Anglo-Indian partnership enables Warwickshire manu...

An automotive component manufacturer in Warwickshire has extended its range of products and operations by setting up a joint venture with an Indian manufacturer. The new partnership enables the company to make parts for the automotive supply chain in both the UK and India for distribution across the world. 

The Autins Group (www.autins.co.uk) and Indica Industries have joined together to set up Indica Automotive, part of The Autins Group, which will operate from the group’s headquarters in Rugby. Autins specialise in the development and manufacture of lightweight acoustic and thermal materials for the automotive and other industries. Indica Industries has 25 years of manufacturing experience and is a leading converter of foam and technical materials with 11 plants across India.

Indica Automotive began production at the start of 2015, manufacturing a range of acoustic and thermal foam products to complement The Autins Group’s current portfolio of materials. 

The set-up of Indica Automotive joint venture has also enabled The Autins Group to expand into new markets, including construction and architectural. The group are able to supply global OEMS and tier one companies with a product portfolio that includes EPDM seals and gaskets, heavy layer dampeners, low emission foam absorbers, heat shields and architectural absorption panels.

“The Autins Group are firmly established as a market leading manufacturer within the automotive supply chain and this new venture will enable us to expand into other sectors,” explains Jim Griffin, CEO of The Autins Group. “Indica Automotive is able to draw on over 25 years’ experience manufacturing quality products in the highly competitive Indian marketplace. We are delighted that the company is now able to bring this expertise into The Autins Group to expand our materials range.”

Indica Automotive is currently working within the Autins Group’s new 65,000sq ft. factory with plans to relocate to a new site nearby as the company expands. Being based on the site enables the company to make use of some of the Autins Group’s state of the art equipment which includes research and testing facility Lab 2000 as well as water jet cutting machines and  a specialist moulding oven. 

Indica Automotive is the latest addition to the British owned Autins Group which has expanded from the original UK company Automotive Insulations, set up in 1966, to now include overseas sites Scandins in Sweden and RI in Germany.

“The addition of sites on the continent has enabled us to become competitive within the global marketplace by sustaining production across Europe and beyond, as well as entering new sectors of industry,” explains Jim. “With the advantage of rapid tooling and rapid prototyping as well as the availability of onshore and offshore manufacturing, we are able to support a wide range of projects, offering a quick turn around and JIT delivery.”