Japanese firm, SATRAC, to export truck bodies built in India; factory inaugurated

SATRAC, a firm wholly owned by Japan's Kyokuto Kaihatsu Kogyo Co Ltd, inaugurated a facility in Sriperumbudur, near the Southern Indian metropolis of Chennai, to roll out truck bodies (the rear portion where cargo is stored), and trailers (which are towed by trucks). The MoU for this investment was inked during Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin's official visit to Japan in May 2023.

Stalin had laid the foundation stone for this project in August 2024. This Japanese investment adds to the list of major automobile and automobile component manufacturers in and around Chennai, which is widely regarded as the Detroit of South Asia. SATRAC said that this new facility would address the rapidly growing demand for high-quality trailers, tippers, and special-purpose vehicles across logistics, infrastructure, industrial, and government sectors in India.

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The newly inaugurated Chennai plant spans 15 acres, with 3.5 acres of covered production space, and has a production capacity of over 800 units (truck bodies or trailers) per month, which would gradually be scaled up to 1,200 per month. SATRAC officials said that this facility is among the largest and most advanced of its kind in South Asia, owing to its product variety, automation, and technology.

According to MC Bantwal, Managing Director, SATRAC, the truck bodies and trailers made at the facility in Tamil Nadu would cater to global firms such as Tata Motors, Ashok Leyland, Scania, Daimler, Volvo, among others. The truck bodies made at their facility are meant to transport steel, iron ore, cement, and e-commerce goods.

“This facility in Sriperumbudur has been set up for Rs. 250 cr, and we intend to invest Rs 80 crore more as we go forward. We are also going to invest over Rs 900 crore and establish factories in Gujarat, Jharkhand, Karnataka, and Maharashtra in the coming years,” he said. Notably, some of SATRAC's offerings also cater to the defence sector in India and abroad. Company officials said that their products are supplied to Israel Aerospace Industries' mobile surveillance and tracking systems, and Indian firms involved in the homegrown Akash surface-to-air missile programme.