Gabriel India joins hands with Inalfa Roof Systems to roll out sunroofs for PVs

From Left to Right- Jagdish Kumar, Chief Financial Officer, ANAND Group, Manoj Kolhatkar, Managing Director, Gabriel India, Anjali Singh, Executive Chairperson, ANAND Group and Gabriel India, Klaus Billetter, CIO at Inalfa Roof Systems Group

Gabriel India, a manufacturer of automobile components, has announced that it has inked a technical collaboration with Netherlands-based Inalfa Roof Systems to manufacture sunroofs for SUVs and sedans.

Gabriel, the flagship company of the Anand Group, and Inalfa, together plan to invest Rs 170 crore to set up a greenfield facility in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, under a newly formed entity — Inalfa Gabriel Sunroof Systems (IGSS).

The facility, which will become operational in the first quarter of 2024, will have the capacity to produce 2,00,000 sunroofs per annum in the first phase.

"This partnership supports the government's atmanirbhar manufacturing drive, and provides our OEM (original equipment manufacturer) customers with a domestic and resilient supply chain for sunroofs," Anand Group Executive Chairperson Anjali Singh told reporters while making the announcement. “The move also expands Gabriel's product range and will create over 250 direct and indirect jobs in India,’’ she added.

Both the partners noted that IGSS will be later converted into a joint venture, with Inalfa holding 51 per cent of the shares and Gabriel the rest. The new venture is expected to generate a revenue of around Rs 1,000 crore by 2030.

“Gabriel is diversifying into sunroofs to serve the new-age feature-and-cost-conscious customer,’’ said Manoj Kolhatkar, MD of Gabriel, and member of the Anand Group’s executive board.

The first assembly line will cater to South Korean automakers Hyundai and Kia, besidee other OEMs like Tata Motors, Maruti Suzuki, and Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M). IGSS will largely cater to SUVs and sedans priced above Rs 10 lakh but below the luxury segment (Rs 40 lakh and above). The company has no midterm plans to either sell the products in the aftermarket or export to other countries.

Inalfa Group CEO Linda Gao said that the tie-up with Gabriel is a great opportunity to enter into the growing automotive market in India. With a $1.5 billion turnover, Inalfa Roof Systems is a global market leader in the automotive sunroof space with a presence in 15 locations worldwide.

Both the partners stated that the demand for sunroofs in passenger vehicles in the domestic market has grown at a fast clip in the last few years. Per industry estimates, the automotive sunroof market in India could cross 7 lakh units this year, as against 5 lakh units in 2022

Globally, the automotive sunroof market will reach $13.6 billion by 2030, with a CAGR (compound annual growth rate) of 9.3 per cent between 2010 and 2030.