OBO Bettermann to set up mfg facility in India

Chennai: OBO Bettermann India, a joint venture between OBO Bettermann GmbH & Co of Germany and Cape Electric Corporation, a local player, plans to manufacture OBO brand of electrical system components here.

At a function to announce the joint venture, Mr S. Gopakumar, Managing Director, OBO Bettermann India, said the joint venture would start assembling operations next month to offer lightning protection and surge protection products. This would soon be followed up with a manufacturing facility and a wider product range including under-floor ducting systems.

OBO Bettermann brand is not new to India, Mr Gopakumar said. It has been available for long through its dealer and now partner, Cape Electric, which he heads.

The German company will hold a 70 per cent stake in the joint venture with Cape Electric holding 30 per cent. The initial investment in the manufacturing facility to come up near Chennai would be about Rs 15 crore. In the first year of operations in 2009, the joint venture company is targeting a business volume of over Rs 30 crore in India.

OBO Bettermann makes over 30,000 products for electrical systems for the industrial sector including telecom and railways, and is a €400 million (Rs 2,400 crore) company with a presence in 50 countries.

Its range includes earthing systems, cable support systems, fire protection systems and related products for electrical installations and cable routing.

OBO stands for ‘ohne bohren’, German for ‘without drilling’ — a reference to the feature of its metal anchoring solutions that do not need any prior drilling for fixing.