Aftermarket October 2011

I N D I A ’ S F I R S T M A G A Z I N E F O R T H E A U T O M O T I V E A F T E R M A R K E T

Vol. 1 No. 4 October 2011 64 Pages `50

Brought to you by Auto Monitor

NEWSPolaris Industries

CUTTING EDGEDriving Simulators

INTERVIEWGM Singh, Hover Automotive


TVS stands on Lean Manufacturing

to fl esh out success story

OCTOBER 2011 AFTERMARKET 1

IT is always a jubilant time for the automotive industry in September or from this month onwards, as this is the harbinger of the festive season. Maintaining the tradition followed every year, the passenger car industry grew last September after a series of poor performing months due to hardening interest rates. The increasing price of petrol has also put the span-ner on the sales of petrol vehicles. However, this phenomenon has paved the way for two different avenues of opportunities—firstly, it has spurred the sales of diesel vehicles in the used car market and secondly, it also made people look at high technology options in petrol driven vehicles, to offset the increased fuel costs.

Off late, the used car market has been witnessing a sudden surge in demand for diesel vehicles since those who are planning to sell their cars, defer now, hoping that the cars would fetch more value. It is also due to the fact that they are deferring their new vehicle purchase decision because of increased cost of finance.

In the new car sales too, the demand for diesel vehicles has been increasing significantly. Diesel cars that accounted for about 30 percent of the total vehicle sales about three years ago, have increased to more than 50 percent now. Due to issues related to supply of components for engines, diesel car production is not matching demand.

The changing scenario has also spurred an increase in the activities in aftermarket, and as a result, the sale of accessories is set to soar significantly. In addition, the spare part sales for the older vehicles will further catalyse business growth. Though the vehicle sales have been moderating since the beginning of this calendar, there are enough indications that it will grow, despite the cost of finance becoming dearer. This is because of the shear population and poor motorisation of the country.

And Indian OEMs are focussing more on the aftermarket now than even before. In fact, some of the vehicle manufacturers have gone a step ahead; in order to train their dealer-ships / service centres on new generation tools and equipment, the OEMs have approached even overseas garage equipment manufacturers. This is to serve the customers not only with sophisticated services, but also its execution in a shortest possible time. In this scenario, know-ing the vehicle parameters well ahead of the launch of the new models will help the garage equipment manufacturers to simultaneously develop dedicated tools. However, it is still not happening, as it should be. OEMs should look at garage equipment manufacturers as partners in progress to cater to the requirement of the end users.

Wishing you much pleasure reading. Do send us your feedback.

Partner in Progress

T. Murrali [email protected]

EDITORIAL


NEWS

NEWS

IN CONVERSATION

REARVIEW CUTTING EDGE

COVER STORY

CONTENTS

6 Polaris gives new dimension to off-road vehicles

8 Harman to grow presence in auto acoustics products

9 Fourth NEI facility to be set up near Hero plant

10 Tenneco to consolidate its presence in India

11 Madhus paints new vistas with green paint booths 12 First APAC 16 organised by SAE

32 GM Singh, VC and MD, Hover Automotive elaborates on the way forward

36 Demand for AC service spurs proliferation of specialised shops

38 Tecknotrove unveils driving simulator range for CVs



6

10 12

22

32

36 38

22 TVS stands on Lean Manufacturingto flesh out success story TV Sundram Iyengar & Sons has applied lean concepts at Ashok Leyland’s service centre in Nilambur

I N D I A ’ S F I R S T M A G A Z I N E F O R T H E A U T O M O T I V E A F T E R M A R K E T

Vol. 1 No. 4 October 2011 64 Pages `50


NEWSPolaris Industries

CUTTING EDGEDriving Simulators

INTERVIEWGM Singh, Hover Automotive




Cover DesignMahesh Talkar

8


Infomedia 18 Ltd is the publishing arm of Network 18.

Printed by Mohan Gajria and published & edited by Lakshmi Narasimhan on behalf of Infomedia 18 LimitedEditor: T. MurraliPrinted at Infomedia 18 Ltd, Plot no.3, Sector 7, off Sion-Panvel Road, Nerul, Navi Mumbai 400 706, and published at Infomedia 18 Ltd, ‘A’ Wing, Ruby House, J. K. Sawant Marg, Dadar (W), Mumbai - 400 028. AUTO MONITOR is registered with the Registrar of Newspapers of India under No. 67827/98. Views and opinions expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of Infomedia 18 Limited. Infomedia 18 Limited reserves the right to use the information published herein in any manner whatsoever. While every effort has been made to ensure accuracy of the information published in this edition, neither Infomedia 18 Ltd nor any of its employees accept any responsibility for any errors or omission. Further, Infomedia 18 Ltd does not take any responsibility for loss or damage incurred or suffered by any subscriber of this magazine as a result of his/her accepting any invitation/offer published in this edition. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without the written permission of the publisher. All rights reserved.

Views and opinions expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of Infomedia18 Ltd., its publisher and/or editors. We at Infomedia18 do our best to verify the information published but do not take any responsibility for the absolute accuracy of the information. Infomedia18 does not accept the responsibility for any investment or other decision taken by readers on the basis of information provided herein. Infomedia18 Ltd. does not take responsibility for returning unsolicited material sent without due postal stamps for return postage. No part of this magazine can be reproduced without the prior written permission of the publisher. Infomedia18 Ltd. reserves the right to use the information published herein in any manner whatsoever.

FOUNDER & EDITOR, NETWORK 18Raghav Bahl

PRESIDENT & EDITORIAL DIRECTOR, TV 18Senthil Chengalvarayan

EDITORT. Murrali

EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARDVishnu Mathur, Director General, SIAMVinnie Mehta, Executive Director, ACMA

SP Shah, Director General, FADAEDITORIAL TEAM

Abhishek Parekh, Features EditorNandita Rohit Kapadia, Senior Copy Editor

SENIOR CORRESPONDENTNabeel A Khan

CORRESPONDENTS Shambhavi Anand, Bhargav TS, Akmal Rahman B

ASSISTANT ART DIRECTORVaruna Naik

SENIOR DESIGNERMahesh Talkar

CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHERMexy Xavier

PHOTOGRAPHERSNeha Mithbawkar, Senior Photographer

Joshua NavalkarBUSINESS CONTROLLERS

Pukha Dhawan, Lovey Fernandes, Akshata Rane

PRINTINGEXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT

Ananth R. IyerASSISTANT GEN MANAGER-PPC

Shekhar Khot

PRODUCTION TEAMDnyaneshwar Goythale, Vikas Bobhate, Pravin Koyande,

Ravikumar Potdar, Ravi Salian, Sanjay Shelar

GROUP CEO, NETWORK 18Haresh Chawla

GROUP COO, NETWORK 18B. Sai Kumar

CEO-PUBLISHING, INFOMEDIA 18Sandeep Khosla

EVP-HUMAN RESOURCESSanjeev Kumar Singh

ASSOCIATE VICE PRESIDENTSudhanva Jategaonkar

ADVERTISING SALESShashin Bhagat (Ahmedabad)[email protected] B (Bengaluru)[email protected] Hara Subramaniam (Chennai)[email protected] N (Coimbatore)[email protected] Rahul Hanchate (Hyderabad)[email protected] Gokhale (Indore)[email protected] Grover (Jaipur)[email protected] Abhik Ghosal(Kolkata)[email protected] Dhingra (Ludhiana)[email protected]@infomedia18.inMukesh Yadav (New Delhi)[email protected] Dass (Pune)[email protected] Pathak (Vadodara)[email protected]

MARKETING TEAMGanesh Mahale, Prachi Mutha, Varsha Nawathe, Abhay Borkar

OVERSEAS CONTACTRingier Trade Media Ltd CHINA

1001 Tower 3, Donghai Plaza, 1486 Nanjing Road, West, Shanghai 200040, China Tel: +86-21 6289 – 5533 Ext. 368, Fax: +86-21 6247 – 4855

(Craig Shibinsky) Email: [email protected] Trade Media Ltd HONG KONG

9/F, Cheong Sun Tower, 118 Wing Lok Street, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong Tel: +852 2369 – 8788 Ext. 21, Fax: +852 2869 – 5919

(Octavia Au-Yeung) Email: [email protected] Trade Media Ltd TAIWAN

Room 3, Fl. 12, No. 303, Chung Ming S. Rd., Taichung, TaiwanTel: +886-4 2329 – 7318 Ext. 16, Fax: +886-4 2310 – 7167

(Sydney La) Email: [email protected]

USA Tel: (513) 527-8800 Fax: (513) 527-8801

Email: [email protected]

USA Alfredo Domador, 6505 Blue Lagoon Drive, Suite 430 Miami, FL. 33126, USA

Tel: (305)448-6875 Fax: (305)448-9942

NEWS STAND AND SUBSCRIPTIONSDISTRIBUTION HEADSunil Nair

SR. MANAGER-SUBSCRIPTIONSSheetal Kotawdekar

CO-ORDINATORSRahul Mankar, Anant Shirke, Sarita Quartos’, Chaitali Parker, Kamlesh Madkar, Vaibhav Ghavwale

SERVICESCIRCULATION SERVICES Write to [email protected] SERVICES For subscription queries, write [email protected] or call +91 22 30034631-34 ortoll free 1800 200 1021PERMISSIONS For subscription to copy or reuse material from AUTO MONITOR, Write to [email protected]

• Monthly Issue Price: `50

6 AFTERMARKET OCTOBER 2011

NEWS

SEVERAL government inst itutions

including defence is act ively looking at buy-

ing off -road vehicles manufact ured by the

US based Polaris Indust ries Inc, to also sup-

port after sales service requirements of their

fl eet operating in forward areas that cannot

be reached through normal roads, according

to Managing Direct or, Polaris India, Pankaj

Dubey. Speaking to Aftermarket at the test

track to showcase the capabilities

of the vehicle in Chennai, he said the com-

pany has already received orders from

defence for snowmobiles to be deployed in

bad weather conditions.

Couple of months ago, the US com-

pany announced its formal entry in the

Indian market with the launch of its off -

road vehicles. Th e product line introduced

to the Indian market consist s of All Terrain

Vehicle (ATVs), Ranger RZR Side by Side

vehicles and Snowmobiles—priced between

`2.84 lakh and `24 lakh.

Dubey said the company has already

est ablished nine dealerships and it will add

one more before the end of this calendar.

In Chennai, the vehicles will be available

through MPL Adventure Sports Vehicles,

a part of MPL group, which is in to vehi-

cle dealerships for several OEMs including

Ford, Mahindra and Ashok Leyland. Th e

company has forayed in to Chennai, “as it

is one of the key markets for us in India.

We foresee huge interest and business

potential in the market and thus appointed

MPL as our dealer to off er our innova-

tive product s. In the fi rst phase, we are

launching our fl agship product including

ATVs. We are hopeful about off ering a lot

of adventure and utility experience on off -

roads in Chennai.”

Th e company is looking at cust omers in

several segments including agriculture /

farming, adventure, fun, lifeguard, beach

patrol, const ruct ion, manufact uring, forest ,

mining, exploration, paramilitary, tourism

and fi re fi ghting. Considering the specifi c

Polaris Industries gives new dimension to off-road vehicles

T Murrali

7 OCTOBER 2011 AFTERMARKET

NEWS

requirements of the country, he said,

“We may sell more vehicles for utility

purpose than for adventure and fun.”

Th e Dealer Principal and Direct or

of MPL Adventure Sports Vehicles,

S Ravindranathan, said the dedicat-

ed showroom for Polaris in Chennai

will be operational within few days. In

addition to the display area, the show-

room will have a small service centre.

However, most of the service will be

carried out at the cust omers’ premises,

as these vehicles cannot be brought to

the service centre.

Th e National Service Manager

of Polaris India, Vinod Jee Pandita

told Aftermarket that the company

would shortly be launching Polaris

On-Site Service (POSS) to facilitate

servicing of the vehicles at cust omer’s

premises. Each vehicle would be given

a periodical maintenance chart with

which, the cust omers will know the

schedule. Based on the requirements

POSS will facilitate after sales service

at cust omers’ place. Unlike the on-

road vehicle Polaris vehicles will not

have free services. Asked about the

time to address cust omer complaints,

he said the company has not decided

on any timeframe, however, priority

will be given for cust omer service,

he said. Since the spare parts includ-

ing tyres, have to be imported,

adequate inventory will be main-

tained, he added.

“While the Indian market is no

st ranger to ATVs, the look and feel

of these vehicles and adventure has

been very limited so far. Polaris is a

brand known worldwide for its innova-

tive off -road vehicle and we associate

with them right from the beginning

and jointly develop the off -road vehicle

market in the country—something that

people desire for, but have been miss-

ing,” Ravindranathan said.

Dubey said, “Since the market for

such vehicles is st ill in nascent st age

in the country, our principal aim is to

sensitise the consumers, create a new

market and to generate more interest in

these act ivities.” After the ten dealer-

ships achieve breakeven, say in about

three to fi ve years, the company will

look at increasing the number of dealers

to 25, he added. �

(L-R) S Ravindranathan, Dealer Principal & Direct or of MPL

Adventure Sports Vehicles & Pankaj Dubey, MD, Polaris India

Phot

ogra

ph: B

harg

av T

S


NEWS

HARMAN International (India) is

evaluating on introducing more prod-

uct s to target the growing automotive

acoust ics market. It is evaluating on

introducing product s across brands in

India for the goring vehicle population

in the aftermarket.

It recently signed AR Rahman as its

brand ambassador for JBL and kicked

off its campaign ‘Hear Th e Truth’—a

multi-year campaign featuring an

evolving rost er of top international

musicians who want their fans to list en

to music as it was intended to be heard.

Rahman will feature in the campaign

highlighting ‘How AR Rahman list ens

to AR Rahman’.

Harman International India (HII) is

a wholly owned subsidiary of Harman

International. It designs and manu-

fact ures a wide range of premium

audio and infotainment solutions for

the automotive, consumer lifest yle

and professional markets. Its promi-

nent brand includes AKG, Harman/

Kardon, Infi nity, JBL, Lexicon and

Mark Levinson.

HII is headquartered in Bangalore

and was set up in 2009 with M

Lakshminarayan as its Managing

Direct or. Th e company has a work-

force of over 450 people, including

about 250 working for the off shore

development centre, a hub for innova-

tion and embedded engineering. Th e

India Development Centre was set up

in order to broaden Harman's engi-

neering footprint into developing audio

and infotainment solutions across the

automotive, consumer lifest yle and pro-

fessional markets. Sahil International is

the authorised dist ributor in India for

Harman consumer product s.

Harman will launch its advertising

campaign, social media engagement

and other initiatives intended to chal-

lenge list eners to ‘Hear the truth’, a

campaign designed to resonate with

JBL’s long-time fans and music lov-

ers, through the artist s and songs they

adore. Musicians across genres around

the world will be induct ed throughout

this multi-year campaign.

During the course of the cam-

paign, JBL will utilise social media

channels to share behind the scenes

video content and video shoots with

the featured artist s. “Th e campaign

is headlined by world-class musi-

cians and AR Rahman brings with

him the talent, absolute zeal and

love for music and quality sound

which we, at Harman, deem a neces-

sity in today’s world. Th e JBL brand

is renowned worldwide by musicians

and sound engineers for its quality

sound, and our mission is to ensure

their musical integrity is faithful-

ly recreated through JBL product s,”

said Chairman, President and Chief

Executive Offi cer, Harman,

Dinesh Paliwal.

Th e JBL heritage reaches back more

than 60 years and is a leader in devel-

oping audio equipment to maximise

music for the digital area, developing

iPad, iPhone and iPod speakers for the

home and offi ce, premium after-market

sound syst ems for car audio enthusiast s

and ground-breaking loudspeakers for

home-theatres and audiophiles. �

Harman International to grow presence in auto acoustics products

Abhishek Parekh

Harman will launch its advertising campaign and other initiatives intended to challenge listeners to

‘Hear the truth’, a campaign designed to resonate with JBL’s fans and music lov-

ers, through the artists and songs they adore. Musi-

cians across genres around the world will be inducted throughout this campaign

M Lakshminarayan, MD, Harman International (India), AR Rahman, Dinesh Paliwal, Chairman, President

& CEO, Harman, International (India) & Jeff Willard, CMO, Harman International Indust ries Inc


NEWS

ONE of the leading manufact urers

of NBC brand bearings for automo-

tive and indust rial segments, National

Engineering Indust ries, Jaipur (NEI),

a CK Birla Group company, is

mulling setting up its fourth plant in

the country.

“By December 2011, we should be

able to fi nalise the location. Currently,

we are weighing the situation, keeping

in mind our cust omers and their plans.

Once the plant is set up, we will st art

by making ball bearings and then

move to taper roller bearings,” NEI

chief executive offi cer Rohit Saboo

told Aftermarket.

Th e two dest inations under con-

sideration are Gujarat and Karnataka.

Since the plant will cater to the needs

of Hero Moto Corp majorly, the fi nal

location will depend upon the two-

wheeler manufact urer’s proposed

plant to be put either in Gujarat or

Karnataka. On one hand in Gujarat,

NEI has major cust omers like Maruti

Suzuki while on the other, Karnataka

off ers the advantage of proximity with

Honda Motorcycles and Scooters

India (HMSI).

