May 4: Meritor, Inc, the global supplier of drivetrain, mobility, braking and aftermarket solutions for commercial vehicle and industrial markets, has appointed Thimmaiah N P to the position of managing director, India, Industrial, effective immediately. He replaces Chris Villavarayan, who is now vice-president, Global Manufacturing and Supply Chain Management, Commercial Truck.

In this position, Thimmaiah will lead all of Meritor’s OE activities in India. He will also have overall responsibility for the company’s technical centre in Bangalore, India, in addition to Meritor Heavy Vehicle Systems India Ltd. (MHVSIL) and Automotive Axles Ltd. (AAL) joint ventures in India. He will report to Pedro Ferro, president, Industrial, Meritor.

“We’re very pleased to have Thimmaiah join Meritor,” Ferro said. “He is knowledgeable about every aspect of manufacturing from operations management to sourcing to supply chain management. That experience will be invaluable in continuing the company’s growth in India.”

Prior to joining Meritor, he was managing director of Honeywell Turbo Technologies India. He has more than 20 years of experience in engineering and operations and is a Six Sigma black belt. Thimmaiah N P has held various leadership positions at Bharat Earth Movers., Tata Cummins and Cummins India and Honeywell.

Thimmaiah holds a Bachelor of Science in automotive engineering from Mysore University.