JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #36 - October 2007 - 10

COMPANIES Class-A composite body panels in India* Automotive Composite Systems International Limited (ACSI) provides comprehensive composite solutions for the automotive and electrical equipment industries and is a leading producer of class-A composite body panels in India. T he company is a joint venture between Tata AutoComp Systems Limited (TACO) and Owens Corning, Inc., USA. ACSI also has a technological tie-up with MenzolitFibron for the manufacture of SMC. Global business With 23 facilities, including 15 manufacturing plants, four engineering centres, and three export-oriented units & operations in Europe, the USA and China, TACO is rapidly expanding its business globally in a host of areas in auto components. Currently, the group designs and manufactures a wide variety of components including seating systems, interior and exterior plastic parts, wiring harnesses, aluminium radiators, lighting systems, engine induction systems, brake discs and braking systems, rear view mirrors, control cables, exhaust systems, sheet metal assemblies, SMC parts, vehicle tracking systems, suspensions, coil springs and automotive batteries. Fast-growing group Tata AutoComp Systems Limited, backed by the Tata Group, is among India’s largest and fastest growing auto component groups. The group provides products and services in the field of auto components to global automotive customers including Ashok Leyland, Daimler Chrysler, Fiat, Ford, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, John Deere, Mahindra and Mahindra, Piaggio,Tata Motors, Toyota, Volvo and Volkswagen. TACO has capabilities in automotive interiors and plastics, stamping and assemblies, engineering, and supply chain management. The company also has 17 joint ventures in partnership with leading companies from the global auto component industry viz Johnson Controls, Faurecia, Yazaki Corporation, T.Rad, Visteon, Knorr Bremse, Ficosa, Yutaka Giken, Sungwoo Hitech, Owens Corning, Menzolit Fibron, MobiApps Holdings, Hendrickson, Stadco, Chuo Springs and GYIN. State-of-the art technology The processing methods used are SMC (Sheet Moulding Compounds), BMC (Bulk Moulding Compounds) and LFT (Long Fibre Thermoplastics). LFT is a thermoplastic polymer reinforced with fibres longer than 1mm (usually glass fibres longer than 20 mm). This state-of-the-art material was developed in Germany barely ten years ago by Menzolit Fibron GmbH, ACSI’s technology partners, and Dieffenbacher. ACSI is working closely with Menzolit Fibron and Dieffenbacher to develop valueadded LFT applications in both class-A body panels and structural parts. LFT has the additional advantages of faster cycle times (less than 60 seconds) and the ability to be recycled 100% online for almost zero process wastage. technical collaboration with Faurecia Industrie, France. It can provide world-class interior and exterior products with contemporary styling and finish. The main components produced include cockpit assemblies, injection-moulded plastic components and assemblies, instrument panels/dashboards, air vents, door trims, ABC pillars, interior trims/centre consoles/floor consoles, and grab handles/door pulls. Interior component surfaces can be moulded, fabric bonded, colour painted, soft painted, cubic printed or in-mould decorated, among other finishes. Exterior components cover injection-moulded plastics parts and assemblies such as bumpers, body side mouldings, spoilers, grilles, bumper guards, footsteps, hoods, tailgates, spare wheel covers, etc. The company also manufactures under-the-hood components such as surge and radiator tanks. ACSI has modern testing equipment to ensure the quality of the final products. Its testing capabilities include: glass/filler content, burning test to check fibre orientation/flow, air entrapment, thickening behaviour, specific gravity, moisture content, heat ageing, surface weight and paint adhesion. The presses are CNC-controlled with 20micron accuracy (JIS-1) and parallelism control for class-A finish. The ACSI plant near Pune ensures quality by complying with standards such as QS 9000 and ISO 9001, and by using methods such as 5S, Kaizen and Kanban. More information: Wide range of products Class-A composite body panel www.tacogroup.com/businessunits/acsi/index.htm The company manufactures a variety of products at its state-of-the-art plant in * In partnership with FRP TODAY / Provided by K. R. Pillai - Editor JEC Composites Magazine / No36 October - November 2007

http://www.tacogroup.com/businessunits/acsi/index.htm

JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #36 - October 2007

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #36 - October 2007