Kongsberg Automotive Inaugurates New Plant In Fardiabad

Kongsberg Automotive

Norway-headquartered automotive component supplier Kongsberg Automotive has inaugurated its new manufacturing facility in Faridabad, India.

The Norwegian company is a leading supplier of driver and motion control systems, fluid assemblies and industrial driver interface products. It primarily caters to on-highway, passenger cars, off-highway and aftermarket segments.

The company has established its presence in 17 countries globally, employs over 4,700 people in 32 locations and clocked EUR 788 million revenue in 2024.

The new facility primarily manufactures Drive Control Systems (DCS) products – steering columns, cable gear shifters, shift towers and shift-by-wire shifters, among others. Furthermore, the new facility will allow Kongsberg Automotive to expand its production capability for Flow Control Systems (FCS) products.

Robert Pigg, Executive Vice-President of Drive Control Systems, Kongsberg Automotive, said, “This relocation represents a significant step in Kongsberg Automotive’s ongoing journey toward growth and enhanced manufacturing excellence in India.”

The new facility is spread across 6,947 square metres, as compared to its previous plant in the same locality.


 

Carraro India Is Transforming, Innovating And Leading Across Markets And Technologies

Posting a 21 percent revenue growth at INR 16,698 million as compared to INR 13,755 million during the same period last fiscal, Carraro India – a Tier-I solutions provider for axles, transmission systems, gears and other related components – has highlighted that it is transforming, innovating and leading across markets and technologies.

Announcing a 38 PAT increase at INR 889 million (which includes the impact of new labour code of INR 95 million) on the back of robust demand across domestic and export markets, the company has recorded an EBITDA (including other income) at INR 1,765 million, a growth of 28 percent on a year-on-year basis for the nine months’ of FY26 period with margins at 10.6 percent.

Witnessing a ramp-up of the new range of Tele Boom Handlers (TBH) axles for a major international OEM during the period under review (9Ms FY26), underlining healthy traction and strong visibility of sustained growth for the quarters to come, Carraro India also saw new projects with a domestic customer (global and Inda) contribute. This was about Tele Boom Handlers (TBH) family of axles during the respective period. This business too is expected to pan out well over the next quarters.

The company also experienced good traction in the area of backhoe loader transmission and axles. The sales of drivelines to construction equipment customers increased by approximately four percent during the nine months of FY26. It is during this period that construction equipment market declined by around five percent.

Receiving several enquiries for higher HP and technology configurations on the engineering services business side, the company signed an INR 175 million agreement with Montra for industrialisation and supply of e-transmissions.

The acceleration in shift from 2WD to 4WD tractors post GST reduction has resulting in a strong revenue growth during the nine months of FY26. Carraro India is ramping up capacity in anticipation of a sustained demand.

What was perhaps surprising was a subdued gears business performance during the respective period. In the nine months of FY26, a capex of INR 304 million was deployed to support new telescopic handler's axle production, high- performance new transmission range for agricultural applications and to grant incremental capacity for FY26 sales.

“Carraro India is not just performing – it is transforming, innovating and leading across markets and technologies,” said Dr. Balaji Gopalan, Managing Director, Carraro India Limited.

Gulf Oil India Reports INR 761 Million Net Profit For Q3 FY2026

Gulf Oil

Gulf Oil Lubricants India, a Hinduja Group company, has reported record financial results for Q3 FY2026 and 9-month period ending 31 December 2025. The company achieved record highs in quarterly volumes, revenue and EBITDA.

On a consolidated basis, quarterly revenue from operations reached INR 10.17 billion, a 10.56 percent increase compared to the same period last year.

For Q3 FY2026, EBITDA came at INR 1.32 billion, up 7.8 percent, as against INR 1.22 billion last year. Net profit came at INR 761.3 million, down 21.77 percent YoY, as against INR 973.2 million a year ago. The profitability was impacted to estimated obligations of INR 226.4 million for standalone and INR 227.8 million for consolidated financials due to new labour codes effective from 21 November 2025. Additionally, the previous year's Q3 results included a one-time gain of INR 119.7 million from the sale of land and buildings. Excluding these factors, PAT growth was 7.40 percent YoY.

The 9-month consolidated revenue crossed the INR 30 billion mark, which marked a 12.04 percent YoY increase. Net profit came at INR 2.55 billion, down 3.55 percent YoY, as against INR 2.64 billion. 

In terms of business performance, lubricant volume grew by 8 percent, outperforming the industry average. Growth was reported in the B2C segment, led by Passenger Car Motor Oil (PCMO) and Agri sales, and across B2B segments including industrial, infrastructure and mining. The OEM Franchise Workshops business also recorded double-digit growth.

Tirex, the company’s electric vehicle (EV) charging subsidiary, reported top-line growth of 83 percent for Q3 FY2026. The business partnered with Mahindra & Mahindra to establish EV charging stations for a highway initiative.

