Filling the injection tooling gap in India
China’s Silver Basis, makers of the finest automotive injection tooling and moulds, has now expanded operations to India in partnership with leading automotive component maker Faurecia and Kraftsman Tooling with a state-of-art facility in Pune. A report by Huned Contractor
Given the fact that India imports up to 70% of the automotive injection tooling, it was only a matter of time before a leading player accepted the challenge of setting up a plant to address this demand. And this is precisely what has happened with three global companies coming together in a unique joint venture of sorts to set up a state-of-the-art facility in Chakan near Pune that is dedicated to medium and large-sized injection tools for the automotive market, both for local and export needs. This was announced by Silver Basis Group for whom this will be the first facility to manufacture tools outside China. The new company, named Basis Mold India Private Limited, is a joint venture with Faurecia, a leading automotive technology company and Kraftsman Tooling, a Pune-based injection mold making company. Silver Basis is the majority shareholder and will manage the company.
“This is an important milestone in the 25 years of the development done by Silver Basis and it demonstrates our worldwide leadership in automotive injection tooling. We have partnered with one of our main customers, Faurecia, and used our long-term partnership with Kraftsman Tooling to secure this investment and provide top quality tooling for the Indian and export markets,” said Ryan Huang, Executive Vice President, Silver Basis Group, a day prior to the inauguration of the factory. With the Indian market for injection tooling growing at 10-12% annually, the partners see it as a long-term and profitable venture that will also propel their growth to become a global leader in this sector.
“We have currently made an investment of Rs 50 crores and we hope to double our capacity in three to five years. We will currently start with about 60 moulds per year and reach up to 120 moulds in a few years. Our revenue target would be Rs 70 crores in the next three years. Also, we are planning to export up to 50% of the moulds. Currently we have hired 80 staff members and in the next 2-5 years we should double that. Some of our staff is currently being trained in China to become expert mould makers,” said George Joseph, General Manager, Basis Mold India. Elaborating about the Pune facility, Joseph said, “This the most advanced tool room of its kind with a very wide range of imported machines such as the CNC Takumi H13, the OPS Speed Hawk 550, the three-axis and five-axis machining centres and an Eagle Gantry 1400 which is the only one of its kind in India as of date.”
The plant will make plastic injection moulds for automotive door panels, glove boxes, bumpes and dashboards, not only for Faurecia which will be its primary customer, but also for other leading automotive OEMs across the world. Speaking about Faurecia, Tools and Equipment Director Pierre-Loic Bolon said, “Founded in 1997, Faurecia has grown to become a major player in the global automotive industry. A leader in its three areas of business, the group is backed by a strong research and development and production network with sites in 35 countries. It is the preferred partner of the world’s largest automakers, which value its operational excellence and technological expertise.” In India, Faurecia operates out of 11 locations with three research and development centres.
Elaborating about the integration of three companies to make injection tooling, Bolon said, “All the three companies are experts in their own domains and most importantly, Silver Basis will provide the deep technological knowhow that is essential to making the best quality plastic injection moulds. Also, we have shared a business relationship of over 10 years and are in tune with each other’s needs so that our growth will be assured.” Speaking about Shenzhen Silver Basis Technology Co. Ltd. (known as Silver Basis), Hans Jurgen Krug, Vice President-Business Group Automotive Tooling, said, “We are a global one-stop manufacturing service supplier, focusing on large-scale precision moulds, automotive parts, smart manufacturing service, hot runner systems and industrial designs. With an industry-leading strategic perspective, we are active both at home and abroad, ranging from global icons to local favourites.”
Elaborating, Krug said, “We have eight manufacturing bases in major coastal cities of China and engineering facilities and service bases in 16 countries around the world. We have developed complete automotive mould and part manufacturing service solutions based on our leading technology, quality and project management. Meanwhile, we have expanded into system equipment integration and flexible production capacity and actively imported the German advanced manufacturing management model. We have pioneered international cooperation with world famous automotive OEMs. We focus on international industrial design and global manufacturing service networks and promote lean production and flexible tooling to provide global 3C industry giants with intelligent manufacturing and integrated delivery solutions.”
As for the reason to choose India as a location for making injection tooling, Bolon said, “Faurecia has been in India for a long time and understands the market well. In addition, India is an emerging automotive hub and it makes sense to be closer to our customers since injection tooling plays a very crucial role and is dependent on timely delivery. That apart, India has a skilled workforce with some of the best engineers who can be specially trained for this activity. Now that the plant is up and ready, Silver Basis will direct its global customers to this facility for their tooling needs and that will help our exports. In essence, we see our India facility as a hub for automotive injection tooling and will be able to cater to the global demand.”
