Hubner Group invests about €11 million and expands production capacities for mobility markets in Asia-Pacific.
Hubner India produces among others over 500 gangway systems for Indian Railways (Train 18) and over 800 gangway systems for Indian manufacturer BEML (Mumbai Metro).
A total of 175 people will be employed at the new plant, also to expand local engineering competencies.
The new plant was built as a “green” factory with sustainable materials and local companies.
Bengaluru, NFAPost: With a new plant near Bengaluru, Hubner Group’s Indian subsidiary HUBNER Interface Systems India Pvt. Ltd. is strengthening its presence in India and significantly expanding its production capacities for the mobility markets in the Asia-Pacific region.
HUBNER Interface Systems India Pvt. Ltd. (HIN) moved from its previous location in Dabaspete and commenced operations at the new plant in Malonagathihalli, Nelamangala Taluk near Bengaluru with approximately 125 employees at the end of 2022. With the formal inauguration, the company officials said by the end of 2023 the company will have a total number of employees of around 200.’
For Hubner Group, India is a location with great manufacturing potential for the mobility markets in India itself as well as in the Asia-Pacific region as a whole.
The new plant is part of the “Namma Factory” project (English: Our Factory) which was launched in 2020. The facility has been designed as a “green” factory.
Together with business partners and other guests of honor, company owner Reinhard Hübner, Managing Director Kai Mentel and Site Manager Uwe Sperber took part in the official inauguration ceremonies for the “Namma Factory”.
Speaking at the event, HÜBNER Group Managing Director Kai Mentel said the new ‘Namma Factory’ makes it possible for HÜBNER to operate more effectively, more flexibly and with shorter delivery routes in India’s growing market.
“With local production at the new location, we are not only meeting localization requirements and reliably serving the needs of our customers, we are also strengthening the entire global production network of the HÜBNER Group,” said Hubner Group Managing Director Kai Mentel.
In line with the company’s strategy, HÜBNER Group Managing Director Kai Mentel said the company is also focusing on proximity to customers in India.
“We want to manufacture in India for India. And, as the HÜBNER Group, we aim to strengthen local know-how and to expand local engineering expertise,” said Hubner Group Managing Director Kai Mentel.
Hubner India Site Manager Uwe Sperber said the company is very pleased that ‘Namma Factory’ will really become ‘our factory’ with its official inauguration – in the fullest sense of the word,” emphasizes , Site Manager of HUBNER India.
“With a plant that has been precisely tailored to our needs, we can now run production more independently of supplies from other HÜBNER Group sites and flexibly adjust capacities for our local customers as required,” said Hubner India Site Manager Uwe Sperber
In addition to sewing and assembly steps, complex metalwork is now also possible, including CNC milling, bending and welding.
Including the property acquired in 2016, HÜBNER Group has invested a total of approximately €11 million in the new plant. The plant previously used in Dabaspete were leased and had become too small.
Production for rail projects in India and Oceania
In “Namma Factory”, Hubner will primarily produce gangway systems for rail vehicles. With its products, Hubner is represented in renowned projects throughout the subcontinent. Ongoing major projects include the metros in the Indian capital Delhi and in the financial metropolis of Mumbai, as well as the metro in the Australian city of Sydney.
In addition, a total of 540 gangway systems will be delivered to Indian Railways for the Vande Bharat Express (Train 18) by autumn 2023. Train manufacturer Alstom has also ordered a total of around 400 gangway systems from Hubner India for the new RRTS regional express train and the metro projects Pune, Kanpur & Agra and Bhopal & Indore.
Supplier for Indian Railways, Alstom, BEML and CRRC
Another Hubner India customer is the local manufacturer BEML, which will purchase a total of 800 gangway systems for metro lines 2 and 7 in Mumbai by 2025. For the metro in Bengaluru, whose trains are being built by the world’s largest manufacturer CRRC, HÜBNER is producing 135 gangway systems, plus 70 gangway halves.
Hubner new capabilities become clear when comparing the size of the previous and the new locations. In 2016, Hubner had acquired a 38,000 square meter plot of land for the new plant in Malonagathihalli, Nelamangala Taluk near Bengaluru.
The new building now has a total area of 8,500 square meters, of which 6,500 will be used for production. At the old location, there were only 3,000 square meters to handle all of the company’s processes, and this space was distributed among three locations, which were several kilometers apart from each other.
