Kongovi may bag Hyundai mandate

Kongovi Electronics based in Bangalore is likely to be a part of Hyundai Motor Corporation’s global sourcing programme. It already meets the needs of the Indian arm for plastic electroplated components like grills which are used in models like the Santro.

This could be extended to Hyundai’s facilities worldwide given that India is an important export hub for the automaker and its international business already contributes to 50 percent of turnover. Kongovi’s products are part of Hyundai’s export basket and it is hoping to extend this directly to different locations where the automaker has its operations.

S Kongovi, managing director, said the company was keen on supplying to General Motors too. It went in for a Rs 4.5 crore expansion programme to produce 1.2 million grills clearly with an eye on Hyundai’s needs both here and overseas.

The expansion will also consolidate all Kongovi’s plants at one location with a centralised recycling and recovery system for electroplating. At present, the company has four locations for its facilities in the Peenya industrial area. Kongovi focuses on making plastic electroplating parts for cars and metal electroplated components for two-wheelers.

In 1995-96, the company designed, fabricated and commissioned the automated electroplating process inhouse. It got into manufacture of wheel rims for TVS Motor Company. Konogi’s first car customer was Mahindra Ford with the Escort followed by Hyundai Motor India. For the last few years, it has been focusing on large plastic electroplated components though it continues to be under a deluge of orders for small ones like door handles and knobs.

The company was, at one point, offering electroplating services for plastic components to other companies but has since extended this to include plastic moulding. While it is a single source supplier to Hyundai Motor India for grills, it has begun supplying facia trims to the Toyota Innova.