OVERSEAS AFFILIATED COMPANY
SONA KOYO STEERING SYSTEMS LTD.
−SONA−
1. Company Profile
Name
Location
Established
Capital
Major
shareholders
Employees
Business lines
: SONA KOYO STEERING SYSTEMS
LTD.
: Head office & Gurgaon plant: Gurgaon
(40 km from Delhi), Haryana, India
Chennai plant: Suburbs of Chennai,
Tamil Nadu
: 1984
: Indian Rs. 88 million
: KOYO SEIKO CO., LTD. 20.5%
MARUTI UDYOG LTD. 7%
: 497 (including 3 Japanese representatives)
: Manufacturing and sales of automotive
components such as steering systems,
axles, and propeller shafts
2. Introducing the Area
2. 1 City of Delhi and the Northern India
Delhi is located at latitude 28 degrees north, almost the
same latitude as that of Amami Ohshima in Japan, and is the
political and cultural center of northern India. It lies on the
plains stretching around the Yamuna River, a branch of the
Ganges River, and is situated between the Uttar Pradesh and
Haryana states with an altitude of 240 meters above the sea
level. The total area of the city is 1 480 km2. With a population
of 13.8 million, it is the second largest city in India, smaller
only than Bombay.
Delhi had been the capital of successive dynasties in India
before the Mughal Empire. In the 1930s, the British built a
new planned city in British style in the southern part of Delhi
and named this new area New Delhi. The former area of Delhi
was called Old Delhi, but generally people refer to both New
and Old Delhi by the name Delhi.
There are many famous sightseeing spots in Delhi, such as
the India Gate, the ruins of Qutab Minar, which was built
before the Mughal Empire, and Lal Qila (Red Fort), which
was built during the Mughal Empire.
The India Gate and Qutab Minar
Lal Qila (Red Fort)
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2. 2 The History of India and the Mughal Empire
India is well known as the birthplace of Buddhism (around
the 5th century B.C.). It flourished in India through the reign
of Kanishka (130-158 B.C.), but after that it gradually gave
way to other religions and almost all of it had practically
disappeared by the 7th century A.D.
In the 8th century, Muslims invaded northern India and
destroyed many Buddhist temples, and therefore today only
Buddhist religious artworks located at Gandhara,
Nagarjunakonda, the Ajanta Cave 10, and other caves of the
later periods remain.
During ensuing centuries, numerous dynasties rose and fell
in various areas of India. In the 15th century, Barbur, a
descendant of Timur, invaded the northwest region of India
from central Asia. In 1526, he won an important battle at
Panipat (north of Delhi), occupied Delhi, and founded the
Mughal Empire (1526-1858). The word Mughal is said to
have its roots in the word Mongol.
Akbar (who reigned 1556-1605), the third emperor of the
Mughal Empire, married a princess from the Hindu tribe
Rajput and adopted a conciliatory policy toward the Hindus.
This policy formed the basis of the prosperity of the Mughal
Empire. There are still many cultural and historic remains in
various parts of the country from this period. Akbar also
relocated the capital to Agra (about 200 km southeast of
Delhi).
Shahjahan (who reigned 1628-1658), the fifth emperor,
protected scholars and literary men, and consequently Mughal
culture prospered and enjoyed a golden age during his reign.
Shahjahan constructed the Taj Mahal in the memory of his
beloved wife, Empress Mumtaz (nicknamed Taj) in Agra. This
building has Islamic architecture and is made of white marble
studded with precious stones from all over the world. It is well
known as one of the world's most beautiful structures.
3. Introduction of SONA
3. 1 History
1984 SONA STEERING SYSTEMS LTD. was
established.
1985 Licensing agreement executed with KOYO SEIKO
CO., LTD.
1987 Production of ball screw manual steering begun.
1992 Capital participation by KOYO SEIKO CO., LTD.
(8% share).
1992 Technical assistance agreement regarding power
steering systems executed with KOYO SEIKO CO.,
LTD.
1997 KOYO SEIKO's share increased to 20.5%.
1998 Company name changed to SONA KOYO
STEERING SYSTEMS LTD.
2000 QS-9000 and ISO 9001 certification obtained
(German TUV).
2002 ISO 14001 certification obtained.
2003 Awarded Deming Prize
3. 2 Gurgaon Plant
The Gurgaon plant of Sona Koyo is located in 40 km southsouthwest of Delhi along National Route 8 in the southern part
of Gurgaon, Haryana State. There is DLF office building on
the way, where the Corporate Office of Sona (group) is
tenanted, and from this building one can see the factory of
Maruti (Suzuki), Sona's most important customer. There is
also a factory complex nearby with many automotive
component manufacturers.
Gurgaon plant
Taj Mahar
When Shahjahan was ill later in his life, his third son,
Aurangzeb, imprisoned him in the Agra Fort when a struggle
for inheritance of the throne occurred. The emperor spent the
rest of his life looking at Taj Mahal, where his beloved wife
Mumtaz was buried. After Shahjahan's death, his coffin was
placed next to that of Mumtaz by his daughter, who lamented
the death of her father deeply. This is a legend that has been
talked about in India from generation to generation.
Koyo Engineering Journal English Edition No.165E (2004)
DLF building (Corporate office of Sona)
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National Route 8 extends to Jaipur, Rajasthan, passing
through pastoral landscapes. Along this highway there are
small hotels, restaurants and street stalls here and there. But
traffic on this highway is congested, just like in Delhi, and
there are always heavy traffic jams during the evening rush
hours. One might be astonished to learn that cows, which in
Indians are respected as god, as well as load-carrying camels,
horses, pigs and sometimes even elephants are seen walking
on this highway.
Development in the area called DLF City is moving
forward rapidly. Many multi-storied apartment buildings have
been built over the last few years, and construction work to
widen the roads between Delhi and Gurgaon has started.
Gurgaon is steadily transforming into a satellite city of Delhi.
Sona Koyo likewise has grown steadily as a steering system
manufacturer, reaching an annual turnover of more than Rs. 2
billion (about 5 billion yen) in 2000. It currently enjoys a
nearly 50 percent share of the domestic market. Sona Koyo is
also making strong efforts to develop export business. Dr.
Surinder Kapur, chairman and managing director, and all other
staff members are firmly committed to achieving further
progress toward becoming a world-class company.
(Contributed by Yoshitaka AKIYAMA)
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