JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #51 - September 2009 - 15

in partnership with JEC Composites E-letter Mahindra Composites sets out to capture new markets To develop, Mahindra Composites doesn’t rely only on its domestic market or its affiliation with the huge industrial group, Mahindra & Mahindra. It is counting on innovation and the capture of new markets. ahindra Composites Ltd is one of the 110 companies in the Indian group Mahindra & Mahindra. This huge group has sales of US$6.7 billion and covers 10 different business sectors, including auto parts conglomerate Systech. Mahindra Composites, which is affiliated with Systech, specializes in the production of composite parts, mostly SMC/DMC moulded. Electrical applications account for 70% of its business and the automotive sector, for 15%; the rest is mainly in medical, transportation, and defence applications. M More information 1982: Established by M&M with SICOM 1986: Know-how from Menzolit, Germany 1987-89: Plant set up in Mangaon 1996: ISO 9001 accreditation (DNV) Commercial production 1989: SMC/DMC compounds and components 1999: RTM and hand lay-up 2000: UL-approved SMC and DMC formulations Export to USA 2001: Hand lay-up 2004: Tools 2005: Compression-moulded components 2004: Set up of Pune plant 2006: Change of name, October is at Mangaon, about 150 km south of Mumbai on the Goa highway; it specializes in SMC (Sheet Moulding Compound) and DMC (Dough Moulding Compound) compounding, compression moulding, hand lay-up, RTM (Resin Transfer Moulding), painting and prototyping. The second one is at Pune, 160 km southeast of Mumbai, and reachable by expressway; besides its fourpress compression moulding shop and concept/engineering services, it also serves as the company headquarters. This site will soon be equipped with three new presses – 150, 250 and 1,000 metric tons (MT) – to enable the company to meet new demand. The two sites have a com- bined SMC capacity of about 10,000 MT. The Pune site has 35 employees The larger Mangaon site has 75. A total of 15 people work in R&D, design, and chemistry. About 20% of production goes for export, mostly to the United States, but with a small part to Europe. While its growth (around 40% over the past three years) is driven mainly by its domestic market, Mahindra Composites pays attention to what is going on internationally. The company is currently engaged in discussions with a Japanese company for a subcontracting agreement. It also looks for growth outside the Mahindra & Mahindra group. Besides its composite parts processing activities, Mahindra Composites also markets the compound that it produces – 60% for sale, the rest for its own use. The site will soon be equipped with three new presses. Nachiket K. Thakur, General Manager, Product Design and development and Prashant Shrawak, Manager-Marketing confident in the development of the company. Recognized know-how Mahindra Composites Ltd (formerly Siro Plast Ltd) was established in 1982 as part of a technical co-operation with Menzolit, Germany. The company went on to develop specific materials for the Indian market. Among its most A key player Mahindra Composites has a highly effective and versatile production tool, thanks to its two production plants. One No51 September 2009 / jec composites magazine 15

JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #51 - September 2009

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #51 - September 2009