Th e winner of the prest igious

Deming Award in 2010, NEI plans for

the new plant to be spread across an

area of 15 acres and will be highly auto-

mated to reduce dependence on manual

assist ance sharply. For inst ance, a usual

line requires fi ve people, the new auto-

mated line will reduce this number to

two. Around 98 percent of the highly

product ive and automated machines

will be imported from either Japan or

Europe. NEI plans to invest `100 crore

in the machinery and support

paraphernalia. Th e land and

building may cost somewhere

between `10 to 15 crore.

Th e company is also set-

ting up another plant in

Mahindra Special Economic

Zone (SEZ) in Rajast han for

its joint venture with local

company, NTN. Th is plant

will produce third generation

wheel bearings for companies

like Hyundai and Toyota. Th e

const ruct ion which is already

under progress will be com-

pleted by the fi rst quarter of

the next year. Th e company

is hopeful that the plant will

commence product ion by the

fourth quarter of 2012. Th e JV

which is known as NTN NEI

Manufact uring India (NNMI)

already has a plant in Bawal.

NEI has also planned to increase

it’s spend on research and development

signifi cantly. It plans to spend around

two and a half percent of its total rev-

enue on R&D this year. Currently its

R&D spend was 0.5 percent of the

total revenue. “We have realised that

for a better future we must rely on our

own R&D st rength. Hence, we will

be deploying more funds for the same.

While this year we have allocated `25

crore for research work from next year

it will increase slightly and be over

three percent of the revenue annually,”

Saboo informed. It plans to double the

size of its R&D team and is also con-

st ruct ing a building in Jaipur for

the purpose.

Talking about the recent slow-

down triggered by the hike in interest

rate of vehicles Saboo said, “While

some segments have been aff ect ed by

the slowdown, others are st ill doing

well. Two-wheelers and tract ors are

not aff ect ed but passenger vehicles and

commercial vehicles have been slightly

aff ect ed. Th ough some pockets in the

CV segment like light commercial vehi-

cles and one-tonners are st ill doing well.”

Th e capacity utilisation of NEI has come

down from 90 percent to 86 percent.

Th e company has made no altera-

tions in its invest ment plans due to the

“perceived slowdown”, according to

Saboo. “About two years ago, we had

planned that we will invest `150 to

200 crore every year and we will con-

tinue to invest that amount,” he added.

Th e company has crossed a turnover

of `1000 crore and is bullish about the

next year as well. �

Fourth NEI facility to be set up near Hero MotoCorp plantShambhavi Anand

Rohit Saboo, CEO, NEI


NEWS

THE Indian subsidiary of the

US-based manufact urer of ride con-

trol components and exhaust syst ems,

Tenneco Automotive India, is planning

to consolidate its presence in the Indian

aftermarket. “Th e aftermarket space

in India is unorganised and therefore

to st rengthen our presence we need

to organise ourselves fi rst ,” Managing

Direct or, Tenneco Automotive India,

Abhijit Mukherjee told Aftermarket.

To achieve its vision, the company

plans to educate the exist ing dist ribu-

tors more about their product s by the

means of brochures and training ses-

sions. “Th is will yield better results

rather than just increasing the number

of dist ributors,” Mukherjee added.

Aftermarket contributes 15 percent to

the revenue of Tenneco in the country.

It intends to increase this share in the

coming years.

Tenneco is setting up a new plant

in Chakan to cater to the needs of

its global cust omer Volkswagen. Th e

const ruct ion of the plant has already

commenced towards the end of the last

and will be fully operational by the fi rst

quarter of the next calendar year. Th e

company already has plants in Husor,

Pune, Bawal and Chennai which sup-

ply to its cust omers like Maruti Suzuki,

Renault, Tata Motors, Mahindra, Ford,

General Motors, Volkswagen, Nissan,

Toyota, Daimler and the JV between

Ashok Leyland and Nissan. It also

has a small facility in Pondicherry for

powdered metal component which are

precision components required for ride

control product s.

Th e company which has invest ed 20

million dollars in its Indian operations

in the last three years plans to invest

the same amount in the next three to

fi ve years. It has sales revenue of six

billion dollars.

Th e manufact urer is also working on

several innovative and futurist ic prod-

uct s on ride control as well as emission

control side. Th ese advance product s

are meant for the next generation of

vehicles which will hit the roads after

2015. Th ese product s are intended for

OEM business initially.

Th e shocks will have hollow pist on

rods with the usage of “diff erent mate-

rial” like plast ic. Th is will signifi cantly

reduce the weight of the vehicle in

which it is used. Th ough it is not being

developed for a specifi c cust omer, the

company is hopeful that once done it

will fi nd numerous takers.

It is also working on developing low

cost elect ronically controlled st ruts.

“Elect ronically controlled shocks require

elect ronic control units (ECU) which is

an added cost . We are trying to devel-

op a product where the elect ronic chip

is inside an individual st rut so that the

control is within that eliminating the

need for a separate unit. Th is will help

in reducing complexity of the syst em as

well as cost ,” Mukherjee explained.

Th is technology is aimed at the vehi-

cles of B and C segment and has internal

valve technology which results in lower

power usage while off ering fast damping

adjust ments. Th e Indian car makers like

Maruti have shown interest in these low

cost elect ronically controlled st ruts which

are being developed at the Indian engi-

neering centers in collaboration with the

centers in Belgium and America.

On the emission control side also the

company is working on advanced prod-

uct s keeping in mind the emission norms

expect ed to be implemented in the coun-

try. While the main engineering centre

for ride control product s is in Husor,

Tenneco is building a new engineering

centre for emission control in its Chakan

facility. Th e Indian centers are supported

and funded through the main global cent-

ers in the US, Europe, China and Japan.

“While currently there are no cus-

tomers yet for any of these technologies

in India, when the demand comes,

Tenneco is ready with these technolo-

gies and will be able to readily and

rapidly respond to the OEMs require-

ments as they try to give more value

for money by increasing the number

of features that are on off er. Th e same

thing happened with ABS where ini-

tially the technology was confi ned only

to high end car segments but has now

spread to all segments as a st andard

off ering. In the OE business we not

only work for the present but also for

future,” Mukherjee added. �

Tenneco to consolidate its presence in IndiaShambhavi Anand

Abhijit Mukherjee, MD,

Tenneco Automotive India


NEWS

GARAGE equipment trading com-

pany, Madhus Garage Equipments,

with a vision to scope new prospect s,

saw enormous opportunities in the

eco-friendly paint booths in the after-

market. Consecutively, the company

that is based in Bangalore, has recently

st arted importing high performance

and cost competitive paint booths from

a Chinese manufact urer Guangzhou

Guangli. It is also planning to expand

its network in order to cater to the ris-

ing demand in this segment.

According to Managing Direct or,

Madhus Garage Equipments, Ravi

BM, the market in India is looking

for reasonably priced and good qual-

ity equipment. “Th e product s that we

bring from Guangli is about 40 percent

cheaper when compared to the same

product available in India. Moreover,

the Chinese product s are more effi cient.

Th is new paint booth is fabricated with

rock wool internally and we use the two

st age burners and powerful fans to cir-

culate the air evenly,” he said.

Currently, the company imports

and sells a wide range of product s that

include wheel aligners, tyre chang-

er, brake test er, gas analysers, body

shop equipment and wheel balanc-

ers. Madhus Garage represents several

multinational manufact urers includ-

ing Hunter, Car-O-Liner, Ravaglioli,

Telwin, Romess and Texa.

Bridging Technology GapsRavi said, “In the last 24 years we

have been importing the latest technol-

ogies that are used in countries like US,

Europe and Japan in to this country.

With this, we can say that the equip-

ment used in our workshops in India

is at par with international st andards.

So far, latest technologies have been

coming in every two to three years and

we st art bringing in new equipment as

the latest technology is released in the

international market.”

Th e big challenge in the indust ry is

availability of service and spare parts.

To address these issues, the company

has 65 trained service engineers across

the country. And for immediate part

requirements, it has a centralised spare

parts dist ribution centre, which reaches

the cust omer within 24 hours.

According to him, there is a huge

potential in the truck market in India.

Earlier there was no particular equip-

ment used in the truck segment as it

had always been dominated by the

roadside garages using regular tools.

However, today a lot of automa-

tion has come into the pict ure and

the service is done easily by using

pneumatic tools. Th us these kind of

specialised tools and equipment have

really made the truck segment move in

a diff erent direct ion. As a result, the

truck market will grow tremendously

in another fi ve years, he said.

In the garage equipment business,

there are three main areas—the body

shop equipment, workshop equipment

and wheel service equipment. In the

three areas, Madhus Garage plays a vital

role and exploring more possibilities.

“For our new AC equipment, we have

received many enquiries from major

OEMs like Mercedes-Benz, BMW and

Audi to supply to their service centres

and we will be supplying the equipment

next year. Th us we have to gear ourselves

to meet these orders, which will be new

generation vehicles,” Ravi added.

Apart from OEMs, the company

sees individual garages as a major pre-

cursor to this growth. “Th e smaller

players like dealers and garages, which

we call the entry level market holds

immense potential in the paint and

refi nishing segment,” he said. While

the premium OEM cust omers choose

expensive paint booths, the smaller

players in the aftermarket prefer more

cost eff ect ive product s. Th ese entry

level players will be the company’s main

focus in the near future, he said. �

Madhus paints new vistas with green paint booths Bhargav TS

Ravi BM, Managing Direct or, Madhus Garage Equipments


NEWS

THE Society of Automotive Engineers

India (SAE India) is organising

the 16th Asia Pacifi c Automotive

Conference (APAC 16) for the fi rst

time in India. Scheduled to be held

from 6 to 8 Oct ober, 2011 at Chennai

Trade Centre, the focus of the confer-

ence is ‘Sust ainable Technologies for

Safe and Smart Mobility’.

According to the Chairman of the

organising committee of APAC 16 and

the CEO of Automotive Infotronics,

Dr Aravind Bharadwaj, the event will

see major national and international

participation from the indust ry, gov-

ernment and the academia.

Th e conference is expect ed to discuss

the automotive road map and address

the concerns raises by the indust ry

members. Th ough the Indian automo-

tive indust ry has notched a prominent

position in the global automotive map,

it st ill has a long way to go to become

a signifi cant player in the world. And

this is primarily because the vehicles

that are being manufact ured in the

country are not fully designed yet.

While unveiling the conference

theme and logo recently, the President

SAE India and Co-Chairman APAC

16 and the Executive Offi cer, PE,

Maruti Suzuki, R Dayal was present

along with former President ACMA

and Managing Direct or, Wheels India,

Srivats Ram. Th e Chairman, APAC

16 and the President, Automotive &

Farm Equipment Sect ors, Mahindra

& Mahindra, Dr Pawan Goenka,

said that though the Indian automo-

tive indust ry is in st riking dist ance of

accomplishing the object ives laid by

Vision 2020, the vehicle manufact urers

have to go a long way in terms of com-

pletely designing the vehicles. Besides,

the Indian OEMs fall short in terms

of the latest technical advancements.

Conferences like this could play a vital

role for India to become a leading play-

er in the design and manufact ure of

vehicles. He hoped that young engi-

neers in the country would leverage

this advantage and propel the capabili-

ties in design.

According to Goenka, the world

is keenly watching India as it rises to

be a global economic powerhouse. In

the India growth st ory, the automo-

tive indust ry and the Indian OEMs

are playing a key role. With increasing

globalisation, Indian OEMs are also

expanding outside India independ-

ently, or through ambitious acquisition

besides, moving up in their own world

class R&D. Invest ment in OEM plants

usually see a multiplier eff ect in terms

of invest ment and employment gen-

eration in the associated supply chain.

Th us, the signifi cance of this indus-

try warrants creation of an eco-syst em

that can support the growth through

sust ainable technologies and transpor-

tation infrast ruct ure. “APAC 16 brings

together the Indian auto indust ry,

international experts, key policy makers

and academia under one roof to see this

India’s fi rst APAC 16 on mobility technology

organised by SAE

ACMA and SIAM delegates at the unveiling of the logo


NEWS

dream take shape in reality,” he said.

Bharadwaj st ated that APAC 16 will

witness congregation of a number of

experts on sust ainable technologies for

safe and smart mobility and present an

ideal platform for exchange of ideas in

several domains including green vehi-

cles, CO2 reduct ion and ambient air

quality, renewable resources, safety,

infotronics and frugal engineering.

Th e conference will be an ideal plat-

form to exchange ideas in areas like

engine technologies, green vehicles,

collaborative innovations, IPR policy

and regulations. Th e three-day confer-

ence will primarily focus on sust ainable

technology options and creation of an

enabling eco-syst em to advance safe

and smart mobility. It will see several

technical and plenary sessions, panel

discussions and top tech programmes

addressed by eminent indust ry person-

alities. Th e conference will also provide

an ideal platform for companies to

exhibit their product s, technologies and

services, he said.

“We expect the Indian auto com-

ponent indust ry to achieve an annual

turnover of $110 billion by 2020, a

st rong growth arm of Indian automotive

indust ry. It is therefore imperative for

us to adopt sust ainable processes, as ten

years from now, the safety and environ-

ment considerations due to growth in the

automotive sect or shall increase mani-

fold. ACMA has created a Sust ainable

Technology Committee that aims to

promote innovations related to energy

effi ciency and energy conservation,”

Ram added. APAC 16 will off er the

Indian auto indust ry a platform to share

and exchange ideas with global experts

on sust ainable technologies for safe and

smart mobility, he said.

Dayal iterated that India is taking

its position as an emerging dest ination

of frugal engineering and global players

are keen to collaborate with the country.

However, India’s path to mass motori-

sation will be very diff erent from that

of developed countries. “We must fi rst

develop smart and safe technologies,

business models, and government poli-

cies that can sust ain and pave the way to

increased automobile penetration in the

country. SAE India has made remark-

able progress over the years and hopes to

provide a framework for the indust ry to

est ablish a seamless transportation net-

work in the country,” he added. �

APAC 16 brings together the Indian auto industry, international experts on

sustainable technologies for safe and smart mobility, key policy makers and academia

under one roof to see this dream take shape in reality


NEWS

SUPERIOR product s and innovation

are necessary conditions, but will not

be a suffi cient for ‘brand diff erentia-

tion, said Vice President, Marketing,

Sales and Aftersales, Daimler India

Commercial Vehicles, VRV Sriprasad,

at the 47th Annual Session of Federation

of Automobile Dealers Associations

(FADA), held at New Delhi recently. He

continued, “Consumer experience will

play a bigger role as product diff erentia-

tion will cease.”

Earlier, welcoming the guest s,

Nikunj Sanghi, President, FADA, said

passenger vehicles that had been grow-

ing at a rapid pace have largely been

hit by internal and external fact ors.

Commercial vehicle sales, while st ill in

positive territory, are growing. However,

the current rate of growth pales against

the heady 25 percent growth during the

previous two years. Th e fact that two-

wheelers are holding st eady inspires

confi dence and guarded optimism.

Talking about Daimler India

Commercial Vehicles, Sriprasad added

that Daimler, the inventor and pioneer

of automobiles, is set to challenge con-

ventional wisdom and bring about a

paradigm shift in commercial vehicle

space. He revealed that Daimler India

would be introducing the next gen-

eration trucks designed by the Indian

engineers for the Indian people at com-

petitive prices within a year, to challenge

the near duopolist ic charact er of Indian

commercial vehicle indust ry in India.

Another dignitary present at the

event, Direct or, NCAER-Centre for

Macro Consumer Research, Dr Rajesh

Shukla, in his presentation, highlight-

ed the changing Indian consumption

basket. He noted that while rural India

is st ill 13-14 years behind urban India

in terms of non-food consumption,

which has been rising st eadily both in

rural and urban areas and augurs well

for the automotive market in India.

With GDP growth likely to rise by

nine percent through to the year 2015,

and incomes of both urban and rural

households rising, the auto market is

expect ed to record a healthy growth.

While Sr Vice President, Marketing

& Sales, Anil Dua, Hero MotoCorp,

painted a bright pict ure of automo-

tive scenario, he added that the huge

untapped market would sust ain the

growth. He exhorted automobile deal-

ers to create their own service brand

equity, as it is the cust omers’ experi-

ence and service, which would be the

diff erentiating fact or in the highly

competitive market.

Expressing his cautious optimism,

Sanghi hoped that the current slow-

down was transitory and the Indian

auto market would regain its buoy-

ancy sooner than later. Th e underlying

thread was that the Indian automotive

market is poised for a big leap forward.

