Firodia Group

The Firodia Group is an Indian group of companies in the vehicle industry based in Pune . The Firodia Group companies produce motorized two- and three-wheelers, light commercial vehicles (pick-ups, vans), off-road vehicles, transporters, minibuses, trucks and car parts, as well as elevators and escalators. The group is named after the Indian entrepreneurial family Firodia, who hold leading positions in participating companies. However, there is no company called Firodia as it is a family tradition not to name companies after family members.

history

Navalmal Kundanmal Firodia (* 1910 - October 1, 1995) is considered the founder of the Indian auto industry. He was a supporter of Gandhi's freedom movement against British colonial rule, was involved in passive resistance such as the non-cooperation movement of 1932 and the "Quit India" movement of 1942 and was imprisoned several times. His vision was India as an independent strong industrial nation. In 1946 he founded M / s. Jaya Hind Industries Limited . The company grew through numerous joint ventures with technologically leading companies in the global vehicle industry: In 1950, Navalmal Kundanmal Firondia founded a joint venture with the German Vidal & Sohn to import the “ Tempo Hanseat ” tricycles and chassis for auto rickshaws and pickups. When Vidal & Sohn later merged into Hanomag , which then became part of Henschel , which in turn became Daimler-Benz , from DaimlerChrysler , Firodia continued the cooperation with these companies. In 1958 Firodia founded the Bajaj Tempo joint venture , which built the “Tempo Hanseat” under license in Goregaon , a suburb of Mumbai. In 1962, NK Firodia was the founder of Kinetic Engineering . It was also Firodia who developed what he called the auto rickshaw into a low-cost, public means of transport that was groundbreaking in India. Through a joint venture with the Bachraj Trading Corporation , now Bajaj Auto , which he founded on December 1, 1947, he helped to build up the Indian auto rickshaw and motor scooter industry and from then until 1968 also made a significant contribution to the growth of Bajaj Auto. In 1961, India's first factory for all-wheel drive LCVs was built in Akurdi near Pune. In 2003, Bajaj Tempo founded a joint venture with MAN Nutzfahrzeuge AG . This is how today's Force Motors emerged .

NK Firodia's son Arun H. Firodia founded the Kinetic Group in 1974. His daughter Sulajja Firodia Motwani is now Joint Managing Director of Kinetic Engineering Ltd and Director of Kinetic Motors. Ajinkya A Firodia is Managing Director of Kinetic Engineering and Abhay Firodia is President and Managing Director of Force Motors. Other descendants are also active in the group's companies.

Group structure

The Firodia Group includes:

• Force Motors (largest company in the group): produces tricycles, tractors, vans, minibuses, off-road vehicles and heavy trucks.
• Kinetic Group : Manufacturing facilities are located in Koregaon Bhima , Ahmednagar and Pithampur . Brands include Luna, Nova 135, Zing, Velocity, Boss, Aquila, Comet. There is a technical cooperation with the South Korean Hyosung Motors .
  • Kinetic Two Wheelers : the previous flagship of the Kinetic Group produces two-wheelers. Acquired in 2009 by the Mahindra Group, also from India .
  • Kinetic Motor Company : manufactures and sells scooters.
  • Kinetic Engineering Company : motorcycles, mopeds, engines, transmissions, axles, etc .; supplies Tata Motors, Force Motors, MV Agusta, Tomos, Bombardier, Recreational products, Carraro, Visteon, GKN Rockford, Piaggio and Electrolux, among others.
  • Kinetic Marketing Services is responsible for sales.
  • Mahindra-Kinetic : Joint venture with the Mahindra Group: produces scooters, motorcycles and mopeds.
  • Kinetic Auto Components: produces auto parts.
  • Kinetic Elevators and Escalators: Elevators and Escalators; Indian contract partner of the Korean Hyundai Elevator Company.
  • Kinetic Communications: Engineering Services (CAD / CAM / CAE).
  • Jaihind Sciaky: Joint venture founded in 1974 with Sciaky, the largest Indian manufacturer of resistance welding equipment .
  • JHS-Taigene : Jaihind Sciaky joint venture with Taigene , a Taiwanese manufacturer of electrical vehicle components.
  • ZF Steering Gear (India) : a joint venture with Zahnradfabrik Friedrichshafen , produces steering systems.
  • Ducati Energia India: a joint venture with Ducati , produces ignitions and other electrical components for two-wheelers
  • Kinetic Tools Services : manufactures tools
  • Chrysalis Financial Service : Group financial services provider

Individual evidence

1. ↑ [1]
2. ↑ PDF at www.forcemotors.com ( Memento of the original from July 16, 2006 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
3. ↑ Archive link ( Memento of the original from July 22, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.