Comstar Automotive Tech hopes big on domestic market

March 11, 2010 7:32 am

“Comstar was one of the largest producers of starter motor in the country, producing on an average about 11 lakh per year and 9 lakh starter kits.”
 
Comstar Automotive Technologies, with an export-oriented unit in Ford suppliers park at Maraimalai Nagar, Chennai, has placed big hopes in the domestic market for starter motors and alternators from new generation cars. The company is also hopeful of retaining its strong position in the export markets.
Comstar Director and CFO, Sat Mohan Gupta, said that in the past two years, the company has invested Rs 2 crore on testing facilities and product development.
The company has built enough capacity of 30 lakh starter motors to meet the expanding export market, which accounted for 90% of its sales besides the domestic segment.
 
“We managed well the impact of global downturn without reducing workforce and seeking new facilities from banks. We also cut cost and improved efficiency with the support of employees,” added Gupta.
 
He remarked that Comstar was one of the largest producers of starter motor in the country, producing on an average about 11 lakh per year and 9 lakh starter kits. Its major global car customers are Mazda, Aston Martin, Ford Motor and Jaguar. In the domestic market, it is a major supplier to Ford India.
 
“What we achieved in 11 years (90 lakh starter motors), we want to achieve in three years. We need to go aggressive to reach that target”, he said. Since 2007, Comstar started supplying to Tata Motors and in two years it has become a major supplier for Indica and Safari models. It is gearing up to supply to Tata Nano, besides Volswagen’s plant in Maharashtra and Ashok Leyland- Nissan which is setting up a plant near Chennai.
 
Director of operations, Jagannathan Palle, said, “we need to focus on innovation and product development and catch up with technology”.  Senior GM, sales and marketing, Praveen Chakrapani said with the advent of Nano and other sub-compact vehicles, there is intense pressure on OEMs to launch next generation products earlier than the competition.