Foundry of Excellence
How Brakes India, DISA and DISA India Built One of the World’s Leading Foundries
India: from production base to a global manufacturing powerhouse
India today is no longer viewed merely as a cost-efficient production destination. It has emerged as one of the world’s most important manufacturing and consumption markets for castings, driven by a strong automotive ecosystem, rising domestic demand, and a deliberate shift towards global integration.
The long-standing technology partnership between Brakes India and DISA, strengthened by DISA India’s local manufacturing, engineering, and service capabilities offers a compelling example of how Indian foundries are aligning with global standards while remaining competitive, scalable and future-ready.
Three decades of partnership: building industrial strength through continuity
Sustained excellence in the foundry industry demands long-term vision, investment certainty, and dependable technology partners. The collaboration between Brakes India and DISA, which began in the early 1990’s reflects this philosophy.
From early DISAMATIC installations to fully integrated, digitally enabled foundry systems, DISA has supported Brakes India through every phase of its foundry evolution. What started as a technical evaluation has matured into a strategic partnership with a clear objective: to build high-performance, scalable foundries that meet the expectations of international OEMs while remaining rooted in India’s manufacturing ecosystem.
Brakes India: castings engineered for the global market
Founded in 1962 as part of the TVS Group, Brakes India (a TSF Group company) is today a leading mobility solutions partner. With over 20 manufacturing locations in India and overseas, the company serves customers across passenger vehicles, light and heavy commercial vehicles, and tractors.
Iron castings form a core pillar of this value chain. Across Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, and Oman, Brakes India operates highly automated foundries equipped with nine vertical and two horizontal high-pressure moulding systems. These facilities together produce over 150,000 tonnes of iron castings annually in India, complemented by an additional 36,000 tonnes at the Oman plant, which is dedicated to export markets.
More than 60% of Brakes India’s safety-critical castings are supplied to international customers across the USA, Germany, France, Italy, the UK, Japan, and Sweden. This global footprint reinforces India’s position not just as a manufacturing base, but as a trusted supplier to some of the world’s most demanding automotive markets.
DISA India: localised technology, global standards
Since 1995, DISA India has delivered complete foundry solutions to Brakes India, spanning moulding systems, sand preparation, mixers, conveyor systems, cooling solutions, and dust extraction. Over time, this portfolio has expanded to include automation, robotics, and digital production platforms.
A defining feature of the partnership is localisation. More than 60% of the systems deployed are manufactured locally and supported by DISA India’s engineering, service, and aftermarket teams. This ensures faster response times, high equipment availability, and sustained performance across full lifecycle of the plant.
The impact is measurable:
• Plant availability consistently exceeding 90%
• Significant reductions in scrap and defect rates
• Optimised operating and capital costs
• Digitally enabled foundry architecture supporting data-driven decision-making
Automation, quality and sustainability at scale
Brakes India’s foundries are designed around automation and end-to-end process integration. Digital systems enable consistency, traceability, and productivity, all of which are critical for supplying global OEMs and tier-1 suppliers.
Robust quality management systems, total predictive maintenance, and continuous improvement practices are deeply embedded across operations.
“Our foundry processes are designed to ensure high process and product consistency in the safety-critical parts that we supply globally,” says Mr. V. Balajikrishna, President & Head, Foundry Business, Brakes India.
In parallel, Brakes India has adopted a strong sustainability framework: all foundries operate on green energy and are certified under the CII GreenPro framework. This positions the company as a responsible and future-oriented manufacturing partner in the global automotive supply chain.
Looking ahead: India as a global hub for castings
Brakes India continues to invest in capacity expansion, automation, and R&D. The company aims to double its foundry revenues by FY29.
DISA remains a long-term technology partner in this journey, supporting Brakes India with integrated solutions, digital platforms, and sustained engineering support. Together, the partnership demonstrates how India is strengthening its role as a global hub for castings, driven by technological depth, localised value creation, and long-term strategic alignment.
A proven model of industrial excellence - made in India, trusted globally.