- The HÜBNER Group has invested about Euro 11 million and is expanding production capacities for mobility markets in Asia-Pacific.
- HUBNER India produces (among other things) over 500 gangway systems for Indian Railways (Train 18) and over 800 gangway systems for Indian manufacturer BEML Limited (Mumbai Metro). A total of 175 people will be employed at the new plant, expanding local engineering competencies.
- The new plant has been built as a green factory with sustainable materials and local components.
With a new plant, the HÜBNER Group is strengthening its presence in India and significantly expanding its production capacities for the mobility markets in the Asia-Pacific region. Together with business partners and other guests of honour, company owner Reinhard Hübner, managing director Kai Mentel and site manager Uwe Sperber participated in the official inauguration ceremonies for the Namma Factory.
“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,” says Mentel. “With local production at the new location, we are not only meeting localisation requirements and reliably serving the needs of our customers, but are also strengthening the entire global production network of the HÜBNER Group,” he adds.
A production location with great prospects
For HÜBNER, India is a location with immense manufacturing potential for the mobility markets within India itself as well as in the broader Asia-Pacific region. “In line with our strategy, we are also focusing on proximity to our customers in India,” emphasises Mentel. “We want to manufacture in India for India. As the HÜBNER Group, we aim to strengthen local know-how and expand local engineering expertise.”
HÜBNER’s Indian subsidiary, HUBNER Interface Systems India Private Limited 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. By the end of 2023, the number of employees is expected to increase to around 175.
Adapting capacities to meet customer needs
The new plant is part of the Namma Factory project, which was launched in 2020. The facility has been designed as a green factory. “We are very pleased that the Namma Factory will really become ‘our factory’ with its official inauguration – in the fullest sense of the word,” says Sperber. “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,” he adds. In addition to sewing and assembly steps, complex metalwork is now possible, including CNC milling, bending and welding.
Including the property acquired in 2016, the HÜBNER Group has invested about Euro 11 million in the new plant. The plant that was previously leased and used in Dabaspete had become too small.
Production for rail projects in India and Oceania
In the Namma Factory, HÜBNER will primarily produce gangway systems for rail vehicles. HÜBNER’s products have been represented in renowned projects throughout the subcontinent. Ongoing major projects include the metros in the Indian capital of Delhi and in the financial metropolis of Mumbai, as well as the metro in Sydney, Australia. 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 regional rapid transit system train and the metro projects in Pune, Kanpur and Agra, and Bhopal and Indore.
Supplier for Indian Railways, Alstom, BEML and CRRC
Another HUBNER India customer is the local manufacturer BEML Limited, which will purchase a total of 800 gangway systems for metro lines 2 and 7 in Mumbai by 2025. For the metro in Bengaluru, which is being built by the world’s largest manufacturer, the China Railway Rolling Stock Corporation, HÜBNER is producing 135 gangway systems and 70 gangway halves.
HÜBNER’s new capabilities become clear when comparing the size of the previous and the new locations. In 2016, HÜBNER had acquired a 38,000 square metre 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 metres, of which 6,500 square metres will be used for production. At the old location, there was only 3,000 square metres to handle all of the company’s processes, which was distributed among three locations, several kilometres apart from each other.
Local companies build with sustainable materials
For the construction of the new plant, HÜBNER relied on the expertise of a consulting company for resource-saving construction. It now proudly holds a platinum green building certificate. As little soil as possible was moved at the construction site. After completing the work, the contracted construction company CICON Engineers Private Limited handed over the building to HUBNER India on schedule in November 2022.
“When building the Namma Factory, it was important to us from the outset to use sustainable materials and engage local companies and suppliers whenever it was possible and made sense,” says Bettina Kraft, HÜBNER project manager of the Namma Factory. “It was equally important to us that with the new plant we offer our employees a workplace where they can feel comfortable thanks to optimal ventilation and plenty of daylight.”
DP World Cochin hosts inaugural call of “Malabar” service to enhance connectivity with the Middle East
- The new service will be operated by Mediterranean Shipping Company and is vital for enhancing South India’s connectivity to the Middle East.
- The Malabar service will have four vessels of 2,400 TEU capacity.
DP World, a leading global provider of smart end-to-end logistics, welcomed the newly launched weekly “Malabar” service at its state-of-the-art International Container Trans-shipment Terminal. The new service will be operated by Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) and is vital to enhancing South India’s connectivity to the Middle East.
The Malabar service will have four vessels of 2,400 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU) capacity. The maiden vessel, M.V. MSC Krittika, reached DP World’s terminal in Cochin on April 6, 2023. The new service will provide direct and seamless connectivity between Cochin, Mundra, Karachi, Jebel Ali, Abu Dhabi, Kuwait (with Shuwaikh Port), Qatar (with Hamad Port) and Sri Lanka (Colombo). This will create a faster, and more stable and reliable service for traders across the India-Middle East corridor, leveraging the strong partnerships between the two regions to boost economic growth.
Commenting on this new service, Praveen Joseph, chief operating officer, DP World Cochin, said, “We are committed to expanding trade routes through more direct services, and are focused on continuously improving our operations to serve our customers better. The newly launched Malabar service by our valued customer MSC will play an integral role in strengthening bilateral trade between India and Middle Eastern countries. In addition, this service will enable Indian exporters to have deeper and wider access to markets in the Middle East region.”
The Malabar service will be the third weekly service sailing for the Middle East from DP World Cochin. The port terminal is capable of handling post-Panamax ships. In February 2023, the 605-metre-long terminal reached the monumental milestone of successfully handling 6 million TEU for the first time since its inception in 2011.