Mahindra set to disrupt auto parts manufacture with 3D printing in villages

In an undisclosed village in India, a secret experiment being done by the Mahindra Group could dramatically change the future of auto component manufacturing and servicing in the country.

The company is using 3D printing technology to develop a model wherein components can be made in rural India at the scale of a cottage industry.

Speaking to BusinessLine on the sidelines of the New York Formula E e-prix, Anand Mahindra, Chairman, Mahindra Group, said, “We are running experiments in additive manufacturing (commonly referred to as 3D printing). It’s confidential so I cannot disclose much details, but... we are trying to see... how we can do this in rural areas.”

“Experiments to make components is not a big deal... The challenge is to decentralise it. What is the model one can use for setting up a cottage industry in the villages?” he added.

Mahindra is also looking to bring in disruptive processes and technologies in other business areas. For example, in the affordable housing space, the company is looking to bring in processes that would make construction more like manufacturing.

Similarly, Club Mahindra is going from being a lodging company to an experience company through an investment in a start-up called XOXO.