R ARIVANANTHAM
CHENNAI, NOV 25
Leading manufacturer of high-precision injection moulding machines – Shibaura Machine India Private Limited (SMI), a subsidiary of Japan’s Shibaura Machine (formerly Toshiba Machine) has announced investment of Rs 225 crore for expanding its current facility at Chembarambakkam near Chennai.
As part of its expansion programme, SMI’s parent company Shibaura Japan pumping the entire fund for expansion. The company laid the foundation stone for the second plant at a sprawling 11.3 acre land on Thursday in the presence of Pooja Kulkarni, Managing Director and CEO, Guidance Tamil Nadu; Yokio Iimura, Chairman, Shibaura Machine Group, Japan, Shigetomo Sakamoto, President, Hiroaki Ota, Chief Finance Officer and M Kumar, Managing Director, SMI.
- Fresh investment is set to increase the annual manufacturing capacity from about 1,200 machines to 3,200 machines per annum
- SMI is the very first unit outside Japan to have been recognised with the prestigious Shibaura Machine’s President Award for its performance and technology innovation
Announcing the fresh investments at a press conference, Yokio Iimura, Chairman, Shibaura Machine Group, Japan said, “The entire fund is pumped in by the parent company.”
Replying to a query, Yokio Iimura said, “The SMI is generating 5% of the total earnings of Shibaura Group and hope it would be doubled soon. SMI’s exports account for 10% of the total exports and it would be doubled soon after the second unit comes into operation.”
When asked about direct and indirect employment generation from the second unit, he said already 300 persons were on board and additional manpower will be recruited in the near future, he added.
Shigetomo Sakamoto, President, Shibaura Machine Group, Japan, said, “India has been a strategic investment destination for us, and it represents a growing market for our products. However, what makes the country even more attractive is its skilled and dedicated people. Over the years, the teams in Japan and India have nurtured a strong and fruitful partnership – as a result, SMI is able to carry out improvements in manufacturing processes, increase production, and bring to market the latest Japanese technology, all quite effectively and quickly. SMI is the very first unit outside Japan to have been recognised with the prestigious Shibaura Machine’s President Award for its performance and technology innovation. The Indian unit has won this coveted prize twice in three years. We are confident of what our Indian team can achieve in design, manufacturing, and customer service, in the years to come. We are equally committed to the government’s Make in India program. Our fresh investment will see doubling of production capacity, and rapid strides in the adoption of advanced material technology, control, mechatronics, and IoT in our Indian factories, in the next three years.”
M Kumar, Managing Director, SMI, said, “As we celebrate our 10th anniversary, we remember the tremendous faith our parent company, Shibaura Machine Co., Ltd has reposed trust on us, and their support in our growth. Since the takeover in 2012, SMI carried out improvements in manufacturing processes and increased its production capacity from 600 to 1200 machines per year and sales revenue tripled. We have made steady progress year after year, and have crossed the milestone of selling our 10,000th machine in 2019 and13,000th machine in Oct 2022. With the new investment, we will continue to grow our capacity and team. We will add new products, and increase our customer base, buoyed by the track record of being able to meet varied requirements of our customers and the stringent standards of importing countries USA, Africa, Middle East, South & Southeast Asia.”
