Exide Industries Limited has announced its annual results for the financial year 2006-07. While gross turnover rose 35 per cent to Rs 2383 crore for the 12-month period, net profit rose 54 per cent to Rs 155 crore, compared to the previous financial year. The Exide Industries Limited board which met today to adopt and approve the results for the year ended 31st March 2007, declared a dividend of 35 per cent, thereby maintaining its record of uninterrupted dividend payment for 59 years. 

Commenting on the remarkable rise in profitability despite rising input costs, particularly lead which accounts for close to 70 per cent of the costs, executive chairman and chief executive officer, S B Ganguly said, “the continued economic boom and steady rise in automobile population ensured a steady demand growth across virtually all the segments. However, the tight leash on costs helped us show profit growth.” On the rising costs of lead in the international markets, Ganguly said, “lead prices continue to grow despite growth in supplies. However, the softer dollar during the last few months of the financial year ensured that this rise is negated to a certain extent.” On the subject of emerging domestic and international competition, Ganguly said, “a significant number of new cars that were launched during the year came exclusively fitted with our batteries. We are proud that we are the sole and exclusive supplier to Tata Motors and Toyota, among others.”

Leading provider of engineering services and flexible production system and manufacturer of industrial robots, Kuka Schweissanlagen Group, announced its entry into India with the launch of Kuka Automation Equipment (India) and Kuka Robotics (India) recently. A publicly listed company in Germany with two divisions—systems division and robotics division, according to Dr Stefan Sohn, global president & CEO, Kuka Schweissanlagen Group, the key competencies of Kuka are to engineer, design and realize complex solutions for automated production as well as project management. “We want to be best in the areas hat we cover. We enjoy a top position worldwide in systems technology. We are close to number one but what is important is the kind of business we get from our customers. We are among the big three.” 

The company whose 2006 sales totaled Euro 832.8 million is bullish about India. With presence in Delhi and Pune where it recently set up a training centre, Kuka’s strategy to enter India was to have the necessary presence and concentrate not only one sales but also on engineering and customer support and training. The company will be targeting automotive manufacturers, suppliers and the general industry, which also includes aerospace with different customized applications such as welding, bending, handling, etc. Said Bruno Geiger, managing director (Asia/Pacific), Kuka Roboter GmbH, “India is one of the hot spots worldwide. The biggest growth in automotive development is in Asia”. “We chose Pune because we wanted to be close to our customers. Tata currently is our biggest customer and we want to provide it with the quality service we provide to other customers”, Geiger added. 

The Augsburg-based group, which is one of the world’s leading providers of engineering services and manufacturers of flexible production systems for the automation industry, aerospace industry, solar industry and other branches in Europe, Americas and Asia. While stating that Kuka Group is number one in the worldwide auto market, Raj Singh Rathee, managing director, Kuka Robotics India added: “We are leaders in innovation and new technologies. We have customers like Audi, Porsche, Volkswagen, Seat, DaimlerChrysler, Ford and BMW”. “Mercedes and Skoda cars available in India are assembled using Kuka robots”. 

While Kuka Robotics is based at Delhi, Kuka Automation Equipment India is based at Pune, and is part of the worldwide operations. Kuka Automation Equipment India provides solutions for production equipment and automation systems in India. According to Rajendra Phatak, President & CEO, Kuka Automation Equipment India, “We would be building complete lines automation lines that includes robots from the very conceptualization to the complete process. Kuka is looking at increasing need for automation. Our main focus at the moment is the auto industry. Our specialty is body-in-white lines. Tata Motors is our leading customer”. “Getting things locally at Pune serves our purpose. Pune is also an interesting market for us. We have a training center at Pune, and also a workshop where we can assemble machines, give demo to customers and other activities. Our strength lies in project management”. Kuka Automation Equipment is a specialist in welding technology worldwide and is keen to bring the latest technology to India. Other than Tata, Kuka in India is working with Hyundai Motor India and other companies including Bhel. The group, which delivers complete Jeep Wrangler bodies to DaimlerChrysler in US, is into some interesting discussions with the competition of Tata, according to Sohn. “We are looking at local supplier base for timing and costs. We have a purchase office in Pune for sourcing for our European operations”.

Pune-based PARI (Precision Automation and Robotics India) has formalised collaboration with Overhead Conveyor Systems Cinetic Assembly of France, a business division of the Five-Lille Group. The collaboration, which is a consortium agreement at the moment, according to Ranjit Date, president and joint managing director, PARI, will look at further areas of co-operation and is at the moment subject to both the partners investing independently. While emphasis through this collaboration is to develop, manufacture and provide solutions for automotive assembly including overhead conveying and electrified monorail system solutions in India. 