Th e rising income levels, changing life

st yles, growing aspirations of rural

India and increasing urbanisation are

the drivers that will propel the indust ry

ahead. Th e current fatigue seems tem-

porary, felt the experts. �

Optimism dominatesamidst market concerns at FADA

Passenger vehicles havelargely been hit by internal

and external factors. CVsales are growing. However,

the current rate of growthpales against the heady

25 percent growth duringthe previous two years. And

since two-wheelers are hold-ing steady inspires con� -

dence and optimism

Rakesh Jain, FADA committee member addressing the dignitaries;

(L-R): Satyendra Garg, VRV Sriprasad, Nikunj Sanghi, Anil Dua, Dr Rajesh Shukla & Mohan Himatsingka


NEWS

MAHALE Filter Syst ems India

(MFSI) is increasing its focus on the

aftermarket with special attention to

commercial vehicles. Hist orically, it

has been observed that when the OE

business is slowing down due to fall in

the sales of vehicles, people st art pay-

ing more heed to their exiting vehicles

thus increase spending in the aftersales

procedures. Buying this point of view,

MFSI is expect ing an increase in this

segment of business.

“If the slowdown goes on, we expect

that our aftermarket will off set that.

We have built a second fact ory last year

in Parwanoo, Himachal Pradesh, to

increase focus on the aftermarket, Th e

other reason for setting up the plant

here was that the Himachal Pradesh

government gave us a benefi t of roughly

around 10 percent in terms of sops for

operating within st ate,” COO, MFSI,

Sunil Nair, told Aftermarket. Th ough,

he did not elaborate on the kind ben-

efi ts off ered by the st ate government.

Currently, the manufact urer is uti-

lising 80 percent of its Parwanoo plant

capacity, which is dedicated to the after-

market business, and churning out

around `25 crore a month in terms of

revenue. Th e company has already est ab-

lished its presence well in the aftermarket

through Purolator, (another brand of the

company which exist s for over 30 years),

and gets around 26 percent of its total

revenue from this segment.

MFSI is invest ing around `two

crore in marketing in the aftermarket.

Of late, it has increased presence in

the HCVs in the aftermarket. Earlier,

Purolator was mainly into PVs but after

a JV with Mahale, it has received a

Nabeel A Khan

Mahale fi lters expanding portfolioMahale fi lters expanding portfolio

Sunil Nair, COO, MFSI at the plant

Phot

ogra

phs:

JD

ileep

Pra

kash


NEWS

lot of support from Germany that has

enabled it to develop and produce fi lter

for the commercial vehicle. Currently,

Mahale’s market share in the HCV and

CV aftermarket is very small but hopes

to get 15 percent of its total aftermarket

sales in the coming two years.

“We have not lost focus on the PV;

we are st ill by far the leading manufac-

turer of fi lters in the PV aftermarket.

We are only increasing the focus in the

CVs because of the growth we have

seen in the last few years following

Indian government’s increased invest -

ment in infrast ruct ure development,”

Nair added. During this month, the

company is launching a whole range of

fi lters and other product s for the com-

mercial vehicles in the aftermarket.

It has developed a green fi lter, which

is metal free and has a good potential in

the international market. Worldwide,

PVs have shifted toward the metal-free

fuel fi lter for its ability to be completely

recycled. It also has a patent on this

product , but is contest ing a case against

a number one manufact urer over viola-

tion of the patent.

Th e company was not very act ive

in the two-wheeler segment because

of low profi t margin, however, after

its split with Hero Honda, it hopes

to get bigger business from Honda

Motorcycles and Scooters India. It has

also recently received an order from

Suzuki Motorcycles.

It is also developing a new nano fi lter,

which is expect ed to have an improved

dust holding capacity and also better

water separation technology. In India,

diesel fuel contains a high percentage of

water content, and this technology will

help increase life of the engine and fuel

effi ciency. As compared to last year, the

company is performing quite well and

hopes to close with a hike of around 24

percent in the total revenue which st ood

at `356 crore in 2010 to reach `420-450

crore in 2011. � Different st ages of product ion of fuel filters at the Gurgaon plant


NEWS

ADHESIVE manufact urer Nibon

Indust ries, will be launching thread

lock and cynoacrylate adhesives soon.

Managing Direct or, Nibon Indust ries,

Nithin Largus Konnully said, “Th e

adhesive indust ry is growing rapidly

and we want to regist er our footprint in

the Indian market by bringing diff erent

kinds of adhesives. Th e new thread lock

will help our indust rial end-users, new

design and manufact uring opportuni-

ties, all in one formulation. In short,

these two improved product s permit

the use of top quality anaerobic thread

lockers in a much wider range

of applications.”

Based in Kochi, Kerala, Nibon

Adhesives is also present in Tamil

Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Pondicherry

and Goa. Shortly, it will be entering

in Mumbai and Delhi region. It has

also st arted supplying RTV (Room

Temperature Viscosity) and

PU sealants.

About The ProductsTh e thread lock is a single com-

ponent, solvent-free product , which

dries immediately and off ers addi-

tional advantages. On the other hand,

cynoacrylate is a general purpose indus-

trial grade gap-fi lling subst rate, which

can be used in all the applications.

Th e purpose of a nut lock is to

prevent the loosening of mating com-

ponents, which may be operating in

conditions of varying st ress levels,

temperatures or vibrations. Th e eff ec-

tiveness of the locking device is often

critical to the safety of the syst em.

Cynoacrylate enables fast er and

greater depth of cure. Light cur-

ing adhesives are often referred to

as adhesives that cure “on-demand”

or “on-command”. Th is is due to the

ability to adjust or align components

with the adhesive in place, and only

curing when the assembly is correct ly

positioned. Th ere are several polymer

types that cure via light cure technol-

ogy and are appropriate as adhesives.

Most are based on free radical cur-

ing acrylate technologies. RTV is

basically designed for automotive

applications, such as sealing exhaust

manifolds, turbo housings, oxygen

sensors, adhering auto and appli-

ance trims, providing form in place

of gaskets for gear boxes, compressors

and pumps sealing trailer and truck

cabs, and bonding or sealing appli-

ance part.

PU sealants are solvent free poly-

urethane with high adhesion st rength

and good elast icity, which allows mul-

ti-coat painting. It is basically used

in common joints for car body works

such as wind shields, front and back

panels, engine cabins, car doors and

folded parts.

Looking ForwardTh e company also has plans to setup

a manufact uring facility in Pollachi

next year with an invest ment of `200

crores. “We are planning to manufac-

ture 20 metric tonnes of adhesives and

after st udying the indust ry, we will

st art exporting our product s.” Nibon

designs machineries for product ion as

per the requirements, therefore the ini-

tial invest ments is higher. Th e product s

are highly competitive for the Indian

market and the pricing also done

accordingly, Nithin added.

Nibon Adhesives currently supplies

to Popular Automobiles in Kerala

and Tamil Nadu and to many other

dealers. In the days to come, it

will also evaluate the adhesives tar-

geted at the OEMs, as part of its

expansion mode. �

Nibon binds into

adhesive industryBhargav TS

Product s to be launched by Nibon


NEWS

TVS Automobile Solutions (TVS

AS), which has been hived off from

TVS & Sons as a separate company

last February, has inaugurated its third

exclusive authorised service centre for

Tata Motors’ passenger cars segment

in Chennai. Th e other two centres

are located in Hyderabad and Kochi.

Th is facility also marks TVS AS’s 17th

outlet and 60th overall, including fran-

chisees, in India.

Located across a 28,000 sq ft

area, the st ate-of-the-art facility has

advanced mechanical bays, a body shop,

and paint booth with various facilities.

Besides catering to the regular running

and body repairs, the cust omer-centric

service centre will also take up the new

car-free services and warranty jobs thus

providing Tata passenger car owners

the complete servicing solutions under

one roof at its facility.

Expressing his

delight over the inau-

guration of new

facility, President,

TVS Automobile

Solutions, R

Srivatchan said, “In

line with our growth

st rategy, we are happy

to inaugurate this

st ate-of-the-art facil-

ity with specialised

and world class equipment. Our well

trained technicians are specialised in

handling Tata cars services and repairs.

Th ey will ensure quality service and

on-time delivery schedule to cust omers

with complete value for their money.”

Inaugurating the facility, Head

Cust omer Support (PCBU), Tata

Motors, Dinesh Bhasin said, “Th is

facility is spacious, technically

well-equipped and eco-friendly.

MyTVS, will do well in meeting the

cust omer demands.”

Th e new service centre will also

off er other facilities like emergency

breakdown assist ance, extended work-

ing hours, pick-up and drop facility,

assist ance with insurance claims, Flexi

working schedules (seven days a week)

and transparency in dealings. �

TVS & Sons, one among the larg-

est automobile dist ribution companies

in the country has inaugurated the 3S

(Sales, Service and Spares) facility for

Ashok Leyland commercial vehicles

in Karur, about 300 km southwest of

Chennai. Th is is the 18th outlet of the

company exclusively for Ashok Leyland

product s in Tamil Nadu.

Th e new facility was inaugu-

rated by the Executive Direct or,

Ashok Leyland Rajive Saharia along

with the President, TVS & Sons, N

Krishnamoorthy. Th ey jointly hand-

ed over 51 new vehicles to cust omers.

Th e company has plans to est ablish

its facilities in a grid of 50 to 100 km

depending on the requirement of the

location so that cust omers need not

send their vehicles off their route for

the purpose of servicing. Besides net-

work development, it has taken up

several improvement initiatives in com-

mercial vehicle servicing using tools

such as Kaizen and Lean, which helped

reducing the turn-around time of the

service by half of what it was one year

earlier. TVS & Sons Karur facility has

spread across 50,000 square feet.

Saharia said “We are happy for

partnering with TVS & Sons, which

has always st ood for service qual-

ity with the use of latest technology.

Krishnamoorthy said “We have been

const antly invest ing not only in business

expansion and infrast ruct ure, but also

in upgrading the skills of our employees

for the benefi t of all our associates and

st and by our founder’s vision of innova-

tion and quality in service deliverables.

We will be est ablishing more 3S facility

in Tier II and III locations in order to

ensure cust omer delight by serving clos-

er to their work place”.

Th e advantages of the new Karur

facility include two bay services for

fast er servicing of vehicles, apart from

exclusive washing facility. Th e outlet

has a computerised wheel alignment

syst em and is also equipped to overhaul

BS III engines. It will serve the fl eet

operators depended on transporting of

product s to and from local textile, bus

body and blue metal indust ry. Working

on two shifts from the beginning, the

service centre has est ablished a separate

module st ores with suffi cient bins for

st ocking OE parts for workshop and

counter sales to fulfi l the needs of

fl eet operators. �

TVS sets up service centre for Tata Motors

3S facility for Ashok Leyland

TVS service centre


SPECIAL REPORT

NNG, which supplies navigation soft-

ware under the brand ‘iGo my way’, is

looking to forge partnership in India

for fl eet management segment targeted

at trucks and buses. It is in process of

launching its ‘iGo Primo’ in the Indian

market through its exclusive and non-

exclusive dealers.

Th e company is also looking to tap

two-wheelers and pedest rian segment

in India though its current focus is

largely confi ned to the passenger vehi-

cle segment mainly through the OEM

route. It is also in the process

of setting up its dist ribution network

in partnership with hardware or

device manufact urer.

Th e company was est ablished in 2004

and has partnerships with various map-

ping and content service providers across

the world to provide cust omer inter-

face on navigation devices. Application

service providers like NNG provide

applications on content (maps) to the

hardware suppliers (personal navigation

device) to be sold to the OEMs and in

the aftermarket. Th is three way partner-

ship is critical for optimum utilisation

of capabilities with each partner and for

enhanced user experience.

Th e navigation software is also

sold as an application for iPhones and

android based smart phones and other

personal devices. “We can enter a mar-

ket with a portfolio of applications or

product s when the basic mapping of

most of the geographical areas of key

towns and cities is done. We do not

aggregate maps. We partner with lead-

ing content aggregators who provide

mapping service,” st ated Vice President,

East ern Europe & Emerging Markets,

NNG Kft, Peter Bolesza. More impor-

tantly, he adds, the application has

to be robust and updated as maps are

const antly enhanced and updated at the

content providers’ end.

Th e navigation market is beginning

to take off in recent months with pre

inst alled devices in several mid-sized

passenger vehicles. But the attract ion of

the market is primarily the low level of

penetration of PNDs and other forms

of navigation in automobiles. Currently

navigation enabled passenger vehi-

cles comprises just around 1.5 to two

Navigating for success

Abhishek Parekh

NNG looking for partnership in fl eet management business for Indian market

(L-R) Detailed shots of varying graphic interfaces of iGo my way software


SPECIAL REPORT

percent of the total number of passen-

ger vehicles sold in India, according to

Navteq’s and other indust ry est imates.

In Europe, around 50 percent of the

new passenger vehicles sold are ena-

bled with some form of navigation. Th e

company is expect ing sales of around a

lakh units in India in 2012 with num-

bers likely to double every year up to

2015.

“Most application providers and

content partners are looking for suit-

able delivery models and it is diffi cult

to say as to which delivery model would

be predominant in India. Th ough most

indust ry observers predict ed that phones

would be predominant mode of navi-

gation, the experience in Europe has

proved that users require much bigger

screens and PND mode is predominant

there,’ according to Bolesza. He added

that NNG, in partnership with Navteq,

is working on several features or applica-

tions suitable for the Indian market and

usage pattern.

In India, the localisation implies that

applications need to have more local

languages, several levels of 3D land-

mark capabilities, ‘appropriate’ pricing

and ease of usage.

Th e PND device with ‘igo’ already

supports 40 diff erent languages.

Bolesza is shifting to India in order

to gauge the market need and cus-

tomer usage for bringing additional

features and application specifi cally for

the Indian market. “We will not bring

features/applications just because they

may have been or are popular in anoth-

er comparable market like Brazil or

China. Th e market for cust omer-centric

product s evolves in a very unique man-

ner and India is unlikely to be diff erent

in this respect ,” elaborated Bolesza.

“Our experience is that a user would

act ually st op using a device for naviga-

tion if it gets complex to use and he/

she has to tap several times for getting

direct ions on a device. Moreover, com-

plexity in usage is counter-product ive as

it could lead to more time being con-

sumed for any task,” said Direct or, Sales

and Marketing, Navteq, Rajat Tandon.

Th ough Indian market is evolving and

bracing up to navigation service, what

delivery mode will users eventually navi-

gate towards is a bigger quest ion! �

TomTom launches VIA series in India

TomTom recently introduced its VIA series of their personal navigation

device range in India. Th e key features in the series include landmark naviga-

tion, hands-free calling advanced lane guidance and voice control.

“Th ere is no doubt that the navigation market in India is growing briskly

and looking for high quality, easy to use navigation solutions. With the exten-

sive experience that TomTom is bringing to the region, coupled with its global

quality st andards and processes, we can change the current regional landscape”

said Managing Direct or, TomTom India, Jocelyn Vigreux.

Th e company’s automotive-grade quality maps of India covering the entire

country with st reet level details, will form the back bone of the VIA range

dedicated to the Indian car driver. Th e maps will continue to expand coverage

and add relevant content like points of interest for landmark navigation for the

growing Indian market. Th e VIA series will be available at leading retailers and

independent car accessories st ores as well as on-line as of Oct ober 2011.Peter Bolesza, VP, East ern Europe & Emerging

Markets, NNG


COVER STORY

HOW about servicing your truck in

a few hours rather than a day or two,

which will increase your vehicle up

time and profi ts subst antially? Sounds

futurist ic! Hold your breath. It is hap-

pening at one of the service centres of

Ashok Leyland Strategic Business Unit

(AL SBU) of TV Sundram Iyengar

& Sons (TVS) in Nilambur, about 15

km from the textile city Coimbatore in

Tamil Nadu.

Ask the Vice President of the

company, P Nachimuthu, about the

secret—pat comes the reply—Lean

Manufact uring Pract ice (LMP). Th is

methodology is very much associated

with manufact uring, but how it can be

adopted into servicing a vehicle? He

T Murrali

P NachimuthuVP, (AL SBU) TVS & Sons




COVER STORY

answered that by making the service

centre a fact ory. Once adopted, then

the rest is always best , he said.

On inquiring about the impetus

for introducing LMP at AL SBU, he

replied that with service centres and

the dealerships facing several challeng-

es, most of the companies involved

in the business are looking at several

options to not only overcome, but also

to leverage the emerging trends. As

part of the initiative to make AL SBU

profi table, “we have drawn extensive

plans to address several challenges,”

he said.

ChallengesAccording to Nachimuthu, the chal-

lenges that any service centre faces

includes high real est ate cost , manpower

availability, talent retention, increasing

technology of vehicles and the entry of

a host of diagnost ic tools. Th ough there

are several challenges, there is no com-

petition as the market is growing and

more and more vehicles need attention of

organised service centres.

Th e challenge faced by the vehi-

cle owners include the increased

price of vehicles due to technological

upgradation—for improved perform-

ance and compatibility with emission

norms. Th is eventually enhances the

EMI paid by the vehicle buyers by up

to 30 percent. In addition, the rise in

fuel price increases the operational

cost thereby thinning the margins

further. As the users do not have an

option in reducing this expenditure,

they are looking at containing the cost

of ownership that include aftersales

service and consumables. Th erefore,

users comprising fl eet operators as well

as individuals, expect high technol-

ogy service at the lowest cost possible,

preferably on credit payments.

