Indian firms driving into Europe through the UK

There has been a flurry of activity among Indian companies operating in the UK and the wider European Union trading bloc. With the June 23 referendum on the UK's membership of the EU edging closer, some of these deals may well be impacted.Mahindra's electric drive in Europe

After launching 'e2o' in UK, Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) now plans to take its electric mobility vision to Europe as part of its business expansion plans for this new vehicle segment.Anand Mahindra, M&M group chairman, said: "When you look at countries which are going to be early adopters, those are countries which are more advanced because the affordability is the key issue given battery costs are high at this stage. So by definition, electric cars will be more affordable in affluent economies."Secondly, concerns over climate change and the regulation concerning climate change is also much more stringent in the Western countries. So by that logic, the markets in the West and affluent countries will move faster towards electric vehicle than the Indian market."M&M is looking at northern European markets, including the Netherlands, Sweden and Norway, to roll out its electric vehicle offering.Essar Oil plans UK expansion

Essar Oil, the explorer and producer of oil, natural gas and other petroleum products, has made plans to expand its presence in UK.The oil & gas company aims to increase its number of petrol stations to 400 in the UK in three years. It already owns seven gas stations and a refinery in the country.Essar, the only Indian firm to own a refinery in Europe, opened its first petrol pump at Coalville in Leicestershire in November last year and has added six more services stations since then.S.B. Prasad, chief commercial officer, Essar Oil UK, said: “We have the advantage of owning a refinery in UK as well. So we are telling customers that the fuel they get is directly from the company′s refinery.”Naresh Nayyar, executive chairman, Essar Oil UK, added: “As one of only six refiners in the UK, Essar is able to leverage its manufacturing strengths to provide quality products at value prices direct from Stanlow refinery to dealers rather than through third parties. “As the UK's retail sector changed over the last few years with hypermarkets, traditional oil majors moved away from refinery ownership which Essar sees as an opportunity.Airbus strikes Make in India deal

In a further boost to the 'Make in India' programme, Airbus has contracted Aequs Aerospace, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Karnataka- headquartered Aequs Private Limited, to supply over 100,000 titanium machined parts for the A320neo (new engine option) programme.These parts will be delivered to the Airbus plant in Toulouse, France, where they will be assembled onto the pylon structure, used to mount engines on the aircraft wing.Aequs will perform the work at its state-of-the-art aerospace machining facility at the special economic zone in Belagavi, Karnataka. The facility was purpose-built to manufacture aerospace machined components for Airbus.Srinivasan Dwarakanath, president of Airbus Division in India, said: “This contract for specialised titanium components underpins our commitment to expand our aerospace supplier partnerships in consonance with 'Make in India', which is at the heart of our strategy. We are proud to have Aequs as one of Airbus' key Indian Tier-1 suppliers.”Aravind Melligeri, Aequs chairman and CEO, added: “This award represents a significant step for us as a supplier to Airbus. We have a long-standing relationship with Airbus and have produced detail machined parts for its single aisle, long range, and large aircraft since 2009, including wing leading edge subassemblies for its A380.”