Faurecia, a global leader in providing engineering solutions and automotive components, recently inaugurated its state-of-the-art TechCenter in Bangalore dedicated to Faurecia Emissions Control Technologies. The inauguration took place in the presence of Mr. Christophe Schmitt, Executive Vice President, Mr. Luc Herbin, Vice President in charge of R&D, and Mr. Mahmood Ashraf, General Manager, Bangalore TechCenter.
The TechCenter is designed to accommodate some 200 of India’s brightest automotive engineers. It supports global engineering teams in the design and validation of the entire product range. The technical team will facilitate design and validation of emissions control systems for programs in Europe, North America, South America and Asia. Spread over 30,000 sq.ft., it has a capacity to accommodate up to 360 engineers.
Faurecia Emissions Control Technologies currently operates three manufacturing plants in India, in Pune, Chennai and Bangalore. These sites produce hot-end, cold-end, manifold, welded and lock-seam muffler boxes, spun mufflers, bent pipes for Ford, Hyundai, Nissan, Toyota, Tata and Cummins.
Boasting 30 R&D centers and 5,500 engineers and technicians located throughout the world’s major regions for automobile production, Faurecia offers innovative product and process solutions that are instrumental in ensuring the safety, reliability, comfort, appeal and regard for the environment that characterize its customers’ vehicles. Globally, Faurecia registered 460 patents filed by over 300 experts in 67 different expertise fields in 2012.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Christophe Schmitt, Executive Vice President, Faurecia Emissions Control Technologies, said: “Faurecia is the largest emissions control technologies supplier in the world. India has emerged as a very important market for Faurecia, and we are investing in India rapidly so as to introduce the latest emissions control technologies over the next five years in view of adapting our products to the evolving Indian legislations (Bharat-IV & Bharat-V).”
Mr. Luc Herbin, Vice President, R&D, Faurecia Emissions Control Technologies, observed: “The Bangalore TechCenter is a fully-owned subsidiary of Faurecia and an R&D centre for Faurecia Emissions Control Technologies. The center reports to the Global R&D management team in the headquarters and hence is an instrumental part of our global R&D and engineering footprint.”
Mr. Mahmood Ashraf, R&D Head, Bangalore TechCentre, said: “The Bangalore TechCenter has seen accelerated growth over the years and is positioned as a strategic asset supporting our global emissions control engineering operations. It supports engineering, global sourcing, engineering systems and IT activities.”
Faurecia entered India in 1995 with its emissions control business in Nasik. Currently, Faurecia is headquartered in Pune and has two R&D centers in the country, one in Pune and the other in Bangalore.