Th e vehicle users are unable to

depend up on local garages, again on

two counts—non-compatibility with

technological demand and availabil-

ity of skilled manpower. Th erefore, the

fl eet operators and individual owners

began preferring authorised service cen-

tres. “If we need to capitalise the trend,

it is necessary to enhance product ivity

and eliminate wast e and optimise exist -

ing resources. And the only option we

had was resorting to LMP,” he said.

Th e company has sought the serv-

ices of a lean management consultant

Takao Kasahara to improve product iv-

ity of its service centre. Implemented

at one of the service centres situated in

Nilambur, the company begun witness-

ing positive results.

In order to improve product ivity and

eliminate wast e, it developed many tech-

niques including developing jigs and

fi xtures that primarily reduce the fatigue

In accordance to LMS, the company has laid rails with turntables to facilitate easy

moment at the engine overhaul and reconditioning shop


COVER STORY

of the workers. Th is helps the company

on two counts—employee satisfact ion

and product ivity improvement. Besides,

it has identifi ed non-value added process

and done away with that—giving addi-

tional 15 percent product ivity.

“We have also identifi ed the non-

value added act ivities and eliminated

those act ivities in the process. Th is has

improved our product ivity by up to

15 percent. Th at’s the reason why we

have not increased our scheduled rates.

For example, earlier we were work-

ing on clutch repair for four hours, but

now we have increased our product ivity

and executing the same job in one and

half hours and are charging the same

amount,” Nachimuthu added.

The Nilambur CentreTh e fi rst initiative in going lean is

to make ‘throughput process’ from the

exist ing one in a cluttered manner. Like

in the manufact uring process where a

‘single piece fl ow’ process helps enhance

product ivity, the company has adopted

the same methodology for servicing

the vehicle as well as overhauling the

engine and clutch. Inst ead of manually

pushing the trolley carrying the engine,

it has laid rails with turntables to facili-

tate easy moment at the engine overhaul

and reconditioning shop. In addition, it

has developed a unique fi xture to hold

the engine, which can turn either ways

through a mechanically operated han-

dle, for easy assembling. Th e unit can be

rotated to the desired level of the person

working on the engine.

Th e engine assembly is sandwiched

between the machining area and test -

ing, to optimise product ivity. Th e

sequence is planned st arting from dis-

mantling followed by degreasing, water

washing, machining if necessary, engine

assembly and test ing before delivering

to the cust omer. Every engine is test ed

for close to an hour. It has introduced

a similar process at its clutch overhaul

st ation. Th e service centre has built a

unique bay for removing and reinst all-

ing the clutch from the vehicle.

All these initiatives helped this facil-

ity to reduce the engine overhaul time

from 61.6 hours in April 2007 to 36.14

hours at the beginning of this fi scal and

is st ill improving. Similarly, the pre-

delivery inspect ion has been reduced

to 1.12 hours from 3.35 hours and the

‘8,000 km’ service from 3.06 hours

to 1.24 hours and ‘16,000 km’ service

from 5.33 hours to 3.29 hours dur-

ing the same period. Th e overhauling

time for clutch is reduced to three hours

from more than 16 hours.

Wonders Of Workmen Th e interest ing aspect of this initia-

tive is that most of the tools including

those meant for inst alling ‘rear-end oil

seal’ and ‘main bearing cap remover’,

have been developed in-house by the

workmen. Besides, they have also devel-

oped a tool rack specifi cally for engine

and clutch. It has taken several initiatives

to remove non-value added items. Also,

it has worked on certain aspect s that call

for two or three workmen for even basic

checks. For inst ance, at least two peo-

ple are required to check if the front and

rear lights of the trucks are funct ion-

ing—one in the driver cabin to operate

the switch and the other looking at the

lamps around the vehicle. To address

this issue, the workmen of this service

centre had developed a unique method

using hanging mirrors in the front and

the rear of the vehicle. Th e place to posi-

tion diff erent models of truck has also

been earmarked. Th erefore, by position-

ing the vehicle that needs to be checked

at the designated point, a single person

can check lighting syst em of the entire

vehicle at one shot, using the refl ect ion

of the mirrors, thereby saving half of the

work force. “We are planning to hori-

zontally deploy these best pract ices we

learned and implemented in Nilambur

to all our outlets in Tamil Nadu and

Kerala,” Nachimuthu said.

Th e company witnessed 30 percent

growth in vehicle services in 2010-11

compared to previous year. However,

“the company has not yet made profi ts

in services, but now we are confi dent

Th e workers have developed a tool

rack specifi cally for engine and clutch

Every year we are planning to add two outlets in Tamil

Nadu. The purpose is to min-imise the time for customers to reach our service centres. In addition to this, we have

started 24x7 services in major outlets like Salem,

Coimbatore, Madurai, Namakal and Sankagiri. In about a year’s time, all the outlets will function 24x7


COVER STORY

of making profi ts in services due to

diagnost ics capabilities and equipment

availability; we are also planning to

charge a premium price for that serv-

ice,” he quipped.

TVS has taken several initiatives to

catch up with the trend. In managing

the manpower, the company has intro-

duced variable pay, which provides more

incentives based on the work. Other

than fi xed pay, it has introduced vari-

able pay up to 35 percent. It introduced

‘Outlet Performance Index’ for sales and

service to assess individual performance.

“So far we have not segregated the per-

forming and non-performing workforce;

hereafter we will do it,” he said. In order

to upgrade their skills, the company

sends its employees for a certifi cate tech-

nical training course.

Due to the skyrocketing real est ate

prices, the company is looking at leased

and rented premises to further expand its

service centres. It currently holds 25 per-

cent of the market share in terms of total

vehicle parc. AL SBU plans to est ablish

a tie-up with one of its group’s business

divisions—MyTVS—soon to enhance

the number of vehicle served by the

company by another 15 to 20 percent.

Currently, up to 20 percent of

the service personnel at each of the

company’s outlets are deployed for

roadside assist ance. “In order to opti-

mise resources, we are tying up with

MyTVS, which will provide roadside

assist ance facilities that are already

available with them. We can eff ect ively

utilise our available manpower in the

regular service. We have also off ered

this service to Ashok Leyland in the

other regions where we are not present,”

he said. Th e company is focusing more

on employee satisfact ion by reducing the

st rain while executing the job, thus the

worker is able to do more jobs.

Reconditioning BusinessLeveraging its capabilities, the com-

pany is also reconditioning engines

for Ashok Leyland at its facilities in

Salem, Coimbatore and Madurai.

Presently, it overhauls about 300

engines for cust omers and recondi-

tions close to 30 engines though the

inst alled capacity is 500 engines per

month. Th e company off ers six months

guarantee for all these engines.

AL SBU of TVS has 17 outlets

in Tamil Nadu, 11 in Kerala, six in

Madhya Pradesh, fi ve in Uttar Pradesh

and one in Uttarkhand. “We are also

adding four more outlets in MP. Every

year we are planning to add two outlets

in Tamil Nadu. Th e purpose is to mini-

mise the time for cust omers to reach our

service centre. In addition to this, we

have st arted 24x7 services in major out-

lets like Salem, Coimbatore, Madurai,

Namakal and Sankagiri. In the remain-

ing places, we have implemented two

shifts as Ashok Leyland has begun

incentivising round-the-clock service,

especially for attending warranty issues.

In about a year’s time, all the outlets will

funct ion 24x7,” he said.

In addition, the company promotes

Ashok Leyland annual maintenance

contract , extended warranty package,

extended service all cover insur-

ance. For post warranty period it has

introduced TVS annual maintenance

contract and on-site maintenance. Th e

company expect s about 10 percent

increase in market share with all these

initiatives, he added. �

The LMS-led initiatives helped the facility to reduce

the engine overhaul time from 61.6 hours in April

2007 to 36.14 hours by April 2011 and is still improving. Similarly, the pre-delivery inspection has been cut to

1.12 hours from 3.35 hours and 16,000 km service from

5.33 hours to 3.29 hours during the same period

Re-conditioned engine


EXTRA MILE

FROM an engineer in a multinational

company to spearheading a multi-

million business empire, Managing

Direct or, Topsel India, Ashok

Manaktala has been moving ahead

by embracing the mantra of honest y

and ‘good trade policy’ which according

to him is maintaining common

and transparent norms across his

business network.

Topsel India fl agged off its entre-

preneurial journey as a dist ributor of

Waxpol product s in West Bengal and

Bihar in January 1969 with an

invest ment of around `60,000. With

a turnover of `40 lakh in the fi rst

year itself, it earned a profi t of

around `30,000.

“I was working as an engineer in

Philips, but felt that with a job, I could

not earn enough. Eventually I quit in

January 1969 to st art new venture with

an invest ment of `60,000. I had `6,000

in capital, borrowed `40,000 from my

uncle, and got the rest from a fi nancer.”

Gradually, Topsel expanded its dis-

tributorship and now has a dist ribution

chain of over 14 major auto spare part

suppliers and three dealerships

of Toyota Motors in Kolkata with

joint turnover of around `400 crore.

It is in the process of adding three

more dealerships in the east ern part

of the country.

With the launch of small cars like

Etios and Liva, it sees greater opportu-

nity in dealership and has acquired land

Topsel breaks new ground with success

Nabeel A Khan

Ashok Manaktala, MD, Topsel India

Phot

ogra

phs:

Nila

yan

Dut

ta


EXTRA MILE

in Rajarghat (New Kolkata), Howrah

and Malda (West Bengal) for new

dealerships. It plans to fi rst expand its

showroom in Gangtok into a dealership

with an invest ment of `fi ve crore. Th e

expansion will be complete within

two years.

Topsel is the dist ributor for auto

spare part-makers like Solex carburetor,

Talbros, Talwar Groups, Sriram Pist ons

and Hindust an Composite. Th is busi-

ness vertical is st ill the st rongest base

for the company as it gives a turnover

of around `200 crore with a subst antial

profi t margin.

It is the sole dist ributor for 14 auto

spare part-makers in India for complete

range of engine parts for almost all

the vehicle makers. Th e profi t margin

in spare parts business, spread across

east ern India and Delhi, is around 2.5

percent after meeting all kinds

of expenses.

It has grown st eadily over the

years and by 2000, it had est ablished

a new vertical with a jewellery show-

room when Tanishq approached them.

Th ough it did not have any experience

in jewellery, Manaktala entered in to

the new business based on st rong busi-

ness ethics, running it successfully with

continuous expansion. Th e jewellery

business gave a turnover of `100 crore

in FY11.

Topsel has three Toyota dealer-

ships—two in Kolkata and one in

Silliguri. It has st arted a 3S dealership

in Kolkata in 2010 with an invest ment

of `30 crore, though, the dealership is

currently not able to give much profi t

as compared to its other business verti-

cals in the book, but looking at the land

value and the market value of the assets,

the company is satisfi ed with growth in

terms of valuation.

“We never experienced any loss; we

always made profi t even during reces-

sion. We expanded our

business in auto spare parts from `20

lakh in the fi rst year to presently at

`200 crore. Our spares parts venture

has over 10 branches across India and

over 3,000 dist ributors.”

Dual SatisfactionTopsel believes in holding the cus-

tomer satisfact ion in the highest regard.

For the new 3S facility—Topsel’s

Toyota centre has been embellished

with unparalleled facilities in the

region. It was the fi rst to have parking

till top fl oor without a ramp. Th e vehi-

cles are taken up through lifts till the

last fl oor. Th is dealership has a show-

room and workshop spread across 1.2

lakh sq ft. Th e showroom is on the

ground fl oor st retched to around

9,000 sq ft.

“Th e Toyota dealership is an around

`200 crore business, but there is not

much profi t in the dealership business

due to depreciation, high interest rates

and huge invest ment involved. Th us we

don’t see much of profi t in the dealer-

ship business at the moment, but in the

future we are sure that we will be able

to realise it,” Manaktala said.

3S facility set up in 2010 in Kolkata


EXTRA MILE

While going the extra mile, the

company has a fi xed policy and doesn’t

sell anything on premium and uses

bills for all the spare parts business

transact ion. Manaktala attributes his

success to its core policies and a lit-

tle bit of luck. Th e dealership business

clocked a turnover of `150 crore in

FY11and hopes to close around `250

crore in FY12.

Customer CareTh e company incorporates quality

aftersales services like transparency

and briefs its cust omers about what is

going to be done to their vehicles. It

also ensures that only genuine parts

are used and provides comprehensive

training to its mechanics and employ-

ees with respect to the

latest technology.

Th e dealership is armed with all

the repair equipment according to the

global specifi cation of Toyota Motors.

Its workshop has all the spare parts

required for every models launched.

It also keeps all the spare parts for the

Prius. Toyota sold 10 units of the Prius

in east ern India.

Staff Policies“You have to keep your st aff happy

because that is very important. You

don’t run the business; rather they run

the business for you. Basically you have

to give them scope to grow and treat

them well.” Manaktala maintained.

It has currently 300 people working

across all three dealerships. Th ough the

attrition rate at the mechanic and sales-

men level is high, the administ rative

st aff and senior management attrition

rate is much lesser. Some people are

with Tospsel since the day of its incep-

tion—while the spare part-business

does not have any attrition at all.

ChallengesHowever there are some bumps on

the path of success, which it would like

to resolve like the clarity on st ate gov-

ernment’s policy as to why they want

to a charge of 13.5 percent sales tax

on road tax and insurance. Two years

ago, the government levied this charge,

which the dealer community is con-

test ing. Th e case is currently under

litigation. Another inconvenience is

that the regist ration number takes a

good 10 days and the number plate is

fi tted only at RTO within fi ve days

of regist ration.

Next LevelTopsel’s 3S facility also has a

U-Trust centre, where it exchanges

multi-brand used cars with Toyota cars

and also deals with them. At its Toyota

dealership, it has been able to sell over

ten Toyota cars under this centre since

it was st arted two months ago. Th e

company has been picking up business

quite well and is optimist ic about the

future prospect s following its growth

experienced to date. �

(L&R) Multi-brand used car sell and purchase sect ion

Top f loor parking for damaged carsBody shop f loor


EXTRA MILE

Equity: a name synonymous to Hyundai

IN 2004, Equity Hyundai st arted off as

the fi rst Hyundai dealership in Rajkot.

In less than four years, it became a name

synonymous with its prinicpal in the

city and won the National Cust omer

Satisfact ion 2008 and Cust omer Care

and Service Award 2010 from the

Korean car maker —a recognition for

walking an ‘Extramile’ in creating a

space for Hyundai in the hearts of the

cust omers.

Today, it sells up to 180 cars in a

month from three outlets two of which

are in Rajkot and one in Morbi. It also

has a warehouse where it can st ack 400

cars at a time, a st ock for two months

in the city. At its two service centres, it

services up to 60 vehicles in a day.

“We do not wait for the cust omers

to come to us. We make an eff ort to

go to them. Our dealership in Morbi

and Kevalam Corner was a conscious

eff ort to get closer to our cust omers,”

PL Talsania, Managing Direct or,

Equity Motors.

Talking further about the measures

that help Equity leave an impression

on the cust omers’ mind, Talsania said

that the dealership tries to make the

process of buying a car a ceremony

in which, sweets and chocolates are

an integral part. Even the children

of the cust omers are attended to with

immense care.

Follow up is an integral part of the

sales process at Equity. “It is impor-

tant to check that the cust omer does

not feel forgotten after the sales has

been fi nalised. Th ey might encoun-

ter some diffi culties after taking the

vehicle home. And a call to ensure

that they are at ease with the vehicle

will only make buying from Equity an

enriching experience. We ensure that

they get a call in three months from

the sales executive who has closed

the deal. And after 15 days, it is the

responsibility of the service depart-

ment to ensure that all is well at the

cust omers end,” he added.

Talsania, who is an engineer by

qualifi cation, st arted the dealership

after completing his education and

working as an engineer for a while. It

was then that the opportunity to st art

a dealership in region came across.

Hyundai being an upcoming brand, he

did not have to rethink. Th e reputation

of Talsania’s family helped him get the

chance without much diffi culty.

Finding employees with technical

expertise is not easy in Rajkot. Th ough

Equity select s people in government

run Indust rial Training Inst itutes

(ITIs) in Rajkot, every recruit requires

extensive training. Th ere are four

levels of training that recruits from

ITIs have to undergo—fi rst at Equity

and the other three at Hyundai. It is

only after the four st eps of training,

st retching for almost a year,

that a person becomes a mast er

technician. Th ere are around 25 tech-

nically trained people working at

Equity currently.

Apart from the cust omer satisfac-

tion reward, the company has also

won National Retail Best seller Award

2010, All India Number One Off -

take Retail Award, National Order

Volume Best seller Award 2010 and

Cust omer Care and Service Award

2010 to name a few.

Till now, Rajkot fi gured in the

C segment of cities in the country

on Hyundai’s list . And these are the

accolades that the company got while

competing with other cities, which

were comparatively smaller in size.

Now Rajkot has graduated to the B

segment competing against cities with

larger population. Th e competition

is tougher. And so is the challenge.

