SMI Amtek Crankshaft Pvt. Ltd. will install a second forging press at its plant in Dharuhera, an industrial development in north-central India. The estimated $22-milion project will increase the operation’s capacity to 2.2 million automotive crankshafts annually when it’s completed in November 2012, in response to rising demand.
SMI Amtek is a joint-venture of Sumitomo Metal Industries Ltd., Sumitomo Corp., and Amtek Auto Ltd., the latter being an automotive components manufacturer in India, Europe, and the U.S., producing forgings, aluminum and iron castings, and machined parts. It also plans to begin producing specialty vehicles (ambulances, fire trucks, waste-handling vehicles) in India in a new technical alliance with South Korea’s Autech Corp.
The forging joint venture’s current, 4,000-metric ton press started up in April 2010 with a rated capacity of 800,000 units. The new installation will be a 5,000-metric ton press capable of producing 1.4 million crankshafts per year. No supplier for the new press has been reported.
Reportedly, Sumitomo Metals intends to supply 10% of the world’s forged crankshaft market and will use the new output to supply automotive customers in Japan, the U.S., China, and India from the new forging line at SMI Amtek. The Japanese manufacturer also indicated recently it intends to be a dominant global manufacturer of forged steel wheels and axles for freight railcars.