Mecaplast opens Indian facility in Chennai

CHENNAI: Mecaplast Group, a 570-million Euro manufacturer of automobile equipment, on Thursday,   launched its first production facility in India at Mahindra World City, Chennai.

The factory has invested nearly Rs 300 million for its initial set-up to manufacture a wide range of plastic engine and body parts for both local and international customers that include Ford, Renault-Nissan, General Motors, Toyota, Volkswagen, BMW, Peugeot, Mercedes-Benz, Fiat, Volvo, etc.

Set up at the DTA (Domestic Tariff Area) of Mahindra World City, the Mecaplast Group has its roots in Monaco, Europe, where it was founded in 1955 by Charles Manni. The group designs, develops and manufactures parts and complete systems for vehicle body and engine.

Mecaplast is a leading provider of the engine technologies, which aid automobile manufacturers to adhere to globally accepted environment norms (Euro IV & Euro V). The company also holds several design patents in their field.

The company boasts of over 5,800 employees based in 14 countries across the world, including 26 production sites, 11 technical centres, state-of-the-art testing centres and two skill centres which serve automotive markets globally.

The Mecaplast Chennai facility currently houses 40 employees. The production plant would primarily manufacture automotive plastic engine parts, exterior and interior parts namely engine air intake systems, coverings and shields, interior and exterior trims, cowl grills, fender liners and other plastic parts.

Thierry Manni, Chairman of the Mecaplast Group, said, ``The company is delighted to set up its first production facility in India. The Indian market holds great promise and we are quite certain that our products and technologies will be well accepted”.