Tata Johnson to set up new facility in Bangalore

Pune: Tata Johnson Controls Automotive, a 50:50 joint venture between Tata Auto Components (TACO) and Johnson Controls Inc, plans a facility in Bangalore and is considering units in two other locations.

Mr A. K. Belani, its Chief Executive Officer, said an investment of around Rs 50 crore would be utilised for the three plants one in Bangalore, which has been finalised, and the others at Dharwar and possibly in Rajasthan, which the company is still examining.

The Bangalore facility, which would be operational by the early part of 2010, would caterto the requirements of the Toyota small car and would be located at the Toyota Kirloskar Motors Ltd campus . He said there are six suppliers located within the TKML campus and Tata Johnson was one among them.

He said TJC has signed a lease agreement for land with Toyota.

The Dharwar facility, he said, was in a conceptual stage and would take about a year’s time to be ready. He said it was looking at servicing the Tata Marcopolo venture and would be delivering seats for buses.

The third unit in Rajasthan would be entirely dependent on the Honda Siel Cars venture and would take about six months to be finalised.

Mr Belani said it would also supply the seating system and components for the Tata Nano. He said the construction at Singur was nearing completion and equipment were being putting in place. He said it has also developed certain components for Nano.

He noted that the biggest challenge for the development of components for Nano was the cost and has reduced the weight of the seat. He noted that it has not so far used composites and was currently in talks with Dow Chemicals for composites. “It is still in early stages,” he said. He said a foam plant, currently at the TJC plant in Pune, was being dismantled and was being set up at Singur. The capacity of the foam plant is 150 tonnes a month.

Mr Belani said TJC has signed a joint venture with German-based Isring Hausen for seating system for heavy commercial vehicles. This is a 50:50 joint venture and the authorised capital is Rs 5 crore. Mr Belani said TJC had recorded a revenue of Rs 489 crore last year , of which Rs 400 crore came from the manufacturing segment and the remaining from the engineering unit.