Mann-Hummel inaugurates its subsidiary in Tumkur

Bangalore Aug 17: Mann+Hummel today announced the inauguration of their 100 per cent subsidiary company Mann and Hummel Filter Private Limited in Tumkur in Karnataka.

The company concentrated on the sale of Mann-Filter products to automotive and industrial aftermarket, as well as Indian Original Equipment Manufacturer business and in all other fields of activity of the Mann+Hummel Group.

In July the production of filter elements for the automotive and industrial aftermarket started at a joint venture company set up with the Bosch Group in 2005. The plant would house up to 250 employees in the coming months.

The expansion of the Indian business was an important milestone within the Group's strategic activities, a company release here said.

Mann+Hummel, development partner and original equipment supplier to the international automotive and mechanical engineering industries, was focusing attention on consistent globalisation and internationalisation to strengthen its world-wide competitiveness and market access.

Mann+Hummel's global strategy included as third support column, Asia, in addition to Europe, with its borders extending eastward, and America, which included the NAFTA region, Brazil and Argentina, together with China, Japan and Korea. India played an important role in the Asian strategy of the company, the release said.

Mr Peter Wink, Managing Director, India Operations, said in the release ''India is already the fourth-largest automotive market in Asia, with continuing strong upward trends. In industrial countries such as Japan, the USA and Germany, there are approximately 400-500 vehicles per 1,000 people, and in India, it is between five and six.

It will take a long time, therefore, before market saturation.'' He said India was one of the fastest growing automotive markets in the world, and the fifth most important economic power.

Vehicle sales had increased on an average by 20 per cent every year since 2002, twice as fast as the growth in gross domestic product.

This huge potential in the automotive market itself could drive demand for Mann+Hummel in India, he added.

Product range of the company included fuel, oil, air and cabon filters, as well as air drying boxes.

UNI