Swiss major Bobst SA is planning to use India as a global manufacturing base for its exports.
The Rs 4,650 crore (Rs 46.5 billin) company is a leader in the packaging and printing machinery segment and has recently set up a manufacturing facility in Pune.
This is only the third factory outside Europe, the other two being in China and Brazil.
"From January, next year we will export machine modules for this plant to Europe. Initially, the India operations will export mid-tech products to Europe, which will then be re-exported to other parts of the world.
"Later, there will be exports to other parts of the world directly. We have zeroed in on India as the destination as the country has manpower that is qualified as well as price competitive," Philippe de Preux, group executive vice president and the head of marketing said.
The company has already invested about Rs 20 crore (Rs 200 million) in India through its subsidiary. Right now, Bobst is reconditioning old machines from all over the world, at this plant, and re-exporting it back to the principals, but from January onwards the company will start manufacturing machine modules also for export, back to the principals.
Bost has already been in India since 1994, doing trading. There are about 140 and they are adding about 10 high-value machines every year.
This year the turnover of Bobst India, which is a 100 per cent subsidiary of Bobst SA, is likely to be around Rs 35 crore (Rs 350 million) and is expected to cross Rs 44 crore (Rs 440 million) next year.
Bobst SA has been acquiring several companies worldwide, which include Schiavi, Martin and Asitrade.
In October 2003, Bobst SA acquired the packaging division of another company, called Metso, which is a Finnish company.
This will add 160 million Euro to the Bobst turnover worldwide, and will have a fallout in India too. Some of Bobst's major customers in India include ITC, Colgate, TCPL, Parksons, Khemka.