However, to take good care of the cus-

tomer is in Equities’ DNA, and the

company relies on it to meet the chal-

lenges that lie ahead. �

Shambhavi Anand

Praduman Talsania, MD, Equity Hyundai


SPECIAL REPORT

THERE is a dire need to focus on

developing new technologies for not

only vehicles but also in the manu-

fact uring processes as it will help

optimise the resources st ated the Union

Minist er of Heavy Indust ries & Public

Enterprises, Praful Patel, when he

inaugurated the 51st annual convention

of the Society of Indian Automobile

Manufact urers (SIAM) recently.

Th e theme for the event was

‘Reinventing Mobility: Vision 2020’,

and the day-long event on the mobil-

ity indust ry saw acclamation and praise

from minist ers, bureaucrats and foreign

delegates for its unprecedented growth

st ory in the past decade. He continued

that the automotive indust ry can have

open dialogue with the government

to address any issues that may seem to

rest rict growth.

Vision 2020Th e convention witnessed a huge

participation of foreign delegates,

policy makers apart from the lead-

ers of the Indian automobile indust ry.

Acknowledging the indust ry’s suc-

cess, Patel said, “It’s great to see that

the automobile indust ry grew inspite of

the government.” As part of the event,

panel discussions were organised to

analyse, underst and and create a road

map to fi ght the impending challenges

and technology for future. A number

of vehicle manufact urers shared their

future plans also.

According to the Union Minist er

of Urban Development, Kamal Nath,

high quality access to mobility can

be ensured if the government and the

automobile indust ry come together.

Raising the issue of transportation, he

insist ed for the auto indust ry players to

partner with the government to fi nd a

suitable solution.

Deputy Chairman, Planning

Commission, Dr Montek Singh

Ahluwalia addressed the serious

issues related to infrast ruct ure in the

country. He asked the indust ry play-

ers to also focus on public vehicles to

improve the public transport scenario

in the country.

Acknowledging that harden-

ing interest rates have aff ect ed the

automobile sect or and are a cause for

concern, Patel expressed hope that the

slowdown in domest ic sales will be a

temporary phenomenon. President of

SIAM and President, Automotive &

Farm Equipment, M&M, Dr Pawan

Goenka, spoke about the challenges

ahead for the automobile indust ry. “Th e

growth fi gures that we are now working

out for the 12th Five Year Plan indicate

a rise in domest ic vehicles sales to 5.6

million and exports to 1.3 million by

the end of 2017.” He also talked about

the new technologies and improving the

fuel effi ciency and capacity of manufac-

turing at a larger scale. While thanking

the government for the initiatives, he

assured that the indust ry will contribute

10 percent of GDP in the Indian econo-

my by 2016. �

SIAM convention emphasisesneed for better infrastructure, growthNabeel A Khan

Eicher Group Chairman S

Sandilya has been elect ed as the

President of the Society of Indian

Automobile Manufact urers, while

Toyota Kirloskar Motor Vice

Chairman, Vikram Kirloskar, has

been elect ed as new Vice President.

Sandilya will replace President,

Automotive & Farm Equipment,

Mahindra & Mahindra,

Pawan Geonka.

Th e vehicle manufact urers’ apex body

also appointed Ford India, President and

Managing Direct or, Michael Boneham

as the new Treasurer.

In a st atement, the incoming presi-

dent of SIAM, Sandilya said, “Our goal

is to be a catalyst for the Indian auto-

mobile indust ry and to be the preferred

global manufact uring and design base,

which will contribute to India’s econom-

ic development.”

S. Sandilya, President, SIAM Vikram Kirloskar, Vice President, SIAM

New Leaders


SPECIAL REPORT

MORE than the conventional crite-

ria of quality, cost and delivery, OEMs

across the world prefer to engage with

suppliers with st able lines of commu-

nication, good work culture, eff ect ive

process orientation and end-cust om-

er knowledge, according to the past

President of Automotive Component

Manufact urers’ Association (ACMA),

Srivats Ram. Th is was his view on the

st udy by JD Power Asia Pacifi c pre-

senting ‘Insights into Supplier-OEM

relationship: A Benchmarking Study.’

Union Minist er for Minist ry of Heavy

Indust ry & Public Enterprises, Praful

Patel released the st udy at the 51st

Annual Convention of ACMA.

Th e st udy delineates several key

parameters that suppliers need to focus

on to dist inguish their performance

from others. It reveals fi ndings about

the relationship between suppliers and

OEMs in the Indian domest ic mar-

ket benchmarked against pract ices

in the developed markets of the US,

Germany, France and the emerging

market of China.

Th e st udy indicates that the OEMs

prefer suppliers who can jointly work

with them in developing product s and

technologies to be delivered with a

global footprint. “OEMs today are con-

solidating and looking to optimise their

points of contact for effi cient and eff ec-

tive supplier management and cost

savings. Consolidation of supplier base

will call for Tier I suppliers to continu-

ously upgrade Tier II suppliers. Th is

will enhance business opportunities for

suppliers in the future, but will pose sig-

nifi cant challenges, as Tier Is will have

to invest in requisite skills and resources

to manage an integrated supply chain,”

Srivats Ram said.

Past President of ACMA and MD

and CEO, Shriram Pist ons and Rings,

AK Taneja said, “Keeping in view the

common goal that the two share, the

supplier-OEM relations should graduate

from transact ion relationship to st ra-

tegic partnership.” While the growth

prospect s of the Indian auto component

indust ry are promising—it is evolving as

a critical part of the global auto eco-sys-

tem. For Indian suppliers, on one hand,

there is the need to maintain competi-

tiveness in an infl ationary environment

and on the other, the need to compete

with the best in an increasingly uncer-

tain global market, he opined.

Th e st udy that is based on the

responses from over 70 OEMs and sup-

pliers in India, China, US and Europe

reveals the need for multiple key ena-

blers that are critical in defi ning a

st ronger business relationship. In China

and India, OEMs help the supplier

improve and grow, while in Europe

the focus is on improving delivery. Th e

st udy also revealed that product liabil-

ity will be an area of challenge in India

and therefore suppliers need to focus

on underst anding the contract ual risks,

devise ways to insulate themselves and

contract ually manage Tier II and Tier

III suppliers. In China, suppliers are

challenged to meet the demand while

in the US, the suppliers-OEM rela-

tionship is pivoted on innovation in

product s and processes. Suppliers will

continue to face pressure as OEMs

there are likely to increase thrust on

sourcing from low cost countries. Akin

to India, in international markets too,

both suppliers and OEMs are st rug-

gling with the shortage of skilled

manpower, the report added. �

OEMs seek deeper engagement with suppliers

Illu

st ra

tion

: V

R G

oku

l

AFTERMARKET OCTOBER 201132

Fast ForwardNissan Motors tapped the services of Hover Automotive in order to get a headstart in sales and service in India. It has been mandated with establishing sales, service and relationship management for Nissan customers. In an interaction with Aftermarket, Vice Chairman and Managing Director, Hover Automotive India, GM Singh elaborates on the company’s experience of setting up the distribution network for Nissan in India and the way forward for the automobile dealership business.

Phot

ogra

ph: J

oshu

a N

aval

kar


IN CONVERSATION

What is your view on the dealership

business?

We have been in the process of set-

ting up a dealership network for Nissan

over the last two years. We have had

an enriching experience with a mix of

experienced dealers coming into our

fold as well as young entrepreneurs who

could bring some new innovative ideas

on the table. It has been a mixed expe-

rience for us so far in terms of dealer

franchisee that we have worked with.

When are we likely to see any recovery

in the passenger car market?

Th e market has been witnessing a

very inact ive st age of late, partly due to

trouble at Maruti’s facility and uncer-

tainty on interest rate front. Th e market

sentiments have taken a beating and

there is a double whammy for cust om-

ers as home loan and car loan Equated

Monthly Inst alments (EMIs) have risen.

I do not see the passenger vehicle busi-

ness growing beyond fi ve percent on an

optimist ic note. Buying decisions are

being post poned due to this uncertainty.

Has the Nissan association benefi ted

you as an organisation?

Certainly. Th ere are some unique

ways of implementation or doing things

in Nissan, especially on the backend

syst em and sales experience. A major

reason for the partnership is also that it

allows fast er ramp up of dealership and

service network for Nissan in India. It

has been a challenging journey for us

and we have gained immensely from

partnering with Nissan in India.

Our focus is on providing a world

class servicing experience and we are

gearing up for that challenge. We would

be est ablishing more service centres soon

to provide eff ect ive and timely service to

our growing cust omer base. We have set

up the dist ribution network for Nissan in

the last twelve to eighteen months that

would have otherwise taken them more

than three to four years. Th at is the pace

at which we have tried to execute the

task. Moreover, there are several process-

es on the backend and mode of execution

of Nissan that are new to us and we have

learnt in that process.

What are the major hurdles that you

have been facing in est ablishing your

network?

Every automobile brand is on an

expansion mode and there is no doubt

that we are st aring at a shortage of qual-

ifi ed technical and sales people in the

dealership business. Th ough we have

been seeing a ‘temporary’ slowdown of

late, the issue (of quality manpower)

will only intensify if we account for the

growth in the passenger vehicle sales

touching more than fi ve million over the

next three to four years.

A major problem is that working

in an automobile dealership seems to

be the last option for a talented engi-

neer or technically qualifi ed person

or even a sales executive. We have to

make the automobile dist ribution as

a preferred career option for the next

generation. One of the ways to achieve

this object ive is to provide proper train-

ing and help chart a career path for

the trainees. We (dealers or OEMs)

need to est ablish a college for auto-

mobile dist ribution business to impart

right training for the business. Such a

college could comprise eminent techni-

cally qualifi ed people from the indust ry

like automobile, hospitality and retail

indust ries. Th ere has to be some dig-

nity imparted into the profession. Th ere

are several training centres est ablished

by major dealers for their in-house and

indust ry requirements, but this does

not seem to be adequate. If there is no

interest level among youngst ers to be

in the dealership business then training

can be of little or no help.

Th e enthusiasm and passion to sell

cars or serve cust omers is crucial in this

business and that is often overlooked.

Th e mindset has to be changed and

we need to make automobile dist ribu-

tion a preferred career option. Also,

lady executives are more eff ect ive in any

automobile dealership and we have been

encouraging them to join the business.

Going forward, what are your priorities?

For Hover Automotive, the key pri-

orities are to continue with pace of

expansion and getting the right peo-

ple to join the dist ribution business for

Nissan. We are const antly looking for

ways to enhance our service level and

touch points to deliver to the cust omers.

Digital marketing is an emerging

area for reaching out to the cust omers

and I feel it is very under-utilised cur-

rently. We are facing major challenges

in terms of expansion due to high cost of

real est ate. Th ere is a limit to how many

outlets we can have and hence we have

to look for ways to reach out to cust om-

ers through innovative channels. We

have not yet reached a st age were deal-

erships will need to operate on a 24/7

mode. However, given the rising cost

of real est ate, it may not be long before

dealers in the city area will need to eval-

uate that option. We have been able to

retain employees so far and we are hop-

ing to continue doing so in the future.

We are evaluating on entering CV

segment, but that is at a very prelimi-

nary st age at the moment. Th e major

focus is to maintain the pace of expan-

sion to help Nissan achieve its growth

object ives in India. We have already

appointed around 45 dealers and we

are looking to appoint another equal

number of dealers by the end of current

fi scal. We are looking to have around

300 dealerships over the next three

years or so. Th is would imply generat-

ing direct and indirect employment of

around 18,000 to 20,000 people. �

Abhishek Parekh


SPECIAL REPORT

I see people as the biggest asset for

Indian companies. People in the coun-

try are fl exible, willing to learn and

hard working which the companies can

capitalise on, the Chairman and MD,

Bharat Forge, Baba Kalyani st ated.

Speaking at the recently concluded

51st annual convention of Automotive

Component Manufact urers’

Association (ACMA), he said, people

might not be process-oriented but that

is where the role of leadership comes in.

Leaders can make that happen. Also,

the Indian suppliers are doing much

better than in any developed nation.

“For inst ance, in Europe, 10 suppliers

go bankrupt every year as compared to

one every year in India,” he said.

Inaugurating the event, the Union

Minist er of Heavy Indust ries and

Public Enterprises, Praful Patel said

that he fi rmly believed that the moder-

ation of growth in the past few months

is a transient phenomenon. Th e com-

ing years shall continue to witness

high levels of growth for the Indian

automotive indust ry since the primary

demand drivers like vehicle penetra-

tion levels, growth of the economy, the

demographic profi le of the country,

increasing wages and salaries coupled

with the huge invest ments being made

by the government in the infrast ruct ure

sect or are all very favourable.

Th e increasing infl ation, fuel price

hikes and the hardening of interest

rates that are aff ect ing the competi-

tiveness and growth of the automotive

indust ry were the primary concerns

expressed at the event. Th ough the apex

body is bullish about the medium and

long-term prospect s, it is concerned

about deferral of invest ment in the view

of recent slowdown.

At the convention, the then President

of ACMA, Srivats Ram insist ed on

the government to continue with the

export incentives in the form of Duty

Entitlement Pass Book (DEPB) and

consider interest subvention as these

initiatives will ensure that core manu-

fact uring remains in India. “With the

growth prospect s over the next fi ve years

remaining st rong, it is important that

we plan to build adequate infrast ruc-

ture and create alignment of object ives

amongst management and labour in

our indust ry to build an enduring com-

petitive eco-syst em for our indust ry,” he

said. He also expressed his concern over

the Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) that

is being planned by the government.

Kalyani, while continuing the dis-

cussion believed that inclusive and

equitable growth necessitates large

employment generation for the vast

numbers of youth, especially from the

rural and semi-urban areas. Since the

job creation potential from agriculture

and services sect ors cannot support the

demand, the vast number of new jobs

will have to come from the manufac-

turing sect or. It is therefore necessary

to increase the contribution of manu-

fact uring sect or of national GDP

to at least 25 percent from the cur-

rent 14 percent. “For this to happen,

the automotive indust ry which today

contributes 22 percent of the manufac-

turing GDP, will need to play a major

role. Th erefore, one of the primary

Auto industryto play

major role for future growth

Shambhavi Anand & T Murrali

Praful Patel, Union Minist er for Heavy Indust ries and Public Enterprises releasing the st udy


SPECIAL REPORT

object ives for us is to ensure that the

huge future market potential that exist s

in this sect or is met by the indigenous

indust ry and not by way of imports,”

he said.

At the panel discussion on the

theme ‘Benchmarking for Progress,

Performance & Competitiveness,’

Chairman, Maruti Suzuki, RC Bhargav

said, “Both, the suppliers and OEMs

should underst and the total long-term

interdependence. Suppliers need to

underst and the obligations of OEMs

when it comes to exporting. OEMs

are dependent on their supplier to be

able to reach global st andards and it

is necessary for every employee of

each supplier to adhere to st andards

and specifi cations.”

According to President and MD,

Ford India, Michael Boneham, attract -

ing and retaining good people seem

to be the biggest challenge not just for

Tier I but also for Tier II and Tier III.

Also component manufact urers, apart

from exporting, should themselves

support their OEM cust omers in their

export endeavours. Kalyani said, “Th ere

are two types of OEMs in India–Indian

OEMs aligned to global st andards and

OEMs aspiring to go global. Th e sec-

ond category needs to underst and that

price is an important issue for suppliers.

If one has expect ations of quality they

should be ready to pay more,”

Kalyani added.

Executive Vice President, Passenger

Cars, Robert Bosch, Dr Markus Heyn

said, “Good process competence leads

to good product designs. Hence both

the parties should work in collabora-

tion.” Moderating the session past

President, ACMA and MD and CEO,

Shriram Pist ons and Rings, AK Taneja

said, “Th e supplier-OEM relationship

in the country needs to graduate from

transact ion based relationship to st rate-

gic partnership.”

President, ACMA, Arvind Kapur

said that globally, the interest rates for

indust ries range between zero to fi ve

percent, while in India it is nine percent

upwards. Increasing interest rates is not

the solution to contain infl ation as few

countries including Brazil and Turkey

having similar economies to India had

reduced interest during high infl ation

and seen the infl ation being contained.

He asked the government to look at

options to reduce the cost of fi nance.

Arvind Kapur is new ACMA PresidentAt its 51st Annual Session, ACMA

announced the change in guards at the

association with Managing Direct or,

Rico Auto Indust ries, Arvind Kapur

taking over as the new President and

Chairman & Managing Direct or,

Bharat Gears, Surinder P Kanwar, as its

Vice President for the term 2011-12.

Arvind Kapur said the uncertainty

in the international markets as also

increase in interest rates and fuel pric-

es, has led to moderating of growth in

vehicle consumption. In order to keep

the growth thrust and to st ay competi-

tive, the indust ry, on one hand, needs to

optimise capacities, raise capital, absorb

technologies, build R&D competence,

focus on internal governance and devel-

op st rong organizations. On the other

hand, the government needs to address

the challenges of access to capital,

availability of skilled manpower, rapidly

increasing infl ation, access to technol-

ogy and lack of proper infrast ruct ure.

