Tyco Electronics Tools (India) has just completed its Rs 25 crore capacity expansion programme. It has added 24 state-of-the-art machines with several high-end features to double capacity. These will supplement its existing family of 26 machines. “This expansion programme has prepared us to take up challenges for the next decade,” said Mashood Badsha, plant head. The hi-tech machines are supported with automatic loading of electrodes and pallet for jobs. There is also an electrode presetting machine.

The Germany-based Tyco Group gets a low-cost advantage from its Kochi operations. In turn, it has brought in a lot of technologies that help the company meets the needs of the global and domestic market, he said. Set up in 1992, the company began making spares for dies and moulds. In 1998, it got into manufacture of complete moulds and dies. Till mid-2001, it was a standalone tool and mould-maker and subsequently it was made part of Tyco Electronics’ Automotive Business Unit of EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa).

Tyco began aggressively focusing on the tooling requirements in these regions, especially in countries like Germany. Over 50 percent of its products go to its counterparts in the country. These Tyco plants supply connectors and related products to carmakers like BMW, aimlerChrysler and Volkswagen. Apart from this, the Kochi unit supports the Bangalore manufacturing facility. Last year, it created a tool design centre at its Kochi unit which meets the design needs of Tyco in India. At present, it offers complete solutions like fabrication and assembly, mould trials, first article inspection and mould conditioning. By 2008, the company will offer its design service capabilities to counterparts in Europe, Africa and the Middle East.

Business for the Tyco Group has grown by over 50 percent and a substantial part of the incremental portion has come to Tyco in India. At present the absolute capacity utilisation is about 75 percent and the goal is to achieve 85 percent within six months,” said Badsha. The capacity expansion programme will help achieve this objective.