• The Group opens its 18^th production site worldwide ¨C the third in India ¨C dedicated exclusively to the Aftermarket
• Total committed investment of €10 million, and initial planned output of 6 million filters per year
• Dedicated Aftermarket production, to fulfill growing demand for spare parts in India and abroad

UFI Filters, a leader in filtration technologies and thermal management, is opening its 18^th industrial site worldwide and its third in India, in Bahadurgarh, near New Delhi, in the North of the country.

The new plant will be dedicated to manufacturing filters for the Aftermarket sector, serving both the local spare parts market and export demands. This new factory joins the Group¡¯s two existing ones: Bawal, supplying the local market, and Belgaum for export. Products from these sites are chosen by car manufacturers around the world, as well as being marketed by top parts distribution networks. Thanks to the quality of UFI Filters products, major German brands including the Volkswagen Group and Porsche choose filtering systems ¡¯Made in India¡¯ by UFI to equip their brand-new vehicles.

With a committed investment of €10 million, the plant will employ 300 workers at full capacity and will have an initial production of 6 million filters per year, including cabin filters and air filters for cars and heavy vehicles, as well as dedicated hydraulic filtration spares. The plant is scheduled to be at full capacity from November onwards.

Given the Group¡¯s widespread experience at its many plants around the world that are dedicated to automotive Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) and International Automotive Task Force (IATF)-certified, the new industrial site has been designed to comply with the most stringent international standards. Equipped with the most up-to-date technologies, it will meet European Standards for processes and quality and be ISO 9001-certified.

Rinaldo Facchini, Chief Executive Officer of the UFI Filters Group, states: ¡°This new factory opening is part of our strategy to offer high quality spare parts to the market. The new SOFIMA Filters India operation will make it possible to provide products that are dedicated to the growing Aftermarket sector¡¯s demands; and it will allow the Group to grow its business into the future.¡±

Giorgio Girondi, Chairman of the UFI Filters Group, says: ¡°We are truly proud of this plant opening, which brings the number of our industrial sites around the world to a total of 18. Expansion in South-East Asia is especially strategic for us, in order to respond to the growing circulating car parc and the need to maintain these vehicles. ¡®Think globally, act locally¡¯ is the Group¡¯s central principle for supporting our OEM clients and the Aftermarket.¡±