Kanwar said the auto component con-

sumption in 2010-11, in tandem with the

signifi cant growth of vehicle sales in the

domest ic market, grew by 34 percent to

$39.9 billion. However, in the current fi s-

cal, the indust ry witnessed slowdown of

growth in vehicle consumption. Th erefore

the auto component indust ry is expect ed

to grow in the range of 12-15 percent. �

Talent Recognised During the 51st annual convention, ACMA Awards 2010-11 were presented to companies that achieved excellence under four categories- exports, technol-ogy, quality & product ivity and manufact uring excellence—in both SME and non-SME categories. Th ere were 75 nominations for the awards, which was the highest till date. Besides, the winners of Quality Circle Competition 2010-11 were also honoured.

Gold trophy ACMA Awards Winners (2010-11)

EXPORTNon-SME Category: Raunaq Automotive ComponentsSME Category: Luxite Indust ries

TECHNOLOGYNON-SME Category: Delphi-TVS Diesel Syst ems

QUALITY & PRODUCTIVITYNon-SME Category: Minda Corporation, ChakanSME Category: Bohra Rubber, Faridabad

MANUFACTURING EXCELLENCESubros, Noida

Gold Winners of Quality Circle (2010-2011)

NATIONAL WINNERSTeam Warriors: Rane TRW Steering Syst ems

REGIONAL WINNERS (NORTHERN)Team Sankalp: Rico Auto Indust ries

REGIONAL WINNERS (SOUTHERN)Team Warriors: Rane TRW Steering Syst ems

REGIONAL WINNERS (WESTERN)Team Eureka: Tata Yazaki Autocomp


SPECIAL REPORT

THE growing passenger vehicle popu-

lation in the country in recent years has

led to an increasing demand for spe-

cialised auto care. In addition to tyres

and batteries, auto air conditioning is

a domain with an increasing number

of players blooming in major metros

and cities. Prominent ones are seeking

to diff erentiate themselves by provid-

ing service warranties and personalised

care akin to authorised vehicle

service centres.

“Apart from batteries and tyres,

automobile air conditioning is an area

with increasing demand for after-

sales servicing. A cust omer need not

keep his/her car to an air condition-

ing service centre for the entire day as

repair job can be completed in two to

four hours depending on the nature of

the job. Moreover, there is a scope for

off ering premium or express service to

cust omers willing to pay extra,” said

partner at Correa Car Care, a Mumbai

based ‘chain’ of auto aircondition-

ing service centres, located in Malad,

Mumbai. Th ough several specialised

chains as well as st andalone service

st ations have proliferated in the recent

years, there are no reliable est imates of

their numbers.

Automobile air conditioning repair

can be a tricky job as signifi cant pro-

portion of vehicles taken for repairing

or servicing need to be sent back to the

service st ation for a ‘relook’, according

Abhishek Parekh

Demand for AC service spurs proliferation of specialised shops

Phot

ogra

phs:

Jos

hua

Nav

alka

r


REAR VIEW

to M Pious, a supervisor at a prominent

Mumbai based Maruti authorised serv-

ice st ation—Patel Auto.

Most auto air-conditioning servic-

ing job pertain to annual gas changing

or recharge, cleaning of pipes and

condensers, syst em overhaul and major

repairs, which would include all of the

above. Th e major issue with air condi-

tioning repair pertains to identifying

the trouble area. Any service techni-

cian would swear that it is diffi cult to

exact ly locate a problem in a vehicle air

conditioner and even experienced the

need to have several trials in a vehi-

cle to locate any problem like leakage

in pipe, fan speed, gas recharge or any

combination of these issues. Around

15 to 20 percent of the vehicles come

back to the service centre for recurring

or additional problems after servic-

ing. Hence after service warranties

play a key diff erentiator under these

circumst ances.

“I can easily see a major scope for

OEM air conditioning supplier play

a key role in the after sales service

through an organised presence in the

servicing business or through part-

nership with authorised or third party

service stations or garages,” according

to an official with Mahindra

First Choice.

Currently, city centric players and

smaller players off ering st andalone

AC servicing are playing a predomi-

nant role in addressing the market

demand. Th e cost of repairing could

range from around `1,200-1,800 for

a basic gas recharge, which needs to

be done once in a year in any car to as

much as `3,700-4,800 for a complete

AC overhaul with a three to six month

service warranty. Th e service warranty

normally entitles the car owner to have

any servicing done free of cost in the

st ipulated time without any coverage for

additional parts.

Th ough authorised service net-

work of OEMs are continuing to play

a major role in the business, there has

been a clear reduct ion in the number of

vehicles coming in for major AC over-

haul work. It may be a while before

organised players st ep into the game

in a major way, but signs of change are

clearly palpable. �


CUTTING EDGE

TATA Motors unveiled an eco-driving

simulator at a national dealers meet

in Mumbai in September, 2011. Th e

simulator will be inst alled at Driving

Simulator Centre in Pune soon.

Th e eco-driving truck simulator

trains drivers on driving safety and fuel

effi ciency. It helps monitor how the

driver’s driving st yle aff ect s the amount

of fuel he uses. Th e simulator enables

trainees to use real life equipment in a

virtual world and learn valuable lessons

about safety. TecknoSim Simulators

makes driver training possible in all

types of weathers, terrains, emergen-

cy situations that are otherwise not

possible to create in real life, thereby

reducing training cost s and improving

the safety st andards.

Manufact ured by Tecknotrove

Syst ems, a Mumbai-based company spe-

cialising in design and development of

training simulators for surface vehicles,

the simulator trains drivers on safe and

skilled driving, while improving their fuel

effi ciency skills thereby reducing CO2

emissions and fuel cost s. Tecknotrove

st arted with designing and developing car

driving simulators for OEMS like Maruti

Suzuki, Cast rol and now sells a variety of

speciality simulators for military, airports

and mining companies.

Th e company has inst alled over

200 simulators worldwide to help train

over 10,000 drivers till date. It supplies

simulators for cars, motorbikes, buses,

trucks, airports, mining equipments and

emergency vehicles. Since its founding,

the company has completed numerous

training applications for OEMS like

Cast rol, Maruti Suzuki, Hero Honda,

mining companies like Fomento, Sesa

Goa, as well as military and governmen-

tal organisations worldwide.

One of the unique off erings from

the company is the airside driving

simulator, which is designed to train

airport personnel safely, on demand

and at a signifi cantly lower cost . It

is aimed at training airside drivers/

operators on the act ual airport driving

conditions, daily operations and han-

dling emergency situations without the

dangers and cost s involved, which is

not possible to do in real life.

Th e eco-driving (fuel effi ciency)

training and evaluation simulator is

designed to train drivers on effi cient

driving techniques. It can help trans-

port companies save up to 15 percent of

their fuel cost s annually.

Th e simulator focuses on cutting

fuel use, cost and carbon dioxide emis-

sions in everyday driving and helps save

money. Based on a Tata 2515 truck, the

simulator uses real vehicle controls like

st eering wheels, gears, ABC pedals and

complete act ivated dash board controls.

Mounted on a 3DOF elect ric motion

platform, the simulator provides a real-

ist ic motion feeling of driving a truck

through muddy roads, slippery roads,

hills, ghats and city traffi c.

Th e visuals are displayed through

three LCD display screens. Th e driv-

er’s cabin is connect ed to an inst ruct or

st ation that helps the trainers to set

training scenarios and continuous-

ly monitor the driver’s performance.

Every mist ake of the driver is recorded

and printed in the form of an

evaluation report. �

Tecknotrove unveils driving simulator range for CVs

Our Bureau

Two-wheeler driving simulator by Tecknotrove


AUTO POINT

BUOYANT economic conditions

and rise in indust rial and agricultural

act ivities kept the freight move-

ment st rong during last two fi scals (ie

FY10 and FY11). Th is led to signifi -

cant improvement in the utilisation

levels for transport operators and

subsequently there profi tability and

credit profi le. Th e commercial vehi-

cle (CV) indust ry too benefi ted from

these favourable fact ors, as domest ic

demand for CVs observed a growth

of around 39 percent and 27 percent

respect ively during FY10 and FY11

period. Th is growth was against the

back drop of a sharp drop of 25

percent in FY09, due to concerns

like slowdown in economic growth,

liquidity pressure and rise in

interest rates.

Commercial vehicle fi nancing to witness drop in the

growth levels in FY12Revati Kasture Head, Industry Research, CARE Research

Vishal Srivastav Analyst, CARE Research

10,000

0

FY09 FY10

New LCV Finance market New M&HCV Finance market

FY11 FY12

20,000

30,000

40,000

50,000

60,000

Source: CARE Research Est imates

Outlook on New CV Finance market


AUTO POINT

Strong Demand Pushed The Disbursement Levels

Strong revival in demand also led to

healthy rise in the disbursement levels

to the CV indust ry during FY10 and

FY11. Th e delays and defaults in the

repayment declined signifi cantly owing

to improvement in profi tability of

transport operators. Th e healthy busi-

ness situation coupled with drop in the

interest rates also led to improvement

in confi dence among the fi nancers and

subsequently pushed average penetra-

tion levels and CV fi nance market size.

As per CARE Research est imates, dur-

ing past two fi scals the disbursements

towards new CV sales grown by around

48 percent on y-o-y basis during previ-

ous two fi scals i.e. from around `19,000

crore in FY09 to around `41,400 crore

during FY11.

Rising concerns over slow down

in indust rial product ion and increase

in fuel cost and interest rates to pull

down the growth in CV demand and

so as the growth in CV fi nance busi-

ness during FY12. CARE Research

believes, concerns over hike in inter-

est rates and infl ationary pressure

would slow down the growth in the

indust rial product ion by some extent.

Th is is likely to aff ect the domest ic

CV demand, which CARE Research

est imates to grow at a much lower

level of 10-11 percent during FY12

as compared to growth levels wit-

nessed during last two fi scals. Th is

slow down in the demand would aff ect

growth levels observed by CV fi nanc-

ing indust ry during last two fi scals.

CARE Research est imates, CV fi nanc-

ing indust ry would grow by 15 percent

during this period.

Market GrowthCARE Research est imates the

domest ic CV sales to grow at a CAGR

of around 13 percent for FY11-FY16

period. CARE Research believes

healthy long-term macro-economic

outlook coupled with increase in gov-

ernment focus towards development of

transport infrast ruct ure would taper

off short term concerns over rising fuel

prices and interest rates. Th e GC seg-

ment would continue to dominate the

growth as it is expect ed to grow at a

healthy CAGR of around 14 percent,

while domest ic PC segment is expect ed

to post a growth of around six percent

in next fi ve year period. �

Source: CARE Research Est imates

New CV Finance market

FY08 FY09 FY10 FY11

Average Penetration levels 96.3% 94.7% 95.0% 95.7%

Average Loan-to-value 80% 78% 78% 79%

New LCV Finance market (Rs cr) 4,776 4,235 6,649 8,976

New M&HCV Finance market (Rs cr) 23,949 14,772 21,617 32,425

New CV Finance market size (Rs cr) 28,726 19,008 28,266 41,402

(Th e report is prepared by CARE

Research, a division of Credit Analysis &

Research. Views expressed are personal.)

CARE estimates the do-mestic CV sales to grow at a CAGR of 13 percent for FY11-FY16 period. CARE

Research believes healthy long-term macro-economic

outlook with increase in gov-ernment focus towards de-velopment of infrastructure would taper off short term concerns over rising fuel prices and interest rates


EVENT

parts2clean gears up with comprehensive offerings

THE nineth edition of the part2-

clean exhibition, scheduled to be held

from 25-27 Oct ober, 2011 in Stuttgart,

Germany, will off er solutions for

requirements oriented cleanliness in

product ion, maintenance and reman-

ufact uring. Roughly 240 exhibitors

from 16 countries in Europe, America

and Asia will be represented when the

event opens its doors at the Stuttgart

Exhibition Centre that will present one

of the world’s most comprehensive range

of product s and services for require-

ments oriented, economical indust rial

parts and surface cleaning.

What’s more, representative, multi-

indust ry information and procurement

off erings covering the entire process

sequence will be off ered. Beyond this,

valuable knowledge will be imparted

by the integrated expert forum held in

German at the leading international

trade fair for indust rial parts and sur-

face cleaning.

Cleanliness requirements for com-

ponents, product s, machines and

equipment have become much more

st rict in recent years, especially when it

comes to degreasing, deburring, clean-

ing, residual contamination monitoring

or temporary corrosion protect ion. At

the same time, cost pressure is also on

the rise. Th us manufact urers and main-

tenance service providers are faced with

the quest ion of how the required lev-

els of cleanliness can be achieved and

maintained effi ciently and ecologically.

Just under 15 percent of the exhibitors

at this year’s leading international trade

fair for indust rial parts and surface clean-

ing come from outside of Germany.

New Developments “Numerous companies will present

new and further developed product s tar-

geted at optimising the cleaning process

in various applications and in diff erent

indust ry sect ors. Primary emphasis is

being placed on increased energy effi cien-

cy, process reliability and economy”, said

Managing Direct or, Event Promoters,

fairXperts, Hartmut Herdin. And thus

participating equipment manufact urers

will showcase new syst ems for wet chem-

ical cleaning which make use of aqueous

media as well as solvents, and special

processes such as cleaning with carbon

dioxide and plasma.

Th e range of innovations goes right

on up to options for leasing the entire

cleaning process. Th ere are lots of new

cleaning media waiting to be discovered

as well. Th ese include, for example, a pH

neutral water-based rust -removing agent

which funct ions at room temperature,

a cleaning agent developed especially

for use prior to hardening processes,

aqueous media for use in photovoltaic

applications and high performance bar-

rel fi nishing compounds.

New developments in the areas of

cleaning containers and workpiece

carriers contribute to reduced process-

ing times and minimised manual parts

handling. Th e exhibitors also have a

number of innovations up their sleeves

with regard to bath monitoring and

maintenance syst ems, as well as sys-

tems for monitoring fi lm-like and

particulate contamination, amongst

others reverse osmosis syst ems for the

effi cient reconditioning of process water

and wast ewater, devices for measuring

concentrations in liquids and par-

ticulate monitoring in manufact uring

environments. parts2clean exhibitors

will also off er innovative solutions for

eff ect ive and economic corrosion pro-

tect ion, preservation and packaging of

cleaned parts and surfaces. �

Glimpses of a previous edition of the expo


EVENT

ICS to showcaseadvanced composite technology

JEC Composites has announced its

third Innovative Composites Summit

(ICS) to be held in Singapore from 18

to 20 Oct ober, 2011, showcasing the

latest business intelligence and techni-

cal content to help promote the use of

composites solutions around the world.

As part of its global forums and

conferences programme, ICS is the

summit in the Asia-Pacifi c region cov-

ering a wide range of technical papers,

composites experts and qualifi ed indus-

try delegates in a single event. Asia is

currently driving the global composites

indust ry both in terms of produc-

tion and consumption volumes, and

a wide range of composite materials

are enjoying increased market pen-

etration across various segments. Th e

three-day programme, which will be

Visitors at the JEC Composite st all


EVENT

held in conjunct ion with the annual

JEC Asia Composites Show and JEC

Asia Innovation Awards, is expect ed

to feature more than 345 exhibiting

companies and more than 7,000 trade

visitors from 51 countries.

“As the Asian composites sect or

adapts to signifi cant indust rial and

market changes, this year’s ICS pro-

gramme will help expose Asian fi rms

to the latest technology trends and

developments that are impact ing their

business. JEC Asia 2011 Composites

Show and Conferences, now in its

fourth year running, is already well

positioned as the leading compos-

ites indust ry platform in Asia-Pacifi c.

Each year, we aim to deliver a range

of indust ry-specifi c seminars and con-

ferences, technical sales presentations

and business meetings to complement

the new composites applications and

technologies that will be displayed

on the main exhibition fl oor,” said

Frédérique Mutel, President and CEO

of JEC Group.

Th e programme comprises eight

conferences and indust ry forums that

will explore the latest breakthrough

innovations across diff erent end-user

applications—process automation,

aeronautics, infrast ruct ure, automo-

tive and ground transportation, and

wind energy sect ors—as well as spe-

cialised conferences providing insights

into the global carbon fi bre market,

economic trends, growth drivers in

the composites sect or and compos-

ites design. To build on the success

of the previous ICS sessions, a new

Carbon Fibre Conference has been

introduced to extend the scope of the

conference programme, as well as an

additional auditorium to accommodate

the expect ed increase in the number of

conference delegates.

“Th e key to the success of JEC Asia

ICS program is in bringing together a

diverse group of highly est eemed indus-

try experts and technical specialist s to

share their views on how the Asian com-

posites sect or will evolve and keep in

st ep with global trends, particularly with

regards to how environmental issues will

increasingly impact the entire compos-

ites value chain,” he added.

Key automotive indust ry-specifi c

highlights of JEC Asia 2011 ICS pro-

gramme include weight reduct ion,

which remains a key priority in the

global automotive indust ry. It is pro-

ject ed that almost one out of every

two cars will be produced in Asia

by 2015, and Asian car manufact ur-

ers are increasingly exploring the use

of competitively priced carbon fi bre

composites to reduce weight. Th is

forum will feature a presentation by

Volkswagen that will provide the latest

insights into the sust ainable use of car-

bon fi bre materials in the automotive

indust ry. New composites produc-

tion techniques will be showcased

through presentations by Huntsman

Advanced Materials, Jacob Plast ics and

Quickst ep Technologies, while Honam

Petrochemical will share composites

lightweighting trends in the automotive

indust ry. Th e Technology Information,

Forecast ing & Assessment Council

(TIFAC) of India will also present on

the use of composite materials in the

rail transportation sect or.

