Japanese company, Shibaura Machine India, has inaugurated its second manufacturing unit at Chembarambakkam, near Chennai. The company is a manufacturer of injection moulding machines that are used by companies that manufacture auto components, electrical and household furniture, packaging and medical equipment.
Shibaura has invested Rs 275 crore in the expansion, including Rs 50 crore for land. The expansion project (Unit-2) began in November 2022. With the new unit, Shibaura’s capacity stands raised to 4,000 machines from 1,200 machines earlier.
The company, which was earlier a part of the Toshiba group, entered the Indian market with its acquisition of 100 per cent stake in L&T Plastics Machinery Ltd, in 2012. L&T had founded the plant in 1990. The company then got renamed as Toshiba Machine Chennai Pvt Ltd. In 2017, Shibaura Machine, Japan, “became independent of Toshiba”, and the name of the parent company changed from Toshiba to Shibaura. Accordingly, the Indian company was rechristened Shibaura Machine India Pvt Ltd. As such, the unit has been part of two corporate giants — L&T and Toshiba.
At a press conference here today, the company officials said that the new unit would expand Shibaura’s vendor base, from about 150 vendors to 200. M Kumar, Managing Director, Shibaura Machine India, said the company would “add new products and increase our customer base”.