Saurer´s new chapter in India

Saurer has handed over its new plant from its developers, Shah & Talati, to the local management team, thus marking the beginning of a new chapter for Saurer in India.

The Saurer Group, driven by the passion for its customers, is on an endeavour to further strengthen its operations in India, one of the most important ring spinning markets of today and tomorrow. July 28 saw the handover of the new plant from its developers, Shah & Talati, to the local management team, thus marking the beginning of a new chapter for Saurer in India. The project, located in Vadodara, Gujarat, spreads across 85,000 m2 of land and houses world-class production facilities for two premium ring spinning brands of Saurer: Zinser & Texparts. The new facility also includes a sourcing hub for the whole group and service stations for several units like Saurer Embroidery, and is built to cater to demands in the domestic as well as international export markets. The official inauguration ceremony is planned for a later date.

When asked about the significance of the new plant and its associated benefits for Saurer in the Indian textile market, Saurer Group CEO, Dr Martin Folini said ¨The Indian market is one of the most important ring spinning markets in the world and with the establishment of our new facility in Vadodara, we would be in a better position to cater to our customer needs.¨ Being close to the customer is essential for speed and the Indian location does not only allow Saurer to supply the Indian market with new speed but also to the essential South East Asian markets. The Saurer Group, has always been driven by the passion for its customers, and consistently invests in innovations that foster customers´ profitability. Dr Folini is very proud of the whole team who made this happen ¨When we announced the land purchase in November 2014 and set the target to move in and start production by end of July 2015, people looked at us in awe. Now the facility is handed over to us and the moving has started. The new project would also see the Saurer Group contribute proudly to Prime Minister Modi´s ?Make in India´ initiative.¨ Ralph Knecht, General Manager of Zinser Ring Spinning unit, has been closely associated with the project. Providing a brief outline of the project, he said ¨The Indian textile market is highly sophisticated with challenging customers. The new project in India would allow us to blend German technology with Indian experience and provide our customers with the latest generation of world class products combined with our passion for innovation and quality.¨ He further added ¨Saurer products have always been well received in India. Domestic manufacturing combined with world class quality and much shorter delivery time will give us clear advantages.¨

Referring to which Zinser products would be manufactured at the new facility, Knecht added ¨In the initial stage, the factory will manufacture the new Zinser models 71 and 72, both for conventional and compact ring spinning. With up to 1920 spindles, this will be the longest ring frame in the world. Next step would see all the variations of Zinser ring spinning machines and superior automation to be produced at the facility making Zinser the only ring spinning machine manufacturer with 4 ring spinning technologies: conventional short staple, compact short staple, conventional long staple and compact long staple. This is also complementing the already existing Zinser speed frame production in India allowing attractive packages including automation.¨

Joerg Spahlinger, CEO of Saurer Components, is highly optimistic about the new project in India. When asked about how the new facility would provide for growth of Saurer Components, he said ¨The new factory in India would facilitate us to produce weighing arms and spindles with a doubled capacity and would also include the addition of a stamping facility within the premises.