In a bid to expand its global footprint, Magna International Inc, the leading global automotive supplier with 317 manufacturing operations and 83 product development, engineering and sales centres in 29 countries, has announced the establishment of two new manufacturing facilities in Sanand Gujarat. 

Of the two new plants, one is expected to manufacture complete seating systems for an upcoming model. This 215,000-square- -foot plant is expected to employ around 200 people and will begin volume production next year. Sources tell us this will be done for Ford India for the carmaker’s future offerings for India as well as international markets.

Magna’s second facility – also at Sanand – will build body and chassis systems for multiple OEMs. This facility is spread across 356,000 square feet and will employ approximately 400 people. It will also begin volume production next year.

These two new facilities will complement Magna’s other India-based facilities which include a chassis plant in Pune that caters to OEMs such as General Motors India, Volkswagen India, Tata Motors and Mahindra & Mahindra. Meanwhile, a 225,000 square foot body and chassis plant in Chennai carries out work for OEMs such as Ford and Nissan.

Magna also has two other facilities in India – a seating design and engineering centre in Pune and a vacuum pump manufacturing facility in Bangalore that caters to OEMs such as Maruti Suzuki, Honda Cars India, Mahindra & Mahindra, Renault-Nissan and Tata Motors. Magna will also soon supply components to Hyundai in India as well.

"Magna's growth in markets such as India reflects our customers' need for world-class, innovative suppliers," said Jim Tobin, Chief Marketing Officer and President of Magna Asia. "With almost a million square feet of capacity now installed in India, we believe we are extremely well-positioned to support the increasing vehicle production forecast for the Indian automotive industry." 

Speaking exclusively to Autocar Professional on a visit last week to Magna International’s facility in Michigan, USA, Swami Kotagiri, chief technical officer, Magna International Inc, said: “We have gone along with our customers and expanded. We are very aggressive to expand in India and we have the capacities that can be optimised as the market grows. Our plans for future are very much dependent on the political atmosphere and OEMs expanding. We have expanded quite a bit over the past few years in India and that is enough based on the projections today to be able to handle what we have. But if that does expand significantly, we have the infrastructure and we will do what’s necessary.”