Carbon Fiber Composites Th e programme will also see the

launch of the new Global Carbon Fibre

Market Conference, which focuses on

the use of high performance carbon

fi bre composites for key indust ry seg-

ments such as aeronautics, automotive,

wind energy, and sports and leisure

applications.

“Carbon fi bre reinforced composite

materials are playing an important role

in reducing weight and fuel require-

ments in major transportation indust ry

segments such as aviation and automo-

tive. Fuel effi ciency is one of the ultimate

drivers of demand for these high

performance composites materials, espe-

cially as the carbon composites indust ry

continues to make st rides in bringing

down the overall cost of large volume

product ion,” Mutel said.

JEC is the one of the largest com-

posites indust ry organisation in

Europe and in the world with a net-

work of 250,000 professionals. It

represents, promotes and expands

composites markets by providing glo-

bal and local networking as well as

information services. �

Viewers throng at the JEC st all in one of their earlier summits


STUDY

Small CV Segment: On a High Growth Trajectory

THE launch of Tata Ace, in 2005, has

given a completely new dimension to

the Commercial Vehicle (CV) market

in India, which has fi nally begun tap-

ping its growth potential. Tata Motors

capitalised on the gap which exist ed

between the three wheelers and the

Light Commercial Vehicle (LCV) seg-

ment in the sub one-tonne category,

by creating a new segment within the

LCV domain, known as the Small

Commercial Vehicles (SCV) segment.

Th e success of Tata Ace has led to a

fl urry of new models by

other manufact urers.

Th e paradigm shift for users/buy-

ers, from three-wheelers to the SCV

goods segment, has been due to the

latter’s advantages such as comfort,

convenience, safety, and capacity to

carry higher load. Over and above this,

the segment has itself generated new

demand with more and more LCV

drivers turning entrepreneurs. Even

though several cust omers aspire for an

SCV, they often opt for a three-wheeler

due to its low pricing and for want of

surety documents required to get a loan

for an SCV.

Sales in the three-wheeler goods

carrier market have been negative-

ly aff ect ed with the introduct ion of

SCVs. Majority of SCV sales have

been due to the generation of new

demand from three categories of cus-

tomers—majority being market load

operators around 75 percent; captive

users and contract operators account

for the remaining 25 percent. Th e load

requirement for SCVs is lower than

traditional LCVs. Hence, SCV own-

ers cater to transporting a plethora of


STUDY

product s across indust ries that require

transportation to shorter dist ances.

Th is is one of the main reasons for

traders buying SCVs for captive usage,

especially consumer durable dealers,

cement dealers, contract ing companies,

courier fi rms, and others.

In the LCV segment, the sub-3.5

tonne category vehicles (SCV), sales

more than trebled after the intro-

duct ion of Tata Ace in 2005. Since

then, the SCV market has grown

from 89,367 units in FY 2005-06, to

288,264 units in FY 2010-11; growing

at a CAGR of 26.4 percent in the past

fi ve years.

Th e macro-economic parameters

favouring the growth of the SCV

segment include infrast ruct ure devel-

opment and urbanisation. However,

fl uct uating fuel prices and increasing

interest rates are likely to play damp-

eners of demand, albeit not as much as

the impact these fact ors would have on

medium and heavy commercial vehicles

(M&HCVs).

Buoyed by the growth in the

SCV goods carrier segment, which

is expect ed to grow between 15-17

percent CAGR in the next fi ve years

(base year 2010-11), CV manufac-

turers are in the process of exploring

opportunities to introduce new prod-

uct s and better variants. With road

infrast ruct ure improving across the

country, the demand for high-power

vehicles with better features is likely

to increase. Th e SCV passenger seg-

ment is expect ed to grow at a CAGR

of around 25 percent in the next fi ve

years (base year 2010-11), partly due

to the low base eff ect and due to high-

er penetration into the three-wheeler

passenger segment market.

Future demand for these vehicles is

likely to be driven by:

• Transportation in India moving

towards hub and spoke model push-

ing demand

• Small entrepreneurs buy trucks for

their own use (earlier this segment

used to hire vehicles) and the give

them on hire when not in use

• SCV passenger vehicles are being

used as last -mile connect ivity in

many rural areas where public trans-

port is scarce. Th ey are also fast

replacing three-wheeler share autos

in urban centres. Also, the vehicle

performance is better in terms of

driving in rough terrain, passenger

comfort, and also the number of cus-

tomers ferried

• SCV owners fi nd driving less tiring

and also monthly earnings/savings

are subst antially higher than owning

a three-wheeler

Th e advantages for SCV owners vis-à-

vis a traditional LCV owners are lower

buying cost , less operating expenses

thereby higher profi tability, easy avail-

ability of fi nance, and attract ive resale

values. An SCV owner typically makes

multiple trips with lesser payload than

an LCV owner, who gets maximum of

two loads a day.

With changing dynamics of the CV

market in India due to infrast ruct ure

development, long-term GDP growth

(which has direct correlation on CV

market), and cost -benefi t analysis of

logist ic players, there is bound to be

positive growth in the LCV and HCV

goods carrier segments and negative

impact on the MCV goods carrier.

Within LCV, the SCV segment is

gearing up for a relatively higher

growth in both the goods and

passenger carrier segment. �

(Courtesy: Automotive & Transportation

Pract ice, South Asia, Middle East and

North Africa, Frost & Sullivan )

Unit sales in India of SCVs from FY 06 to FY 11

FY 06 FY 07 FY 07 FY 09 FY 10 FY 110.0

50.0

100.0

150.0

200.0

250.0

Un

its

sold

in

00

0 u

nit

s

300.0

Goods Carrier Passenger Carriers

The paradigm shift for buyers, from three-wheel-ers to the SCV segment, has been due to advan-tages such as comfort,

convenience and safety. Even though many aspire for an SCV, they often opt

for a three-wheeler due to its low pricing and for

want of surety documents required to get a loan


ANALYSIS

Softening rubber price small relief amidst slowing automotive

demand, rising import threat

Driven by the st rong revival in

automotive demand, particu-

larly in the passenger vehicle

and two-wheeler segments and export

demand for tyres, the Indian tyre

indust ry reported a healthy revenue

growth of over 25 percent during fi scal

2010-11. However surge in input cost s

especially that of natural rubber (NR)

negated any scale benefi ts, and resulted

in a contract ion of indust ry-wide oper-

ating margins by over 500 BPS. Th is

was despite numerous indust ry wide

price hikes, cumulatively amounting to

a 15-20 percent increase in tyre prices.

Despite the worrying macroeconomic

indicators and a general slowdown in

domest ic automotive sales, the Indian

tyre indust ry continued to post a

healthy 25-30 percent revenue growth

during Q1, 2011-12 supported by

st rong replacement and export demand.

For fi scal 2011-12, while ICRA expect s

moderation in automotive OEM tyre

demand, the st rong growth in OEM

sales in the last two fi scals is expect ed

to translate into higher replacement

demand.

Declined Margins Th e tyre indust ry continued its

growth momentum in fi scal 2010-11

(April 1, 2010 to March 31, 2011) reg-

ist ering a st rong 27 percent growth in

revenues backed by healthy demand

from both the auto OEM and replace-

ment segments and supported by

capacity ramp-up by major players. Th e

growth was driven by st rong domest ic

OEM demand from the Truck and Bus

(T&B), Passenger Vehicle (PV) and

Two-Wheeler (2W) segments which

saw unprecedented volume growths of

over 25 percent. Exports, which had


ANALYSIS

declined by fi ve percent in the previous

fi scal, saw a st rong recovery regist ering

a volume growth of 22 percent during

2010-11.

Unlike the PV and 2W segments,

where the OEM segment accounts for

a signifi cant portion of the volumes,

the Medium and Heavy Commercial

Vehicle (M&HCV) segment is largely

driven by demand from the replace-

ment market, which accounts for more

than 80 percent of total demand. Th e

M&HCV segment, accounting for the

bulk of tyre indust ry revenues (~65per-

cent), saw a modest increase of four

percent in overall demand on account of

weak demand from the replacement seg-

ment and despite a 32 percent growth

in OEM demand. Th e price increases

imposed by most tyre manufact ur-

ers in response to the unprecedented

increase in rubber prices led to a decline

in demand from the price sensitive

M&HCV replacement markets trans-

lating into increased re-treading and

delayed replacements. However, st rong

OEM and export demand supported a

24 percent growth in overall domest ic

demand (volumes), as compared to 21

percent growth in the previous fi scal.

Even as the indust ry benefi ted from

the st rong revenue growth during 2010-

11, higher input cost s, especially that

of natural rubber, led to a sharp 19 per-

cent decline in operating profi ts and 37

percent decline in net profi ts. Players

having a diversifi ed product mix with

presence in the relatively high margin

radial passenger car segment (as com-

pared to the M&HCV segment, which

is largely commoditised in nature),

higher presence in the replacement mar-

ket segment which off ers better pricing

fl exibility, presence in niche high mar-

gin tyres (like Off -Th e Road (OTR) and

winter tyres) and superior brand image,

have been able to post relatively health-

ier margins.

Headwinds Dampen Demand After regist ering a st rong 26 per-

cent growth during the past two fi scals

(2009-11), the growth in the automo-

bile indust ry, consist ing of commercial

vehicles (CV), passenger vehicles (PV),

two-wheelers and Th ree-Wheeler (3W)

segments, has been slowing down.

During April-July 2012, the M&HCV

segment, which accounts for around 65

percent of total revenues for the tyre

indust ry, post ed a modest growth of

6.4 percent on Y-o-Y basis as compared

to a st aggering 74.2 percent during

April-July 2011.

Despite the slowdown in demand at

the consumer end, some channel and

inventory pipeline buying, coupled with

healthy exports supported tyre demand

during Q1, 2011-12. However, ICRA

expect s these macroeconomic dampen-

ers to mute demand (volumes) for tyres

during the fi scal 2011-12 to around sev-

en-10 percent in the OEM segment and

around 10-13 percent in the replace-

ment segment. However, while near

term automotive demand is expect ed

to be tempered owing to the macro-

economic headwinds, the long term

growth fundamentals of the indust ry

remain st rong.

Softening Prices Help Margins A raw material intensive indust ry,

tyre manufact urer margins are highly

correlated to the price movements of

raw materials. Th e prices of Natural

rubber (NR), the key raw material con-

st ituting around 43 percent of total raw

material cost s, witnessed a sharp rise

during fi scal 2010-11. Domest ic rubber

prices increased from lows of `95 per

kg in May 2009 to highs of `240 per kg

in April 2011 while global NR prices

rose from $164 per kg to $483 per kg

during the same period. Globally, NR

consumption increased by 14.4 percent

during the fi scal 2010-11, while NR

product ion increased by only 6.1 per-

cent. In India, NR Product ion during

the fi scal 2010-11 grew by 3.7 percent

as against the consumption growth of

1.8 percent. In absolute terms, Indian

NR product ion for the fi scal 2010-11

st ood at 0.86 million tonnes as against

consumption of 0.95 million tonnes,

leading to large import requirements.

Th e removal of anti-dumping duty

against Chinese, Th ai Truck & Bus

radials (TBRs) with eff ect from August

12, 2011 could impact the replacement

market for domest ic tyre manufact ur-

ers. During fi scal 2010-11, the country’s

NR imports st ood at 0.18 million

tonnes—a 0.5 percent increase over

the last fi scal. Until March 2011, the

YTD-12: Apr to Aug 2011

50.4

55.7

67.0

92.0

90.0

101.

1

114.

9

190.

3

217.

2

-20%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

0

50

100

150

200

250

FY-04 FY-05 FY-06 FY-07 FY-08 FY-09 FY-10 FY-11 YTD-12

% in

crea

se

Rs. p

er k

g

Average natural rubber prices during the last eight years

Source: Rubber Board


ANALYSIS

Indian tyre indust ry suff ered from an

inverted duty st ruct ure wherein the cus-

toms duty on import of the input, NR

st ood at 20 percent, as against the duty

of only 10 percent on import of tyre.

In April 2011, this inverted st ruct ure

was correct ed partially with NR import

duty attract ing the lower of 20 percent

or `20 per kg (which at current pric-

es is an eff ect ive eight-10 percent). In

July 2011, through a notifi cation, GoI

also allowed the import of upto 40,000

tonnes of NR during fi scal 2011-12 at a

concessional duty of 7.5 percent.

Decline In Crude Oil Prices Crude oil prices have been volatile

during the last six months following the

debt crisis in Europe and United States,

political upheaval in Middle East

and North Africa, and cut in demand

forecast s by OPEC4. Synthetic rub-

ber (SR), a key raw material for tyres

adding a signifi cant 15 percent to the

overall input cost s is a crude derivative.

Apart from NR price movements, SR

prices also have st rong correlation to

crude oil price movements.

Backward Integration To Protect Margins

As evident during the past few

years, the margins of tyre manufact ur-

ers are highly susceptible to movement

in rubber prices. As witnessed during

fi scal 2010-11, margins declined sharp-

ly owing to the signifi cant upsurge in

rubber prices and the inability of tyre

companies to fully pass on the rise to

the consumers.

While revenue growth remained

st rong across all quarters in 2010-11,

revenues witnessed an accelerating trend

with the fourth quarter regist ering a

st rong growth (y-o-y growth of 32 per-

cent) supported by higher sales of PV

tyre, revival of demand in the truck and

bus radial (TBR) replacement tyre seg-

ment and st rong year-end buying. Th e

growth momentum continued in Q1,

2011-12 with major players regist ering

st rong revenue growth nearing 30 percent

(y-o-y). However with the softening of

demand across all automotive segments

and with the higher base eff ect com-

ing into eff ect , ICRA expect s demand to

moderate from Q2, 2011-12 onwards.

Although tyre OEMs have so far

resist ed price reduct ions, st iff resist ance

to price increases from fl eet opera-

tors may limit such fl exibility in future.

Th e margins of tyre companies, mainly

players with large export revenues, are

also expect ed to be under pressure with

the withdrawal of Duty Entitlement

Passbook (DEPB) scheme from

Oct ober 1, 2011.

Th e domest ic tyre indust ry has been

in an invest ment mode during the last

few years with almost all participants

adding signifi cant capacities. Supply

additions were high between 2008 and

2010, with domest ic capacities increas-

ing by around 49 percent. While the

capacities in fi scal 2010-11 are est imated

to have increased by ~eight percent, the

indust ry is poised for another ~25 percent

addition during the next two years. Of

this, bulk of the invest ments are expect ed

in fi scal 2011-12 with ~19 tyre project s

targeted for completion this year.

Th e relatively lower cost of imported

TBRs, domest ic capacity const raints

(particularly in radials) and fast pace

of radialisation in the T&B segment

has led to a huge growth in imports of

TBRs during the last couple of years.

In order to protect the domest ic indus-

try, the GoI in February 2010 imposed

a defi nitive anti-dumping duty (ADD)

seven on TBRs (tyres and tubes)

imported from China and Th ailand.

Even fact oring in the ADD, Chinese

tyres continued to remain cheaper than

domest ic tyres. Coupled with shortfall

in domest ic capacities, the import of

TBRs is est imated to have grown by 43

percent in 2010-11. �

(Courtesy: ICRA)

50

50

248

598

729

1,12

7

1,60

7 -18% 1%

393%

141%

22%55% 43%

-100%

0%

100%

200%

300%

400%

500%

-

200

400

600

800

1,000

1,200

1,400

1,600

1,800

FY05 FY06 FY07 FY08 FY09 FY10 FY11E

Imported radial MHCV tyres (In '000 Nos.)Growth (%)

Trend in imports of Trucks and Bus Radials

Source: DGFT, ICRA est imates

Domestic rubber prices increased from lows of `95 per kg in May 2009 to highs of `240 per kg in April 2011, while global NR prices rose

from $164-483 per kg. Glob-ally, NR consumption has increased by 14.4 percent during the � scal 2010-11


TECHNOLOGY

DÜRR is building a st ate-of-the-

art paint shop in Yizheng for SVW

Shanghai, the joint venture between

Volkswagen Group and Chinese SAIC

Group (Shanghai Automotive

Indust ry Corporation).

Following the current project reali-

sation by Dürr in Nanjing, SVW

will rely on the EcoDryScrubber in

Yizheng. Th is technology uses air recir-

culation, which is an innovative dry

separation method that reduces ener-

gy consumption by up to 60 percent

in comparison to conventional spray

booths. Also, since fresh water and

coagulant chemicals are not needed,

the sust ainability of the painting proc-

ess is signifi cantly increased. With the

two lines in Yizheng, Dürr’s trendset-

ting EcoDryScrubber technology will

already be in use in 40 applications on

four diff erent continents.

