In a joint venture, the Kalyani Group and Meritor Inc laid the foundation for a new Research and Development centre on Wednesday at the Automotive Axles Ltd (AAL) manufacturing unit in Mysuru.
The new R & D centre is expected to open in mid-2018 and is part of nearly ₹300 crore envisaged for investment in India by Meritor over the next few years. AAL is one of the largest axle and brake manufacturers in the country catering to the commercial vehicles besides defence trucks and employees nearly 2500 people in Mysuru plant. The new R and D centre will cater to the growing needs of its customers in Asia Pacific region.
Jay Craig, CEO and president for Meritor, said that the new centre, when it reopens, will expand the company’s testing and validation capabilities. The building is ready and the machines are in order and it will be up and running by next year.
The company also announced that it was ready to provide electrical solutions by way of electric drivetrains for the electrical commercial vehicles that is likely to be produced in India in a big way over the next few years. “We have been talking extensively to bring different skills for localisation of electrical drivetrains and e-axles,” he added.
For Light Commercial Vehicles, the company has flagged India operations as centre of excellence in the world. “For LCV, India will be developed as a centre of excellence with end to end design and prototyping and products will be exported all over the world based on the requirements of the specific countries,” according to N.P. Thimmaiah, company’s vice-president.