It is expansion time for Bonfiglioli, a worldwide designer and manufacturer of gearmotors, drive systems, planetary gearboxes and inverters.

Bonfiglioli Transmissions Pvt Ltd, the India-based subsidiary of Bonfiglioli Riduttori S.p.A., has announced an expansion of operations in India and also in the company headquarters in Bologna, Italy. Expansion plans in India include improvements to existing facilities in Chennai and construction of a new facility in Pune (Chakan area), for a total investment of INR 85 crore (11.3 million euro).

The current plants in Chennai – one at the SIDCO Industrial Area, Thirumudivakkam and another near Sriperumbudur are highly integrated facilities that manufacture gearboxes and gearmotors for mobile machinery, wind turbines and industrial processes. The facilities also house an R&D Centre, which develops products tailor-made for the Indian market.

A new facility will be built, adjacent to the current plant at Thirumudivakkam. It will house modern assembly lines, R&D Centre and test labs, all built with the highest standards of quality and safety, consistent with Bonfiglioli locations worldwide. The expected capacity is 75,000 units per year and will enable Bonfiglioli to serve existing and new markets and customers in off-highway, construction, mining, agriculture and material handling applications.

A completely new facility will be built in Pune (Chakan area, western India) and is expected to be ready in March 2017. This new facility will be approximately 45,000 sq.ft., including 3,000 sq.ft of office space and will contain 11 assembly centres and 2,000 warehouse locations, all built to the highest standards of quality and safety, consistent with Bonfiglioli locations worldwide. The expected capacity is 150,000 units per year to serve customers in food, packaging, cement, steel, pharmaceutical, textile, material handling, sugar, power generation, paper and water treatment sectors.

In Bologna, Italy, the company will break ground on a new SMART factory based on Industry 4.0 technologies and innovations. The new production plant, an investment of INR 450 crore (60 million euro), will cover an area of 1.6 million sq.ft and produce 800,000 units per year in an eco-friendly and people-friendly environment. With over 32,000 sq.ft of rooftop gardens, nearly 500 trees, and a photovoltaic installation of 3MWp the building will be nearly zero-energy while using the same energy requirements as today. The building will also have noise, emissions and soil impact control to lessen the environmental impact. Construction is expected to begin in early 2017.

Sonia Bonfiglioli, Chairman of Bonfiglioli Group, stated “Bonfiglioli is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year, but we are not looking at the past. We are looking toward the future and how Bonfiglioli can become a model for industrial development, and how we can better serve our customers in high growth countries like India. The new plant in Bologna will be an industry benchmark, with smart and efficient systems required for Industry 4.0 operations, while the expansions in India will enable Bonfiglioli to increase the production capacity in India to drastically reduce lead times to customers in India and nearby countries – all with the goal to help sustain Bonfiglioli through the next 60 years and beyond.”

In addition to the expansions, Bonfiglioli has also announced plans to build a second home for abandoned and disadvantaged children in Chennai, India. The first home, CheerFutureLand Home for Boys, was built in 2009 near the Chennai plant of Bonfiglioli to give disadvantaged boys the chance to have a better life and a future to look forward to. Since it opened, dozens of boys have lived at CheerFutureLand where they received a loving home environment and a solid education. One young man has grown up in the home and now works at the Bonfiglioli Chennai plant as a technician.

“My father had a passion for helping children, especially in educating them and giving them a chance for a better future,” said Ms Bonfiglioli.