Japan’s Ashimori Industry has yet to make a seatbelt in India but is already planning to triple production from December 2011, nine months after its new plant in Neemrana in the north western state of Rajasthan begins output next March.
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The supplier set up local subsidiary Ashimori India in 2009 and is building the plant in the Japanese zone of the Rajasthan State Industrial Development & Investment Corporation supplier park in Neemrana. This is a unique specific country-oriented industrial complex not seen elsewhere in India.
The will begin making seatbelts for Maruti Suzuki. Initial output will be 20,000 driver and front passenger sets a month but the addition of rear belts and a production boost will take output to nearly 60,000 sets a month. Ashimori expects to invest US$14.3m in Indian production and hopes to generate sales of at least about $6m in the first year.
The subsidiary will also eventually make airbags. It also plans to target other Japanese automakers operating in India after Suzuki.
Meanwhile, in Japan, Ashimori will concentrate production of seatbelts for Mazda at a factory in Yamaguchi and also use that facility to make airbags for the automaker.
