Gestamp opens hot stamping plant in Pune

Gestamp, a Spanish MNC which specialises in the design, development and manufacture of metal components for the automotive industry, has opened a new plant for hot stamping in Pune. The company has invested €36 million (around Rs 275 crore) in the new facility that will provide services for Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA), Ford and Tata Motors.

The new Pune plant, which will employ 130 people in 2017, will enable the introduction of hot stamping technology in the country. The plant has begun to manufacture previous series and is scheduled to begin serial production in May this year.

Loire Gestamp, a Group company which specialises in the design and manufacture of press lines, has installed a hot stamping line with a 1,200-tonne press, incorporating automatic connections for changing tools, thermal imagers and a monitoring system.

Hot stamping is one of the solutions that allow manufacturers to reduce the weight of the body in white structure, resulting in reduced emissions. In addition, the hot stamping process improves the vehicle's behaviour in case of collision and contributes to passenger safety.

Gestamp is one of the world's largest providers of parts made by hot stamping, with an industrial model that covers the entire value chain, including press lines and dies manufacturing. The company has more than 70 hot stamping lines around the world.

According to the company, hot stamping enables weight of body-in-white parts to be reduced by up to 30 percent. This clearly would be of much interest to automakers in India, who are looking at different ways to lightweight vehicles in the wake of upcoming stringent emission and crash test norms.   

Speaking at the plant opening, Raman Nanda,  country head and president, Gestamp India, said: “The launch of Gestamp India’s first hot stamping plant resonates with our commitment to expand our presence in the Indian market and bring value to the automotive industry through innovative technology. The new hot stamping technology plant will prove to be beneficial in reducing the overall vehicle weight of passenger cars, while enabling OEMs to better adhere to the country’s new crash regulations, emission norms, fuel efficiency mandate and the forthcoming Bharat NCAP.”

Gestamp’s third plant in India
Gestamp’s new plant in India is the third in this market, where nearly €150 million (Rs 1,146 crore) has been invested since the group’s arrival in 2008. In addition, the company has an R&D centre in which work is carried out to lighten the weight of vehicles, thereby increasing their safety.

The Spanish multinational currently works with Ford, Volkswagen Skoda, Renault and Nissan in India. Since Gestamp began operations in India, its turnover has increased almost nine-fold, from €19 million (Rs 145 crore) in 2008 to €157 million (Rs 1,200 crore) in 2015.

The Indian automotive market is the sixth largest market worldwide. It has experienced, according to IHS, a year-on-year increase in production volume of 8.7 percent since 2008. This growth is more than double the global growth accumulated during the same period, estimated at 3.9 percent.

Gertamp, has a presence in 20 countries, with 96 industrial plants and nine under construction, 12 R&D centres and a staff of over 34,000 employees around the world. In 2015, its turnover was €7.035 billion (Rs  53,775 crore)

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