9NOVEMBER 2025NCLT APPROVES MERGER OF SUZUKI MOTOR GUJARAT WITH MARUTI SUZUKIAfter nearly 20 years of operation, Panasonic India, a go-between Osaka-based Panasonic Corporation in Japan, is the case after nearly 20 years of operation, the Indian subsidiary of Panasonic Corporation, Japan is more and more being considered as a locally grown Indian company with Japanese roots, said Manish Sharma, the outgoing Chairman.Under Sharma's 13-year stewardship, the firm transformed from a consumer electronics brand to a technology and manufacturing giant driven by solutions. Its makeover is based on two main pillars - the consumer business (air conditioners, TVs, appliances) and the B2B The National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) has approved the long-awaited merger of Suzuki Motor Gujarat with its parent company, Maruti Suzuki India, marking a major consolidation move in the country's auto sector.The Delhi-based Principal Bench of NCLT, comprising President Ramlingam Sudhakar and Member Ravindra Chaturvedi, sanctioned the merger under Sections 230 to and industrial solutions portfolio (automation, energy, and digital integration)."By next year, we might see our smart factory solutions business reaching a turnover of 1,000­2,000 crore," Sharma said. He also mentioned that decentralization and an entrepreneurial spirit have changed the way the company works.After joining the company in 2008 and being promoted to the CEO position in 2012, Sharma was one of the very few Indian heads of Japanese MNCs in India. His move motivated several other JVs to follow the same path (Sony, Daikin, and Hitachi). In addition, he became one of the youngest executive officers ever in the centenary history of Panasonic Corporation.On bidding farewell to his successor Tadashi Chiba, Sharma reminisced that the biggest thing he had done was to change the identity of Panasonic India -- from a Japanese company in India to an Indian company with Japanese heritage.He was not as quick to divulge his professional move, only saying that he would be announcing it around March­April and it would be "far bigger in scale and impact than what I have done so far". 232 of the Companies Act, 2013, with the appointed date set as April 1, 2025.The tribunal stated the merger serves the interests of both companies, their shareholders, creditors, and employees, confirming there were no objections from any relevant authorities. The Income Tax Department, along with its Northern and Northwestern regions, and the Official Liquidator, Ahmedabad, submitted "no further objections" to the proposed scheme.Additionally, RBI, SEBI, BSE, and NSE neither appeared nor raised any concerns within the 30-day window that ended on July 31, 2025.The NCLT order emphasized that once the scheme becomes effective, Suzuki Motor Gujarat will be dissolved without going through the winding-up process after submitting a certified copy of the order to the Registrar of Companies. The transferor company must also surrender its GSTN and PAN to the respective authorities.In their joint petition, both companies said the merger would drive operational efficiency, streamline business structure, and strengthen synergies within Maruti Suzuki India. The move aims to simplify group architecture, reduce overlaps, and enable faster decision-making to support the company's long-term growth in India's competitive automobile industry. PANASONIC INDIA REDEFINES IDENTITY, SAYS MANISH SHARMA
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