The Hindu Business Line : 3M to enter car-care aftermarket biz by 2011

New Delhi, Nov. 20 3M India said on Friday that it would enter the organised car-care aftermarket retail business by 2011, with its car care division planning to launch its own branded outlets.

3M car-care products are currently only available through its dealers and authorised workshops.

“We are looking at standalone car care centres in India. At the moment, we are doing a feasibility study and testing the idea,” said Mr Ninad Gadgil, Division Manager, Car Care, 3M Automotive Aftermarket Division. 3M has about 500 car-care centres in China, besides a few in Brazil.

The company also launched ‘Dry Interior Car detailing services’ in the country, which will be through authorised dealers and car accessories showrooms like the recently launched Carnation Auto. The new product, which can clean a car’s upholstery in 60 minutes, is available through various authorised OE dealers of Tata, GM, Toyota, Honda and Maruti-Suzuki.

According to Mr Gadgil, the company’s innovation centre in Bangalore, which developed the new car cleaning product, saw a Rs 60 crore investment last month by the parent company for research activities.

He said that the company is also working on an anti-microbial product for car cleaning, which it plans to test launch in a year. Besides cleaning germs at the time of use, it will also guard the interiors against future microbial attacks.

3M’s India division contributed $215 million to the company’s $25.3 billion global revenues last year. 3M is present in various businesses such as consumer and office equipment, healthcare supplies, display and graphics, besides the automotive business. It has more than 130 dealers in India, across 120 cities.

Related Stories:
3M India to invest Rs 60 cr in R&D lab
3M India's car care services