new delhi the big challenge of integration awaits mahindra mahindra as it wraps up the 467 million acquisition of ailing korean suv maker ssangyong which has been under courtled restructuring since february 2009 while the mahindras have promised to retain most of the senior current korean management of ssangyong and letting the company run as an independent entity it now has to work on key issues of synergy like sharing of product platforms and leveraging ssangyongs international distribution channels importantly it has to work out issues related to branding of the new company as well as what investments are required to bring it back to profitspawan goenka president of mahindras automotive sector said while the company has paid 10 of the amount it will now pay the remaining 90 by monday as creditors and shareholders of ssangyong have approved their rehabilitation plan however he admitted that integration will be a key issue it is the most challenging thing we have to remember that there are major differences in the company cultures also there are expectations from both sidesmahindra hopes to gain full management control of ssangyong that has turned ebidtapositive over the last few quarters and saw sales more than double to 81800 units in 2010 by march following which it will start implementing its plans for the company we will continue with most of the existing senior korean management team and will send only about 78 people from mahindra goenka saidmahindra is understood to have decided to retain the current ceo and the various functional heads at ssangyong most of whom have been appointed by the court after the company slipped into losses however the new board will decide on the chairman the mahindra officials who go to korea will have different functions but not at the top levels their purpose would be to drive integration than to start running the companymahindra that gets the company debtfree has also promised that it will not downsize ssangyong and retain the over 4000 staff we have signed an agreement involving the labour union on this in any case the manpower is optimum for us considering there was a substantial downsizing in the company in 2009 goenka saidapart from looking at new investment plans for ssangyong mahindra officials will start work on driving synergies between the two companies and identifying areas where complementaries can be driven sharing of product platforms and leveraging ssangyongs international distribution channel will be something that they would work on ssangyong gets a majority of its sales from exports and has more than 1300 dealers across 98 countries also mahindra will look at the issue of branding of ssangyong as well as its products two of which would be launched in india goenka said these issues would be actively considered now korando c and rexton suvs will make their way into india by the end of 2011 he said adding that they will come in as completelyknockeddown units before being assembled here