“India is out main target as well as China. Our Target in India along with PARI is to help for the growth of the automotive industry. Together with PARI we are looking at implementing global projects in India”, said Gilles Thieuleux, CEO, Cinetic Assembly. “We will use PARI s a supply base to export components”. Drawing attention towards the fact that PARI and Cinetic share similar activities and that PARI is already supplying to Cinetic, Thieuleux stated that PARI is supplying some automation for machine tools and have contacts to collaborate on other activities as PARI and Cinetic have an synergy of business. “We have a lot of similarity.” 

With the collaboration PARI and Cinetic wil offer cost effective solutions through local manufacturing, engineering and service support. PARi will also offer conveyor systems and electrified monorail systems (EMS) manufactured under license from Cinetic. The application of these systems would include trim line, paint line, body-in-white line, painted body storage, assembly line, storage line, weld shop, engine and power train manufacturing and final vehicle assembly lines. 

Stating that the first automation project PARI executed was the Tata Safari line at Tata’s Pimpri facility, followed by the Indica project in 1997, Mangesh Kale, managing director, PARI, said, “Automation in India is on the rise. With Cinetic and PARI co-operation we are looking at a win-win situation”. While Kale emphasized that before PARI starte dits operations in India in 1990, automation was expensive and that more than 50 per cent of the processes in India are automated, he added, “Machining automation is on the rise”. For final assembly automation PARI is targeting automakers as well as Tier 1 suppliers and especially with tightening Takt times. 

According to Ranjit, foreign companies did TCF automation until now and PARI is the first company who endeavours to provide TCF automation solutions. PARI is currently the largest robotics and automation solutions provider for the manufacturing industry in India and also provides/exports its solutions to customers like Caterpillar, Honeywell, Emerson, Dow Corning, American Axle Manufacturing, Hitachi Metals, Alfa Laval, Fanuc Robotics, Tata Motors, Maruti, Suzuki, Ashok Leyland, Toyota Kirloskar, Bajaj, Hero Honda, TVS and their component suppliers.

Tata Motors has bagged an order from the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) for 500 non-AC state-of-the-art low-floor, CNG propelled buses. The 500 DTC buses, to be manufactured at Tata Motors' Lucknow centre and delivered from the second half of 2007, will be rear engine driven, besides being fitted with automatic transmission and full pneumatic suspension. 

The buses are suitable for running on the routes of proposed Bus Rapid Transit System, and are expected to contribute to transforming the city traffic system well in time for the Commonwealth Games. This is the single largest order for fully built low-floor buses received by Tata Motors till date. Tata Motors was the first in India to launch modern low-floor and semi low-floor buses in 2005. The buses are also easily accessible to people with physical challenges.

General Motors India will unveil its small car, Chevrolet Spark in India on 17 April. General Motors Corporation Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Rick Wagoner will do the honours. Amongst his other engagements, Mr. Wagoner is likely to call on the Prime Minister and also address a specially-convened joint session of the Confederation of Indian Industry, the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), the American Chamber of Commerce in India (AMCHAM) and Automotive Components Manufacturers Association (ACMA). Mr. Wagoner will also visit the company’s R&D and Engineering Centre in Bangalore before returning to Detroit on 18th April via China. 

GM India is a wholly owned subsidiary of General Motors Corporation. Besides the Chevrolet Optra, GM India manufactures the Chevrolet Tavera, Chevrolet SRV, Chevrolet Aveo U-VA and the Chevrolet Aveo at its state-of-the-art facility in Halol, Gujarat.

Amarpal Sethi, CMD, PIX Transmissions, with Ian Hunter, MD, Flexequip

Nagpur-based Pix Transmissions has acquired Flexequip Hydraulics of UK through its European subsidiary, Pix Europe Limited. Through the acquisition, Pix Transmissions, which specialises in the manufacture of belts and hoses, has reinforced its position as a dynamic force in the European power transmission industry and a major participant in the global fluid power industry. While Pix Transmissions, which was established in 1982 and supplies its products to customers in over 45 years, after acquiring Flexequip Hydraulics is expected to get a competitive edge and offer better flexibility to cater to the markets and customer’s requirement. 

Prior to the acquisition Flexequip was the exclusive distributor of Pix hose products, for UK and Ireland. Christened as Pix-Flexequip Hydraulics Ltd, the new venture can now offer its customers total satisfaction by providing a completely qualified, fully-compatible hose-assembly solutions. According to Amarpal Sethi, CMD, Pix Transmissions, “Our first international acquisition gives us an edge over several other manufacturers by opening new avenues. Our customers would now have a higher level of technical support for all their hydraulic solutions related to hose and assemblies.”