Continental, Nisshinbo inaugurate valve block manufacturing plant in Gurugram

German tier 1 supplier Continental along with its JV partner Nisshinbo Holdings has Inaugurated a new plant in Gurugram, together with its joint venture partner Nisshinbo Holdings. This it says is in line with the strategy of ‘in the Market, for the Market’.

The JV was announced early last year, with Continental holding 40 percent share and Nisshinbo 60 percent. The new JV plant will produce valve blocks for Continental’s Electronic Brake Systems (EBS) in India. 

To date, Continental has produced more than 7.3 million EBS units in India, including Electronic Stability Control (ESC) for passenger cars and Anti-lock Brake Systems (ABS) for passenger cars and two-wheelers.

Dennis Fritsch, Continental’s Head of Active Safety and Controls segment within Business Area Safety & Motion said, “Vision Zero, a vision of a world without traffic accidents, is our goal. As a market leader in safety technologies, we are committed to the Indian market. We have a strong partnership with Nisshinbo Holdings globally, and this milestone today is another positive step towards shaping safe mobility for the future.” 

Prashanth Doreswamy, President and CEO, Continental India said “Safety is non-negotiable, and the last few years saw legislation that prioritizes safety on the road in India and an equal commitment from vehicle manufacturers. Continental has been consistently investing in the Indian market and this JV partnership is a fitting example. We will continue to grow and invest in India.” 

Continental and Nisshinbo’s relationship dates back about 40 years through various business collaborations. The first association was formed in 1982 through a technical license agreement between Alfred Teves (now part of Continental) and Nisshinbo. In 2000, another joint venture was established between Continental and Nisshinbo in Japan, which saw its successful 20th-anniversary completion in 2020.  

The German tier 1 is a leading player in safety technologies, with a long tradition and extensive expertise in the areas of mechanical systems, electronics hardware, software, and vehicle and system architecture and integration. In India, Continental has been a pioneer in EBS technology with a manufacturing range of ABS and ESC including products such as MK120 ESC for the passenger car market, the one-channel MK100 MAB and MiniMAB, and three-channel MK 3-2 MAB for the two-wheeler segment.  

Nisshinbo will provide machining for producing the valve blocks, which get manufactured in the new JV plant, and later get assembled into a complete unit at Continental’s plant in Gurugram. With the increasing content of safe technologies in vehicles, the demand for EBS is huge and continuing to grow, eventually benefiting the industry and end consumers.