towards development of hybridisation and electrification although IC engines are here to stay, especially in a market like India. Given this market scenario, Mahle has developed a dual strategy by which it will continue to remain and provide optimal solutions for IC engines while simultaneously developing solutions for electric mobility. Mahle has defined its mission to offer innovative mobility solutions that stand for clean air, fuel efficiency, and driving pleasure. Mahle is Bharat Stage VI-ready.”

Raj Kalra, president, MAHLE Holding (India) said: “As an engineering centre, this is a unique one. Worldwide even though we have R&D Centres for specific business units, this one will service the entire world from here itself. Mahle already has a strong presence in India (represented by all 4 BUs / division through 14 plants generating 278 million euros with a headcount of 4,400 employees. 

“Here in Pune, we have an excellent team of engineers and specialists who are already engaged in design and development of new products using state-of-the-art computational techniques for simulation, CFD and design tools. The team is not only engaged in the development phase but also supports global customer programs through its project management office and undertaking support functions such as sourcing, procurement and logistics. With this now fully integrated with the Mahle  R&D world, we are looking forward to undertake projects across all BUs and excited to lead in new areas such as mechatronics, embedded software and firmware development,” added Kalra.