Gigastamping And Modular Flexibility

Gestamp is dedicated to creating vehicle parts that are not only safer but also more environmentally friendly, with a strong emphasis on modularity, says Glyn Jones, Country Manager, Gestamp India, in this insightful conversation with Ashish Bhatia.

- Ashish Bhatia

Q. India is no longer just a cost centre, it's being repositioned as a manufacturing and export hub. How does Gestamp view its role in this transformation?

A: You're right. For us, India is not just a market to serve, it’s fast becoming a strategic base for global exports and local innovation. We're increasing our capacity here and making India integral to our global supply chain. The idea is to co-develop solutions with OEMs in India, keeping global scalability in mind. The growth potential is significant, and we're here to stay for the long run.

Q. You're showcasing gigastamping at the facility. What does this mean for OEMs and Gestamp's value proposition?

A: Gigastamping allows us to produce large vehicle body parts in a single step. This reduces part count, improves accuracy, and enhances design flexibility. From an OEM perspective, it helps them cut down on their tooling investments and enables faster time-to-market. In India, we're among the first to implement this advanced technology, offering global capabilities locally. It’s one of the ways we’re helping OEMs address both complexity and cost.

Q. When it comes to drivetrain choices, OEMs today are torn between ICE, electric, and hybrid. How does Gestamp support this uncertainty?

A: Flexibility is the cornerstone of our approach. If an OEM wants to design a battery-electric vehicle or stick with ICE or develop something that accommodates both we step in early to support platform decisions. For example, we can engineer a shared subframe that accepts both engine types. This reduces tooling, shortens assembly time, and brings significant cost savings. It’s about future-proofing the design with modularity.