Riding a huge influx of interest in India from Japanese entrepreneurs and executives, companies from Japan are making a beeline to further populate Bangalore's expanding industrial landscape.
$3-billion Keihin Corporation, a Japanese automotive components maker is looking to invest an estimated Rs 200 crore to set up a carburettor and automotive components manufacturing facility at Doddaballapur.
This will be the global power products and systems giant’s third plant in India after Bawal in Haryana and Chakan near Pune, and will be operational in October this year ahead of the earlier deadline of June, sources said. The project is being implemented by Keihin Fie, a joint venture company.
Greenfield plant
Machine tools and dyes manufacturer Tsujikawa is also understood to be in the process of setting up a greenfield plant in the Malur region.
Tokyo-based Keihin’s plant will primarily manufacture carburettors, engine control units and fuel injection systems for large and small-displacement motorcycles, and at a later point, for 4-wheeler manufacturers in India, sources said. Keihin has a growing customer roster among motorcycle and car makers, prominent among them being Hero MotoCorp and Maruti Suzuki.
Keihin Corporation was founded in and currently maintains its head office in Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo, Japan. Keihin has laid emphasis on growing support systems for its network of overseas facilities and has been actively imparting special training to employees from its overseas subsidiaries in India, Mexico and Indonesia at its Tokyo headquarters.
In addition to carburettors, Keihin supplies the automotive industry with engine, transmission and climate control products, including intake manifold assemblies, HVAC assemblies, compressors, valves, solenoids and electronic control units. Keihin’s largest shareholder is Honda Motor Co. Ltd.
Keihin’s income from worldwide operations in 2013 was $3 billion, with the company being a major supplier of carburettors and fuel injection systems to automobile giants like Honda, Triumph Motorcycles, Suzuki, Kawasaki, KTM, and Harley-Davidson. Keihin employs over 1,600 people worldwide.
In India, Keihin operates under three subsidiaries: Keihin Panalfa Ltd, Keihin FIE Pvt Ltd and Keihin Automotive Systems India Pvt Ltd. Keihin Panalfa was established in 1997 to coincide with Keihin's entry into India with a manufacturing plant near Delhi. Keihin FIE was established in 1999 ahead of the launch of the company's Pune-based motorcycle and power products facility.
In the alternative-fuel products business, Keihin injectors for natural gas vehicles are currently being installed in Maruti Suzuki’s Alto 800 in India.
Tsujikawa Corporation, a midsized manufacturer of engraving tools which designs and develops dies for hot processes like foil blocking, coin printing, embossing, cutting, stamps and pad printing, is understood to be looking at setting up a facility at Malur by the end of this year.
Company officials could not be contacted for comment. The company is looking at recruiting people qualified in handling numerical control machines and computer-aided design software for its operations in Karnataka. There are at least a 1,000 Japanese businesses currently operating in India, with trade between the two countries touching $18.5 billion in 2012-13.