Fuyung of Taiwan bags carbon brush orders from Tier 1 suppliers to 2-wheeler OEMs in India

Taiwan-based automobile carbon brush manufacturer Fuyung Carbon Co Ltd has bagged major orders to supply its product to Tier 1 component makers in India, who in turn supply their starter motors as a finished product to top two-wheeler manufacturers in the country like Bajaj Auto, India Kawasaki Motors, Royal Enfield and Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India.

According to corporate level sources in the company, Fuyung has started supplying carbon brushes to India-based automobile starter makers like Varroc and Flash, from whom the company won sizeable orders.

Fuyung is supplying 80,000 pieces of carbon brushes per month to Varroc while it ships 200,000 pieces to Flash. The company has also bagged a few orders from some start-up Tier 1 and Tier 2 suppliers involved in making starter motors for the automotive industry in India. However, the Fuyung sources have not disclosed the specific two-wheeler customers of Varroc and Flash in India.

According to Fuyung, carbon brushes play a key role in the starters of motorcycles and cars and OEMs in India have started setting up have higher quality parameters in choosing the starters based on the quality of carbon brushes.

As the motorcycle startup motor is operated immediately to drive the engine, the material of the carbon brush should contain a higher amount of copper to conduct the high current level. Fuyung uses specialised materials under a stable sinter process and thermal control that ensure the carbon brush features higher performance with good lubricant properties. The raw material for the carbon brushes has been imported from Japan to its Taiwan plant.

The company’s booth at last month’s Emma Expo 2014 in Bangalore, which displayed its carbon brush products, attracted huge interest from engineers attached to the R&D wings of several OEMs in India. The company is also on the verge of closing deals with several small and medium scale starter motor manufacturing units in India.

Currently the company’s manufacturing plant, spread across 2,9000 square metres at Chung Li City in Taiwan, makes carbon-finished brushes, blades, contacts, brush holders for various types of motors, generators and pumps. In addition to India, Fuyung has been exporting its products to around 30 countries including Hong Kong, China, Japan, the United States, Africa and many other countries in South East Asia and South America.