JBM Auto to commission sheetmetal unit in Jan

Delhi-based JBM Auto (JBMA) will commission its sheetmetal manufacturing facility in Nashik in January 2007. The company's investment for setting up the Nashik plant is around Rs 30 crore.

JBM Auto Ltd is an emerging player in the sheet metal components segment. The firm is part of the JBM Group, which specialises in the auto ancillary business. JBMA has 19 manufacturing facilities in the country.

Auto major Mahindra & Mahindra has signed an agreement with JBM Auto to source sheetmetals for its Logan car project.

Accordingly, JBM Auto has bought the electronic division of Crompton Greaves Ltd in the Satpur area of Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) at Nashik, at an undisclosed amount. It has built there a sheetmetal manufacturing facility at an investment of Rs 30 crore.

"Our plant is now ready and we are doing final testing of our manufacturing product. We will start commercial production at our Nashik plant from January," said a company official.

Mahindra-Renault, a 51:49 joint venture between the automobile group Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) and French car-maker Renault, has set up its Logan can plant at Nashik.

Around 50 per cent of parts of Logan will come from Europe, while it will source the rest of the parts from 35 auto component vendors across the country, including 10 vendors from Nashik.

The Mahindra Group has its own sheetmetal manufacturing plant at Nashik - 'Mahindra Ugine Steel Company Ltd' (MUSCO). Mahindra-Renulat will source sheetmetals from MUSCO and JBM Auto.