Michigan State University Alumni Association honors Dr. Surinder Kapur of The Sona Group

Company Brief

New Delhi, October 09, 2007

The Michigan State University Alumni Association today announced Dr. Surinder Kapur of the Sona Group as the recipient of the 2006 Distinguished Alumni Award. He has been awarded this recognition for his highest level of professional accomplishment while demonstrating exemplary personal integrity and character.

Dr. Surinder Kapur is a 1971 alumnus of Michigan State University (MSU), where he pursued his bachelors, masters and doctoral degree in Mechanical Engineering. Upon graduation from MSU, Dr. Kapur returned to his home country to set up, what is today recognized as one of India’s leading, auto components groups. A pioneer of the Indian Automobile Components manufacturing industry, he is the Founder Chairman of the USD 280 Million The Sona Group, which consists of 6 manufacturing companies in the Steering and Drive Line Assembly business and Engineering Services Company. The Sona Group’s latest venture – Sona Mobility - is in the car rental business and holds the master franchise from Sixt, Europe for India. The Sona Group set up overseas joint ventures with Fuji Kiko of Japan in 2003, taking a minority position in Fuji Autotec, Europe - which has subsidiaries in Brazil, France and the Czech Republic.

Sona Koyo Steering Systems Ltd., the flagship company of the Sona Group, is the largest steering systems supplier and the only one supplying Electronic Power Steering Systems in India. Sona Koyo is also the recipient of the prestigious 2003 Deming Award. In 1997, the World Economic Forum recognized it as a top –performing Global Growth Company.

A true visionary of the manufacturing industry he has led his companies to accomplish many firsts in the areas of TPM, TQM and Break Through Management and has won the TPM Award from JIPM, Japan in March 2007. Extremely aware of his societal duties, he is leading the way on the Sustainability Initiative of the Sona Group and received the TERI Corporate Award for 'Environmental Excellence’ for the year 2006 – 2007. He has received recognition from several local and state level business associations and academic institutions. He is amongst the founding members of the Young Presidents Organisation in India and continues to play an active role in the WPO.

He currently serves as the Chairman of the 'Mission on Innovation in Manufacturing' set up by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and was recently awarded the CII President’s Award for contribution in Mission for 'Innovation in Manufacturing' for the year 2006 – 2007. He is a member of the National Manufacturing Competitiveness Council and is a member of the CII International Council for Japan (Jan 2007 ~ March 2008). In the past he has chaired CII’s National Committee on Quality where he spearheaded the creation of 100 SME Clusters under its TQM program as well as advanced clusters for Breakthrough Management. He was a Member of the Automotive Mission Plan (2006-2016) set up by Ministry of Heavy Industry, Government of India and the Task Force on Skill Development, constituted by the Planning Commission, Government of India. He has been President of ACMA (the Automobile Components Manufacturers Association) and Chairman CII (Northern region). He continues to be involved with several philanthropic and social initiatives serving on the Organising Committee of the 2010 Commonwealth Games to be held in New Delhi.

'We are proud to have Dr. Kapur as an alumnus of MSU, and truly appreciate his achievements both as an entrepreneur and a professional. He has created an institution that is world class and in many ways reflects all that MSU stands for', said Lou Anna K. Simon, President, MSU.

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