Benteler Automotive India Private Limited is expanding its manufacturing operations in Pune with the addition of in-house tube forming capability for torsion beam rear suspension systems. The company has leased an additional 136,000 square feet facility at the Blackstone-owned Horizon Industrial Park Chakan II to support the expansion.
Benteler currently operates a 128,000 square feet plant at the same location. With the additional facility, the company’s total footprint at the park will increase to approximately 264,000 square feet once the new unit becomes operational.
The new facility will be used for the in-house forming of tubes required for torsion beam rear suspension assemblies. These tubes were previously imported and will now be produced locally as an intermediate input. The formed tubes can be transferred to Benteler’s existing plant within the same industrial park, where they will undergo further processing into finished rear axle beams.
Torsion beam rear suspension systems are widely used in compact and mid-size passenger vehicles. The system connects the two rear wheels through a transverse beam that provides a balance between ride comfort, stability, and packaging efficiency. Tube forming is a critical stage in the manufacturing of these systems, as the tubes must meet precise strength, dimensional, and fatigue performance requirements.
While specific equipment details for the new unit have not been disclosed, similar Benteler operations globally use a combination of tube forming, cold forming, and automated welding processes to achieve the required geometries and structural properties. Locating tube forming and final axle beam processing within the same industrial park allows for tighter process integration and reduced internal logistics movement.
The expansion reflects a backward integration strategy, enabling Benteler to internalise a manufacturing step that was earlier dependent on overseas supply. The move supports greater localisation of value addition and is intended to improve supply-chain resilience by reducing exposure to import lead times and external disruptions.
Chakan, near Pune, is one of India’s key automotive manufacturing clusters, hosting multiple vehicle manufacturers and Tier-1 suppliers. The area’s established ecosystem supports just-in-time manufacturing and close coordination with original equipment manufacturers.
Benteler Automotive India Private Limited is part of the Benteler Group and supplies structural and chassis components to automotive original equipment manufacturers. The Indian entity was incorporated in 2008 and operates manufacturing facilities in the Chakan Industrial Area of Maharashtra.
