Audio and infotainment group Harman International (India) Pvt. Ltd has set up its first manufacturing plant in India at Chakan one year after the ground breaking ceremony.
With a production capacity of 400,000 car sets per annum, this hi-tech facility will deliver cutting edge infotainment and audio solutions for its OEM partners in the country.
In line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Make in India’ vision, Harman has an emphasis on localisation, to enable customisation of solutions exclusively for the Indian market. The Tata Zest is the first car on Indian roads to have an infotainment system designed by Harman in India.
Dinesh C. Paliwal, Chairman, President and CEO Harman said, “Consumers are demanding greater connectivity, from the car to the home to the enterprise and everywhere in between. Harman technologies drive this seamless connectivity, designing acoustics and infotainment systems that enhance the driving experience and enable greater safety and security on the road.”
In the first phase of operations, the manufacturing facility will focus on production of next generation audio and infotainment systems for Tata, Fiat and Volkswagen projects.
In the subsequent phases, the company would like the facility to cater to its other business units as well – Professional and Lifestyle Audio. At present, Harman has a manufacturing facility in China and another one in the pipeline in Brazil.
The company has also set up an Acoustic Systems Engineering Centre in Pune with fabrication, tuning and listening rooms and an array of proprietary hardware/software tools to cater to existing and emerging demands in automotive audio & acoustics.