Kalyani Hayes Lemmerz Ltd, (KHLL) a joint venture between Hayes Lemmerz International, Inc and the automotive component supplier Kalyani group, has developed a passenger car steel wheel rim manufacturing plant at Chakan near Pune. The company has invested Rs 70 crore in this facility. The plant was officially inaugurated today. It has a capacity of producing 20 lakh passenger car wheels per year and it is expandable up to 40 lakh every year.
Speaking on this occasion, Baba Kalyani, Chairman, Kalyani Group said, "We can see the three to four fold jump in automobile sector. The business is shifting to east and we are committed to meet the demands from global market. The automotive market in India is growing at a rapid pace and Kalyani Hayes Lemmerz is addressing this market with and high technology to meet requirements of the domestic and international customers."According to KHLL, out of the 20 lakh annual capacity of passenger car wheel rims, 17 lakh is already booked for major domestic and international car OE’s like Fiat, Tata Motors, Mahindra & Mahindra, VW-India, VW-USA, VW-Mexico, VW-China, Ford India and Renault Nissan India.The Company has extended its product range from 16-inch to 24-inch wheels, and currently is the producer of the largest wheel rims in the Indian Market (for 24-inch). Fred Bentley, COO and president, Global Wheel Group, Hayes Lemmerz Int. Inc. said, "The automotive market will continue to grow and today, we are in a position to handle the market. If this grows well, the third segment of motorcycle wheel rims will also grow in India." Kalyani Hayes Lemmerz will develop and export specialized wheel rims for commercial vehicle companies like Daimler Benz, Volvo Trucks and Iveco, Spain.