Minda Revs Up For Electric Future

Nirmal K. Minda leads auto parts maker into the future with investments in electric and other emerging technologies.

- Arnika Thakur

EVERY TWO YEARS, Uno Minda reviews vehicle sales forecasts for next five years as part of long-term planning. It determines the kind of vehicles, engines and fuel technologies—electric, internal combustion, hybrid, hydrogen—expected in the market. It then looks at features and technologies it can offer based on its competency. “We see our kit value across economic, premium and high-end segments, what we can do with our core and adjacent products and what we can add with our new products,” says Nirmal K. Minda, MD and chairman, Uno Minda. In the last few years, the Gurugram-headquartered company has incorporated the PACE (personalisation, autonomous, connected and electric) framework to guide its product development strategy. In keeping with the framework, the 66-year-old company has introduced products such as onboard chargers for EVs, sunroofs in keeping with personalisation trend, wireless chargers and advanced driver assistance systems. Minda says the company was the first to make fully-localised wireless chargers. The company has built a robust portfolio of EV-specific components for two-wheelers and three-wheelers that has helped it secure orders with peak annual value of over ₹3,000 crore from EV OEMs.

The company has 26 product lines, 74 facilities and operates in segments such as switching, lighting, acoustics, seating, casting and aftermarket. It is setting up a unit to make alloy wheels for four-wheelers at Kharkhoda, Haryana, with total investment of ₹542 crore over five years. The plant will have a capacity of 1.2 lakh wheels per month.