Ravi Chawla, Managing Director & CEO, Gulf Oil Lubricants India, said, “The quarter has been a strong one for us, with all-time high quarterly Volumes, Revenue, and EBITDA. Demand and sales picked up in the second half of the quarter post the prolonged monsoon and festivities. Overall lubricants volume grew by 8 percent, clearly outperforming industry growth by 2x, supported by double-digit growth in key segments of B2C led by Passenger Car Motor Oil (PCMO) & Agri and across B2B segments.”

Manish Gangwal, Whole-Time Director & CFO, Gulf Oil Lubricants India, said, “Q3 delivered encouraging performance across all key financial parameters, reflecting the strength of our execution capabilities. We recorded healthy double-digit topline growth for both the quarter and the nine-month period, supported by higher volumes and an improved product mix. Stable commodity prices contributed to gross margin expansion, enabling us to achieve our highest-ever quarterly EBITDA of INR 1.3 billion.”

Tata AutoComp Systems

Tier 1 automotive supplier Tata AutoComp Systems has inaugurated two new manufacturing facilities in Sanand, Gujarat. The expansion includes one plant for TM Automotive Seating Systems and another for TACO Air International Thermal Systems.

The commencement of these operations brings Tata AutoComp’s total presence in the Sanand manufacturing hub to more than eight plants. The facilities are intended to support Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), including Tata Motors and the company's export operations.

The new units are part of a strategy to provide proximity to customers and leverage the local vendor ecosystem. This move aims to enable deeper localisation, reduce lead times and increase supply chain resilience for next-generation mobility platforms.

Arvind Goel, Vice-Chairman, Tata AutoComp Systems, said, "These new facilities mark a significant milestone in Tata AutoComp’s strategic growth, enhancing our ability to support OEM partners and respond effectively to evolving platform requirements. Sanand, as a long-term manufacturing hub, provides proximity to key customers and a strong vendor ecosystem, enabling deeper localization, faster lead times, and a more resilient supply chain. We are expanding our capabilities to deliver world-class quality and operational excellence to our customers. Building on this momentum, we plan to establish several additional plants across India this year, further strengthening our footprint and capacity to meet the future needs of the automotive industry."

Manoj Kolhatkar, MD & CEO, Tata AutoComp Systems, added, “These future-ready plants are designed to advance sustainability and deliver auto component solutions aligned with next-generation mobility platforms in India, enabling us to proactively address the evolving needs of our customers and the industry. People, quality, safety and environment will remain the cornerstones of our manufacturing excellence as we expand and set up new plants across the country to Make in India.”

Sudhir Chikhle, Chief Purchasing Officer, Tata Motors (PV & EV), said, "Tata AutoComp has been a valued partner to Tata Motors Limited, consistently demonstrating a strong customer-centric approach, responsiveness, and reliability. Their collaborative mindset and ability to support us across programs have contributed immensely to our operational and business objectives."

Jenender Anand

Nippon Paint India, a member of the NIPSEA Group, has appointed Jenender Anand as Vice-President of its Automotive Refinish (NPIAR) business. Anand will oversee the automotive refinish portfolio in India, as well as operations for Nippon Paint Nepal and the IndoKote business.

The appointment is part of the company's ‘India-focused’ strategy and follows the implementation of a unified operating model. He will report to Sharad Malhotra, Managing Director of the Nippon Paint (India) Group.

Anand comes with over three decades of experience in marketing, business development and operations. He has worked extensively with Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) in the passenger vehicle, commercial vehicle and two-wheeler sectors.

Prior to joining Nippon Paint India, he was the President of the Automotive and Power Cable Vertical at Svarn Group. He has also held senior leadership positions at Exxon Mobil Lubricants India and also worked with Goodyear India, MRF Tyres, Shriram Pistons & Rings and Revolt Motors in the past.

The leadership change is intended to integrate the group’s automotive and industrial segments under a single framework. Anand will be responsible for strategic direction, governance and revenue growth across the designated regions.

Sharad Malhotra said, “Jenender’s appointment strengthens our leadership depth at a critical phase of our India journey. His extensive experience across automotive and industrial ecosystems, combined with his ability to build and integrate high-performing teams, will be valuable as we scale our Indian Automotive Refinish, Nepal and IndoKote businesses under a unified and disciplined operating framework.”

Jenender Anand added, “I view this as a strong platform to drive meaningful impact by leveraging my experience in OEM engagement and strategic market expansion. With a structured approach, I am confident we can unlock new value through operational excellence and stronger customer alignment. I look forward to contributing to the broader organisational vision and driving sustainable revenue growth.”

The move aligns with the group's ‘OneNess’ initiative, which aims to synergise capabilities across its manufacturing and service divisions in India.