Portugal-headquartered Sodecia Group has inked a strategic long-term partnership with German automotive supplier Huf Group. Sodecia is set to acquire a minority stake in Huf Group along with commitment to increase its shareholding by 2028.

Furthermore, Sodecia will provide significant funds and enable Huf to execute its future growth strategy, along with Rui Monteiro, CEO and owner of Sodecia, will also become the new CEO of Huf next year.

It was last year that Huf had begun the search for a strategic partner to attain its growth targets in line with its new corporate strategy ‘Grow beyond’. Sodecia is set to acquire 30 percent initially of Huf's shares and in return will provide significant shareholder funds to execute future growth strategy.

The partners have further agreed that by 2028 Sodecia will acquire majority of Huf’s shares. All the while, Huf will continue to operate as a separate entity, headquartered in Velbert, Germany and with representatives of the Huf founding families Hulsbeck and Furst as part of Huf’s advisory board. Dirk Fischer will support Monteiro as the COO and Rainer Heupel as CFO.

Ulrich Hulsbeck, Chairman of the Huf Advisory Board, said, “Sodecia is the ideal partner for Huf. The family-owned company from Portugal has extensive expertise and resources that will enable Huf to not only strengthen its operational excellence, but also to invest in even more innovative car access and authorisation solutions.”

Florian Graf, Deputy Chairman of the Huf Advisory Board and a descendant of the second Huf shareholder and founder family (Furst), added, “We have built a very solid foundation of trust with those in charge at Sodecia and in particular with Rui Monteiro over the past months. We are pleased that Monteiro will take over the role of CEO at Huf next year. Tom Graf will leave Huf on 31 December 2024. We would like to thank Graf for his successful work over the last six years restructuring Huf and wish him all the best for the future.”

Rui Monteiro, CEO and Owner, Sodecia, stated, “Huf has enormous potential and I am looking forward to working with its employees. Huf has full order books, a future-proof product portfolio and dedicated teams worldwide. With Huf, we are gaining an established, global partner for the Sodecia Group with high reputation at automotive manufacturers and also known for top quality. The entire Sodecia Group and thus our customers, but also other partners worldwide will benefit from it.”

Huf Group has established its presence in 17 locations in Europe, America and Asia. It is a leading supplier of mechanical, electronic and software solutions for the global automotive industry.

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  - Davide Felice Fontana April 04, 2025 18:38 PM

  Un 👍 al nuovo" CEO - Rui Monteiro " per l'acquisizione di " Huf " operaio : " Sodecia Automotiv Turin - Chivasso 🇮🇹 "

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Pune-headquartered automotive supplier Varroc has appointed Avinash Chintawar as its new Chief Operating Officer (COO) for Business I, effective 15 October 2025. He will report to Arjun Jain, Whole Time Director & CEO – Business I.

In his new role, Chintawar will oversee the Operations Vertical within Business I, with a focus on strengthening efficiencies and performance.

Prior to joining, Varroc, Chintawar served as Managing Director of Bosch Chassis Systems India and as Chairman of Bosch India Foundation. He previously held leadership positions within the Bosch Group, including Director of Operations at Robert Bosch Bamberg (Germany) and Managing Director at Bosch Electrical Drives India. He holds a Bachelor of Engineering from Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology.

Jain, said, “We are delighted to welcome Avinash to the Varroc leadership team. His extensive experience and deep understanding of achieving operational excellence align perfectly with our needs as we drive the next phase of our growth. I am confident that under his leadership our operation will scale new heights of efficiency and sustainability.”

Chintawar, said, “I am excited to join Varroc at a time when the industry is undergoing such dynamic change. I look forward to working closely with the team to enhance operational excellence and contribute to its vision of sustainable and future-ready growth.”

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German tier 1 supplier ZF Group has secured a significant contract to supply its 430mm heavy-duty clutch systems to one of India’s leading commercial vehicle manufacturers.

The clutch systems, the company shared, is custom-engineered and manufactured locally, specifically adapted to meet the rigorous demands of Indian operating conditions and will power the OEM's higher horsepower engine platforms for both domestic and select export models.

The agreement, signed in May 2025, involves the supply of several thousand units, with the Start of Production (SOP) scheduled for mid-2026. The clutches will be produced at ZF's Chakan plant in Pune, reinforcing the Group's strategy to strengthen its regional manufacturing capabilities and commitment to localisation in India.

The new clutch system is designed for robust performance and features advanced lining materials that promise up to 20 percent longer clutch life, aiming to reduce maintenance costs and optimise the total cost of ownership for fleet operators. It is also designed to be compatible with both Manual Transmission (MT) and Automated Manual Transmission (AMT) systems.

Akash Passey, President - Region India, ZF Group, said, “ZF’s strategic focus on localisation and innovation for the Indian market, is reconfirmed with this business win. With our globally proven technological expertise and leveraging the strong local manufacturing footprint in India, our customers can access advanced technologies that meet global standards while being tailored for their markets. This win highlights our commitment to strengthening India’s role as a key hub in ZF’s commercial vehicles business.”

