Kalyani Lemmerz (India)Completes Capacity Expansion and Announces New Steel Wheel Facility for Passenger Cars
NORTHVILLE, Mich., Feb. 20, 2007 -- Hayes Lemmerz International, Inc. , today announced that its subsidiary in India, Kalyani Lemmerz Limited, has completed the expansion of its state-of- the-art commercial vehicle steel wheel facility, bringing annual capacity to 800,000. Kalyani Lemmerz expects to add an additional 200,000 units of capacity in future months, bringing the total annual capacity of the facility to 1,000,000 units.
The Company also announced that Kalyani Lemmerz will build a new plant to produce passenger car steel wheels. The plant will be located next to its existing commercial vehicle steel wheel facility and is expected to begin production October 2008. The new manufacturing facility will support 200,000 steel wheels per year with the ability to increase production capacity to 400,000 units in future years.
Kalyani Lemmerz Limited is located in Chakan near Pune, the center of India's automotive components manufacturing industry, approximately 100 miles from Mumbai (Bombay).
"The expansion, both in commercial and passenger car steel wheels, strengthens our presence in the fast-growing India market and also enables us to support our customers around the globe," said Fred Bentley, Chief Operating Office and President of Hayes Lemmerz' Global Wheel Group.
The inauguration of the completed expansion of the commercial wheel plant and a ground breaking ceremony for the passenger car steel wheel facility will be held on Friday, February 23, 2007, at Kalyani Lemmerz. At the ceremony, speakers will include Mr. Fred Bentley, Mr. B.N. Kalyani, Chairman and Managing Director of the Kalyani Group, and Mr. John Stephenson, Vice President of Steel Wheel Operations for Hayes Lemmerz' international wheel facilities.
Hayes Lemmerz owns 85% of the equity in Kalyani Lemmerz Limited. The remaining 15% is held by companies in the Kalyani Group.
Hayes Lemmerz International, Inc. is a leading global supplier of automotive and commercial highway wheels, brakes and powertrain components. The Company has 30 facilities and approximately 8,500 employees worldwide.
Kalyani Group is one of the leading Industrial Houses in India, having diverse business interests in Engineering, Steel, Forgings, Automotive Components, Non Conventional Energy & Specialty Chemicals. The Group's annual sales are $1.5 billion (USD).