Helmet Maker Studds to Pump ₹150 Crore Into Fifth Faridabad Facility

Helmet maker Studds Accessories Ltd is planning to invest ₹150 crore in a fifth manufacturing facility in Faridabad, a move that will lift its total installed capacity to approximately 12 million units annually, the company's managing director was quoted as saying by ETManufacturing. The firm currently runs four plants in Faridabad with a combined annual capacity of around 9.04 million units, covering helmets and luggage boxes. 

According to the company's Managing Director Sidhartha Bhushan Khurana, the new facility was already in the pipeline. 

Studds currently sells into more than 70 countries, with exports making up just under a fifth of total revenues. The company has a footprint across the Americas, Asia and Europe.

"We have four plants which are operational right now. And there's another one which is coming up, which is the fifth plant, which will be operational by the second quarter of this financial year," he was quoted as saying in the report.

Khurana noted the expansion had been planned well ahead of time as output levels at existing plants crept toward their practical limits. "I believe anything over 90 is fully utilised because it's impossible to utilise 100 per cent capacity of any plant." Current facilities are running at close to 94 per cent utilisation, with annual helmet sales standing at 7.10 million units.

The fifth plant will be built in two stages, adding a total of 3 million units of capacity. The first phase, accounting for 1.5 million units, is due to begin commercial operations in the second quarter of FY27, with the remainder to follow by 2027–28.

The company expects capacity utilisation at the new site to reach 35-40 per cent during FY27. The investment covers spending on automation and manufacturing technology, though automation is set to account for a relatively modest portion of the total outlay.

The firm pointed to rising two-wheeler demand and a firming export outlook as the backdrop for the move. "With improving demand for two-wheelers and a strengthening export outlook, this expansion positions us well to support future growth and serve our markets more effectively," he said. The plant is intended to serve both domestic buyers and overseas customers, subject to demand.