Today, India is no longer just seen as a cost-effective production base. Driven by a robust automotive ecosystem, growing domestic demand, and a deliberate shift toward global integration, it is emerging as one of the world's most important manufacturing and consumption markets for foundries.
The long-standing technical partnership between Brakes India and DISA, further strengthened by DISA India's local manufacturing, engineering, and service capabilities, provides a compelling example of how Indian foundry manufacturers can maintain competitiveness and scalability while being future-oriented and meeting global standards.
30 Years of Collaboration: Strengthening Industry Through Long-Term Partnership
A long-term vision is required when it comes to maintaining sustainable excellence in the foundry industry, as well as a sound investment and a reliable technology partner. The collaboration between Brakes India and DISA, which began in the early 1990s, perfectly embodies this philosophy.
From the initial DISAMATIC implementation to a fully integrated, digitally-enabled foundry system, DISA has been a reliable partner for Brakes India at every stage of its foundry process evolution. What began as a technical evaluation has evolved into a strategic partnership with a clear objective: to build a high-performance, scalable foundry rooted in India's manufacturing ecosystem while meeting the expectations of international OEMs.
Engineering Castings for the World: The Brakes India Approach
Established in 1962 as part of the TVS Group, Brakes India (a TSF Group Company) is today a leading partner in mobility solutions. With more than 20 manufacturing sites in India and internationally, it supplies products to customers in the passenger car, light and heavy commercial vehicle, and tractor sectors.
The core of this value chain form the cast iron products. In Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, and Oman, Brakes India operates highly automated foundries equipped with nine vertical and two horizontal high-pressure casting systems. Together, these facilities produce over 150,000 tons of cast iron products annually in India, with an additional 36,000 tons produced annually at its Oman plant, dedicated for the export market.
More than 60% of Brakes India's safety-critical castings are supplied to customers worldwide, including Germany, France, Italy, the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan, and Sweden. This global expansion is solidifying India's position not merely as a manufacturing base, but as a trusted supplier in some of the world's most demanding automotive markets.
How DISA India Combines Local Solutions with Global Benchmarks
DISA India has provided Brakes India with comprehensive casting solutions since 1995, ranging from casting systems, sand handling, mixers, and conveyor systems to cooling solutions and dust collection equipment. Since then, the scope has expanded and now includes automation, robotics as well as digital production platforms.
The key feature of this partnership is localization. Over 60% of the installed systems are manufactured locally and supported by DISA India's engineering, service, and aftermarket teams. This ensures a rapid response, high equipment uptime, and sustained performance throughout the plant's lifecycle.
Creating Measurable Impact:
- Outstanding reductions of scrap and defect rates
- Optimised operating and capital costs
- Plant availability consistently exceeding 90%
- Digitally enabled foundry architecture to support data-driven decision-making
Achieving High-Volume Excellence Through Automation and Sustainability
Two main focuses of the design of Brakes India’s foundry are automation and end-to-end process integration. Digital systems ensure consistency, traceability, and productivity, all of which are essential elements in supplying OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers worldwide. A robust quality management system, comprehensive predictive maintenance, and a commitment to continuous improvement are deeply ingrained into all business operations.
“Our foundry processes are designed to ensure high process and product consistency for safety-critical components supplied worldwide,” said V. Balajikrishna, President and Head of Casting Operations at Brakes India.
At the same time, Brakes India has adopted a robust sustainability framework. All of its foundries operate on green energy and are certified under the CII GreenPro framework. This has established the company as a responsible, forward-thinking manufacturing partner within the global automotive supply chain.
India’s Future as a Global Center for Casting Production
Brakes India continues to invest in expanding production capacity, automation, and research and development. The company aims to double its foundry sales by fiscal year 2029.
DISA continues to play a long-term role as a technology partner in this initiative, supporting Brakes India through integrated solutions, digital platforms, and ongoing engineering support. This partnership demonstrates how India is strengthening its role as a global hub in the foundry sector, driven by its deep technological capabilities, local value creation, and long-term strategic collaboration.
A proven model of industrial excellence - made in India, trusted globally.
About Brakes India
Brakes India Private Limited is a major Indian manufacturer of braking systems and automotive components and is part of the TVS Group. The company is an important supplier to international vehicle manufacturers and ranks among the largest brake manufacturers in India.
Company Profile
Founded: 1962
Headquarters: Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
Group affiliation: Part of the TVS / TSF Group
Business activity: Automotive supplier (braking systems and iron casting components)
Customers: OEMs for passenger cars, commercial vehicles, tractors and off-highway vehicles worldwide
The company’s plants supply both the Indian domestic market and export customers in Europe, North America and Asia.
Main Products
The product portfolio consists of braking systems, safety-relevant vehicle components and iron castings.
Brakes India- Homepage - Brakes India
DISA - DISA | Foundry Technology & Solutions | Disa
DISA India Limited- Foundry & Aftermarket Solutions in India | Disa India
