The new facility is more than an expansion — it’s the long-term foundation Witzenmann is building to make India one of its future flagship hubs worldwide.
Witzenmann India has broken ground on a new facility in Chennai—the largest milestone in its 25-year journey in India. Speaking at the ceremony, a fifth-generation member of the founding family Mr. Phiip Paschen, who is also the Chief Operations Officer & Deputy Chairman of the Management Board, said the expansion reflects strong confidence in India’s growth and Witzenmann India’s rising success. “This investment displays a tremendous amount of trust that we as a shareholding family and directors place into Witzenmann India, its employees, leadership and into the future of the Indian economy as a whole,” he added.
The company has outgrown its current site and is making a bold, strategic move to relocate and scale operations, backed by unanimous support from global shareholders. Positioned as the company’s biggest overseas construction project, the new plant aims to become a centre of excellence in Asia and a key driver of future profitability. “This large-scale project (creating 20,000 sqm production space, relocating 700 machines, housing 500+ employees) provides valuable experience for the Indian project, which is the company’s largest overseas construction endeavour,” Mr. Paschen added.
Mr. Michael Hasper, Consul General, Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Germany, Chennai, said, “Family-owned companies like Witzenmann do not invest for next quarter but for next generation.” Witzenmann India has begun construction of a new manufacturing facility in Palur, Tamil Nadu, marking a major expansion of its operations after nearly 25 years in the country. The German engineering group, a global leader in flexible metallic elements, is scaling up capacity to serve India’s fast-growing automotive and industrial sectors. The move reflects strong confidence in Tamil Nadu’s industrial ecosystem and in India’s economic trajectory. It also underscores the deepening ties between Germany and India, with companies on both sides increasingly collaborating, investing, and building long-term partnerships, he added.
Mr. Matthias Wode, VP – Facility Management, Witzenmann Group, said, Witzenmann India has begun a major expansion after outgrowing its long-time facility, securing a 90,000 sq. m plot—larger than its German headquarters—to build two modern production buildings totalling nearly 20,000 sq. m. Designed jointly by Indian and German experts, the new site will house almost the entire Witzenmann product portfolio for automotive, commercial vehicle and industrial customers. The project, now in the tendering stage with construction already underway, is expected to be completed within 30 months. The company sees this as a long-term foundation for growth in India and one of the future flagship locations in the global Witzenmann network.
Mr. Ranjit Prathap, Chairman of Southern Regional Council of IGCC, praised Witzenmann transformation from a small family venture into a fast-growing company, backed by bold long-term investment from its German leadership. He urged the team to scale beyond their current facility and evolve into a major export player from India, expressing strong confidence in the company’s future.
Mr. BS Karthic, Managing Director, Witzenmann India, highlighted the strong turnout at the event despite just 15 days of preparation, with the speaker expressing gratitude to customers, partners, dignitaries, and internal teams supporting the Group’s “Incredible India” project. Special thanks were extended to project leaders and predecessors whose efforts laid the foundation for the company’s next phase of growth in Chennai.