Faurecia Interior Systems (FIS) has commenced the construction of its new Rs 50-crore instrument panel (IP) plant in Andhra Pradesh. The greenfield factory is located at Kia Motors India’s component Vendor Park ‘A’ at Ammavaru Palli, Penukonda Tehsil, Anantpur district in Andhra Pradesh.
Faurecia recently bagged the order from Kia Motors for the first time. The IP manufacturer will supply injection moulding and assembly for supply to Hyundai Mobis, which will make the vehicle cockpit for Kia Motors India. Considering the size of the business the company has decided to invest on this new plant and intents to get the plant ready in 180 days. The start of product (SOP) will commence from Q3 of 2019. The new plant will come up in a 12-acre site, in which, 15,000 sq.m. will be utilised in the initial phase.
The new plant in Anantpur will be FIS’s 5th plant. The company has 4 plants (2 in Chennai and 2 in Pune) to manufacture instrument panels (IP), door panels (DP) and centre consoles (CC). It also manufactures kinematic parts, glove boxes, air vents, cup holders, and docking devices.
Currently FIS supplies components to Ford, Renault, Nissan, Hyundai, Tata Motors, Isuzu, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA), and PSA. And now with Kia, the company plans to double its turnover from the current Rs 500 crore in the next 3 years. The company is working hard to bag business from Maruti Suzuki and Honda. The company’s Director Vidyadhar Limaye is confident of winning a programme from India’s largest car manufacturer and continuing its growth story. FIS, on an average, records 25-30% increase in turnover every year.