Paramjit Singh Chadha, Senior Vice President - CVS Division (India), ZF Group, said, “This business win is a strong endorsement of our advanced heavy-duty clutch technology which perfectly addresses the demanding operating conditions in India. This 430mm clutch system offers superior durability, optimised performance and compatibility with future-ready driveline architectures, including AMT. By localising production at our Chakan facility, we reinforce our commitment to the ‘Make in India’ vision and supporting our customers’ growth ambitions for both domestic and export markets.”

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French automotive component supplier OPmobility is accelerating its growth in India, with the strategic goal of more than doubling its sales by 2030.

The Group recently inaugurated its new facility Badhalwadi, Maharashtra and has commenced construction of another plant in Kharkhoda, Haryana. It already operates five plants in the country, is strengthening both its production footprint and its engineering and digital capabilities.

OPmobility is structured into four complementary business groups: exterior and lighting systems, complex modules, energy storage systems and battery and hydrogen electrification solutions, allowing it to offer a comprehensive range of mobility solutions. The company is a significant global player, reporting an economic revenue of EUR 11.6 billion in 2024. To meet the challenges of sustainable mobility, OPmobility relies on its 38,900 employees operating across a vast network of 150 plants and 40 R&D centres worldwide.

The Badhalwadi site is OPmobility’s first in India to integrate production capacities for both exterior systems and energy storage systems in one location. Furthermore, the facility is equipped with solar panels that supply 35 percent of its energy needs and predominantly employs women.

The Kharkhoda plant, which broke ground in August 2025, will focus on producing energy storage systems and is scheduled to begin operations in early 2026. This expansion comes as India's vehicle output is forecast to grow by an average of per year between 2025 and 2030. Currently, over one in three vehicles sold in India is equipped with OPmobility components.

Beyond manufacturing, OPmobility is boosting its engineering and digital presence to meet growing demand from both local and global customers. This includes operating four R&D centres that support both the Indian business and worldwide markets. The Group has also established an OP’nSoft software centre in Bengaluru, Karnataka, to enhance its dedicated software entity.

Laurent Favre, Chief Executive Officer, OPmobility, said, "India is a strategic country for OPmobility, with a fast-growing automotive industry and as a platform of skilled workforce. Having developed strong historical partnerships with international and Indian automotive manufacturers, who benefit from a dynamic domestic and international demand, the Group aims at more than doubling its sales in the country by 2030. This will notably contribute to one of the pillars of our strategy, which is the geographical diversification of our sales. The reinforcement of our engineering, digital and software capacities in the country allows us to improve our overall competitiveness in engineering in all our countries and to continue to enhance our performance.”

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Laufenberg GmbH, a specialist in coating technologies, and WEVO-CHEMIE GmbH, an expert in polyurethane, epoxy and silicone materials, have jointly introduced an innovative manufacturing process that promises to enhance the scalability and reduce the costs of hydrogen technology components. This new method addresses the limitations of conventional sealing production for fuel cell and electrolyser stacks, which has traditionally depended on prefabricated flat gaskets or molded O-rings. These established techniques are inherently discontinuous, requiring individual moulds that result in a manufacturing process that is both time-intensive and costly. The collaborative solution from Laufenberg and Wevo enables the continuous, high-throughput, roll-to-roll production of flat elastomer gaskets. This breakthrough offers manufacturers a scalable path to lower expenses while simultaneously facilitating more efficient and automated production processes for critical hydrogen infrastructure like fuel cells, electrolysers and redox flow batteries.

The core of this new technique involves applying WEVO’s specially formulated two-component liquid elastomers onto a carrier film using Laufenberg’s precision coating equipment. This coated material then travels through a multi-zone curing oven, where temperature is meticulously controlled. An optional pre-curing stage with infrared emitters can be employed to accelerate the process and eliminate air bubbles. The line operates at variable speeds, offering immense production flexibility and the final product is supplied either on large rolls or as precision-die-cut gaskets, ready for installation.

This advanced process accommodates a wide range of specifications, producing pure elastomer seals with thicknesses from a minimal 20 micrometres up to two millimetres. By combining the elastomer with a carrier film, hybrid seals can be created with total thicknesses reaching four mm, catering to demands for both ultra-thin and highly robust sealing solutions. The carrier film can either be removed after curing or remain integrated to provide enhanced structural stability, which is particularly beneficial for softer sealant materials.

Leveraging WEVO’s long-standing expertise in developing low-permeation silicones and polyurethanes, the material properties can be precisely tailored to the application. This joint development marks a significant evolution from traditional liquid dispensing methods towards the efficient production of pre-fabricated, high-performance gaskets. For manufacturers, this innovation represents a critical step forward in streamlining the production of essential components for the hydrogen economy. Representatives from both companies will be available at upcoming industry events to discuss integration and material selection.

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