How It WorksTh e rotating dip-coating syst em

RoDip, with which, over 25 million

vehicle bodies have already been painted

worldwide, comes into play in the pre-

treatment and cataphoretic dip-coating.

Th rough this, the rotation of the entire car

body in the tank optimises the immer-

sion, fl ooding and draining process.

Before applying the base coat and

clear coat, the exterior of the bodies

are cleaned with sword brushes by two

EcoRS 60 type robots. Th ereafter, the

line is separated due to capacity reasons

and runs from the pre-treatment in

two tracks. Th e 24 EcoRP L133 type

painting robots in each of the two lines

automatically take care of the interior

and exterior painting. Even the open-

ing of hoods and doors for interior

painting, as well as the measuring of

fi lm thickness in the topcoat, is fully

automated with robots from Dürr. Th e

EcoLCC linear colour changer used in

the basecoat minimises paint loss con-

siderably when changing colours.

Th e UBS lines are each equipped

with four Dürr robot st ations which

include a total of 28 EcoRS robots

and the application technology for

automatic seam sealing, underbody

protect ion and rocker panel coat-

ing. One such robot also completes

the inst allation of roof reinforcement

dampings in a gluing st ation. In addi-

tion, an automatic cavity fl ood syst em

for the preservation of body cavities is

included in the scope of delivery. In

order to meet capacity, this equipment

is const ruct ed in two tracks.

Th e new paint shop—designed for a

primerless process and the use of water-

based paint—has a capacity of 62 units

per hour. Th is paint shop, issued by

SVW in the fi rst quarter of 2010 and

dedicated to sust ainability will go into

operation in the summer of 2012. Th en

vehicles from both Volkswagen and

Skoda will be painted there.

Dürr to build green paint shop for SVW

A painting treatment in process

EcoDryScrubber technology uses air recirculation, which is an innovative dry separa-

tion method that reduces energy consumption by up to 60 percent in comparison to conventional spray booths.

The technology will be in use in 40 applications on four

different continents


PRODUCTS

Automobile gearsBAJRANG Engineering Works manu-fact ures and off ers automo-bile gears. Th e company has a fully equipped plant with lat-

est CNC machines to manufact ure automobile gears and shafts for a variety of vehicles. Both prototype and produc-tion lots for these gears are undertaken. Th e range of these gears include: spur gears, helical gears, bevel gears, spiral bevel gears, mitre gears, timing gears, fl ywheel ring gears, etc, along with axle shafts, annulus carriers, carrier assem-blies, spline shafts, chain sprockets, couplings, dog clutches, and a variety of other transmission components.

Bajrang Engineering Works, New Delhi 110 033Tel: 011-2713 2640, Fax: 011-2745 9563, Mob: 09810024875Email: [email protected], Website: www.bajranggears.com, Certifi cation: An ISO 9001:2000 certifi ed company

Automobile tyres

SHUBHYA International manufact ures and off ers a widest range of st eel radial and bias tyres to all user seg-ments. Tyres, tubes, fl aps and re-treading product s are renowned for their superior quality and durability with a st rong presence in international markets. Th e range cov-ers categories, such as: fl oatation implement & trailer tyres; multi-purpose truck tyres; truck tyres; light commercial vehicle tyres; indust rial & OTR tyres; farm tyres; car & jeep tyres; 2- & 3-wheeler tyres; butyl tubes; and tyre re-treading materials.

Shubhya International, Sonepat 131 001Tel: 9466476610, 9812093453, Fax: 0130-2255462, Mob: 9466476610, 9812093453Email: [email protected], Website: No website

In-car entertainment systemAVANI TV Solutions has launched avan-iTV, a fi rst of its kind in-car entertainment syst em that combines Live TV channels, movies, internet videos and live radio—all at the click of a button. Now your TV will go wherever you do, with premi-um quality entertainment service in your car.

Th e avaniTV off ers major Indian TV channels live. Presently, avaniTV subscribers can watch over 40 live chan-nels from the comfort of their car. While st uck in a traffi c jam, avaniTV off ers a basket of movies to watch from its Movie Library, making daily commute st ress-free.

What’s more, the product also enables subscribers to seamlessly browse the internet and list en to live radio st ations from around the world sitting in the back seat of the car. It uses a cloud-based video dist ribution infrast ruct ure to seam-lessly deliver entertainment class experience on the move inside the passenger car.

Th e car kit is available in all major Indian cities including Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad, Cochin, Pune and east ern UP among others. One needs to only purchase the avaniTV Car Kit which cost s `19,990 and the LCD Screen (free fi rst year subscription). Th e inst allation process does not require any alternations in the car interiors and is carried out by trained personnel.

AvaniTV, Mumbai/PuneTel: 1800 102 8009Email: [email protected]: www.avanitv.com

SpacersWAVE Current Precision Parts off ers superior range of spacers that are made using best quality raw materials in compliance with indust ry st andards. Th ese spacers are available in various dimensions and widely used in automo-bile indust ries. Th e range is widely appreciated by clients for its durability, performance, easy inst allation and dimensional accurate charact erist ics.

Wave Current Precision Parts Ltd Tel: 044-6453 8981, Fax: 044-4504 8484, Mob: 09884487633Email: [email protected], Website: www.wavecurrent.com


PRODUCTS

Automotive sprocketsMALKAR Indust ries off ers a perfect range of automotive sprockets that are fabricated using high-grade raw materials and give long last ing perform-ance. Th ese sprockets are technically advanced and used in motorcycles, cars, bicycles, tanks, and other machinery to transmit rotary motion between two shafts or to impart linear motion to a track. Th e automotive sprockets are economical, reliable drive syst em that off ers maximum absorption of shock and minimum torque load. Th ese automotive sprockets are avail-able in diff erent sizes and diameters. Th ese sprockets can also be cust omised and are available at indust ry leading prices (claims the company).

Malkar Industries, Mumbai 400 088Tel: 022-2558 0727, Fax: 022-2558 1710, Mob: 09322274241Email: [email protected], Website: www.malkargears.com

Automotive engine oilsJAY Bharat Lubricants off ers automotive engine oils (Jaybrol), that are blended from highly refi ned base st ock containing detergent, anti-wear, antirust and antifoam addi-tives for petrol, diesel cars and trucks, turbo charged diesel engines of heavy-duty vehicles, earth moving equipments, tract ors and 2-st roke engine oils for mopeds, scooters, motor-cycles and 3-wheelers, etc. Th ese oils meet various levels of API service requirements and also meet JIS specifi cations for engine oils. Th e oils give higher service life to engines; with drain period is extended.

Jay Bharat Lubricants (I) Pvt Ltd Mumbai 400 071.Tel: 022-2529 9990, Fax: 022-2524 1895Email: offi [email protected], Website: www.jaylube.com

Automobile fusesSAHIL International off ers automobile fuses (Maxi series) from Jeanfeng of Taiwan. Th ese fuses are available in a higher range of amperage rat-ing of 20 A to 80 A in 32 V AC/DC. Th e fuses are physically larger in size as compared to other ATO and Mini series automobile fuses. Jeanfeng has provided colour code in each fuse for easy ampere identifi ca-tion. Larger fuses are widely used in automobile circuits for protect ion of wiring harness by replacing the fusible wire or fusible link, which is often a plain piece of small wire. Th e ATO series fuses are suitable for automobiles, trucks; where-as the Mini series fuses are suitable for buses, cars, etc.

Sahil International, New Delhi 110 092Tel: 011-2246 4894, Fax: 011-2252 8193, Mob: 9899153952Email: [email protected], Website: www.sahil-india.com

Auto car scan tools AMPRO Test ing Machines off ers super auto car scan tools (model X-431) the latest auto-motive diagnost ic product based on both automotive elect ron-ics and information technology. Th e open diagnost ic platform not only represents the world’s lead-ing diagnost ic technology, but also the future tendency and the ultimate solution. Using an open-platform based on Linux syst em and with the help of a Smartbox platform and various onboard

diagnost ic sockets, the scan tools can perform funct ions, like reading digital trouble code, erasing digital trouble code, reading data st ream test s on automotive engines, automatic transmission, ABS, airbags and cruise control. Other func-tions include act uation test , communication with computer, etc. Th e scan tools provide a whole list of dist inct ive func-tions including handwriting input, personal information management, language setting, bilingual dict ionary, calcula-tor and games, making them useful tools as well as excellent gadgets for entertainment purpose. Technical specifi cations include: Linux operating syst em; I/O: st andard parallel/serial interface main unit; power: DC 12 V, 9 W; printer: built-in mini-printer; screen: 320 mm x 240 mm colour screen; CF card: 128 MB; and CPU: 32 bit.

Ampro Testing Machines, New Delhi 110 028Tel: 011-2577 5600, Fax: 011-4761 8444, Mob: 09811890900Email: [email protected], Website: www.amproindia.com


PRODUCTS

Four-wheel alignment machinesTECHNOMATIC India off ers 3D four-wheel align-ment machines, the most advance technology in four-wheel alignment. Th e 3D cameras alignment based on the car and not infl u-enced by the platform. Measurement syst em is equipped with double dig-ital cameras and four target disk, supplying revolutionary measurement mode. Th ere is no elect ronic component, so the wheel alignment does not have a component failure problem. Once calibrated before delivery, it is workable immediately after inst allation as there is no need for periodic calibration. Also due to the measurement progress, there is no need to compensate for st eel ring (rims). Th e precise eccentric com-pensation will be just once pulling or pushing the car back and front. Other features include: software syst em, easy to operate, complete conventional basic parameters within two minutes, signifi cantly fast er than conventional aligners, online data download for new vehicles, need less mainte-nance in comparison to other machine, provide excellent accuracy, remarkable durability, etc.

Technomatic India, Faridabad 121 001Tel: 0129-4002222 Fax: 0129-4003333Email: [email protected] Website: www.technomatic.in

Mobile cellular transmis-sion systems

KOTKAR Energy Dynamics off ers mobile BTS or the Cell-on-Wheels (COW) mobile cellular transmission

syst ems that are mounted on a truck chassis or trailer. Th e telescopic antenna tower is inst alled on a truck platform, and can be lifted, extended and positioned at desired loca-tion. It can be retract ed, folded, turned even and transported. Designed to be mobile the towers are properly reinforced to withst and vagaries during transit, erect ion and deployment. COW incorporates an insulated shelter for housing the BTS and batteries, a diesel-generator set, a precision type air-conditioner, RF and MW cable winding and holder drum, counter-weights for st ability, special winches to wind up and pre-load the st eel guys, a jacking syst em to level platform and lift the vehicle chassis for wheel-free support, rooted to ground while deployed. Advantages are: rapid roll-out; cov-erage of special events; emergent last minute deployment; st and-by for maintenance; test marketing in virgin areas; optional where permanent inst allation is not feasible; and easy retreat & redeployment.

Kotkar Energy Dynamics Pvt Ltd, Pune 411020Tel: 020-2581 5315, Mob: 09822012465Email: [email protected]

Truck weighbridgesTULSI Trading Company off ers truck weighbridges that are large scales to meas-ure the entire weight of the vehicles and their content. Th ese weighbridges are used in various indust ries that manufact ure or transport items in bulk items, such as in mines or quarries, garbage dumps/recycling centres, and bulk liquid & powder movement, and even household goods. Th e weighbridges are available in two types. One is pit-mounted and the other is surface-mounted. All st andards in designing and manufact uring are followed, which ensures performance and quality.

Tulsi Trading Company, Kolkata 700 019Tel: 033-4001 0701, Fax: 033-4001 0706, Mob: 09331152608Email: [email protected] Website: www.tulsiweigh.com

Tractor partsTRACTORS (including also the earthmoving machines) components encounter low speed-high torque loading for longer periods of time. Th ese are subject -ed to intense variations in loading, poor engine cooling due to low travel speeds and frequent st op-st art conditions. Th is induces extreme thermal and mechanical st resses in tract or engine parts, and only the proper foundry and machining pract ices can produce a tract or part that is robust enough to survive the elements and the harsh fi eld operating conditions. Garima Global does it with guaranteed precision.

Garima Global Pvt Ltd, Mumbai 400 053Tel: 022-4037 8888, Fax: 022-6756 8999Email: [email protected] Website: www.garimaglobal.com Certifi cation: An ISO 9001:2008 Certifi ed Company


PRODUCTS

Vehicle washersESKAY Engineering Syst ems off ers all kinds of vehicle washers, such as single plunger washers, triple plunger washers, etc. Bulk requirements of cli-ents are also met. Some of the technical specifi cations of model SKWSP-03 include: reciprocating type; single plunger; plung-er diameter of 40 mm x st roke length of 60 mm; speed of 360 RPM; output 12.5 LPM; working pressure 25 kg/cm² maxi-mum; crankcase oil capacity of minimum 300 ml & maximum 400 ml; 3 HP motor; and branded motor make.

Eskay Engineering Systems, Coimbatore 641 004Tel: 0422-6532890, Fax: 0422-2564565, Mob: 09442113911Email: [email protected], Website: www.eskayservicest ationequipments.com

Auto bearingsCOSMO Teck off ers bearings in all shapes and sizes. Th ese include deep groove, self-align-ing, thrust , cylindrical roller, tapered roller, thrust spheri-cal roller, clutch, needle and roller bearings. Also off ered is a comprehensive range of automotive engine parts, automo-tive elect rical parts, automotive clutches, trailer parts, fuel Inject ion parts, automotive brake linings, automotive brake shoes, fi lters, suspension parts, auto lights, mirrors, etc.

Cosmo Teck, Mumbai 400 050 Tel: 022-2640 3687, Fax: 022-2651 5420, Mob: 09833811406Email: [email protected], Website: www.cosmoteck.com

Hydraulic dock levellersBESTO Handling Syst em Company off ers high effi -ciency hydraulic dock levellers that are used for load-ing and unloading heavy loads. Th ese are ideal equipment for use where there is a diff erence in the levels of st orage and level where goods are to be transferred. Known for their effi ciency and safety, the dock levellers are available in a variety of cust omised versions to suit the requirements of cust omers. Also manufact ured are dock levellers using high-grade raw materials. Th e dock levellers make work easier by act ing as bridges between the two levels. Further, the dock levellers also work with loads that are unevenly dist ributed. Controlled by a hydraulic operating syst em, the dock levellers raise and lower the load using elect ro-hydrau-lic pressure. Th e dock levellers are charact erised by features, such as: fast er & economical; easy-to-operate, quite & smooth cycling; rest rict ed free fall through a hydraulic velocity fuse; and power pack mounted underneath the deck.

Besto Handling System Company, Chennai 600 098Tel: 044-2624 2623 Fax: 044-2624 2623 Mob: 09840779778Email: sales@best ohandling.com Website: www.best ohandling.com

Automotive relaysMEDIUM power automotive relays (mod-els 3501/3531, 3521 & 3541) off ered by O/E/N India are used for resist ive/induct ive loads, indicator lamp loads and head lamp loads. Salient features of these automotive relays include direct PCB mountable, cost -eff ect ive, suitable for various loads, miniature size, etc. Applications are in turn signal & hazard warning lights, fl ashers, wiper controls, head lamp control, st arter motor, secu-rity syst ems, etc. Special contact s for higher contact rating, extra braided wire, high temperature winding wire, special coil resist -ance & pick-up, etc, are available on request .

O/E/N India Ltd, Cochin 682 019Tel: 0484-2301132, Fax: 0484-2302211Email: [email protected], Website: www.oenindia.com

Automotive partsAHUJASONS manufac-tures and off ers highly funct ional auto-motive parts that enhance the effi ciency of automobiles. Th ese automo-

bile parts are precisely designed and engineered in order to ensure high durability and st rength. Th e range comprises of gears, crack shafts, cross, shifter forks, and clutch collars. High durability, excellent performance and low mainte-nance of the range are some of their features for which the automobile parts are widely appreciated (claims the company).

Ahujasons, New Delhi 110 005Tel: 011-2394 3349, Fax: 011-4505 6211 Mob: 09990469999


PRODUCTS

Hydraulic car lifts BHARDWAJ Cranes & Elevators off ers hydraulic car lifts that have extensive applications in vehicle and axle inspec-tions, mechanical repairs, service work and repairs. Th ese car lifts are highly suitable for small cars as well as light commer-cial vehicles. Th ey have smooth operation which ensures fast lifting time. A major feature of the hydraulic car lifts is that their hydraulic drive is fi lled with biodegradable oil. Th is ena-bles complete organisation and durability. Th e car lifts provide complete safety, and are equipped with dual hydraulic cylin-ders, automatic arm rest raints and automatic safety locks. Dual controls allow operation from either column and come with multi position elect ronic locking syst em. Th is ensures full pro-tect ion. Th e high-pressure cylinders in each column provide maximum lifting force and even procedure. Adjust able height makes the car lifts fl exible enough for all kinds of vehicles. Th e hydraulic car lifts are available in a variety of platform rises, capacities and widths to serve the requirements of cust omers.

Bhardwaj Cranes & Elevators, Ludhiana 141 120Tel: 0161-6531429, Fax: 0161-2844084, Mob: 09815177061Email: [email protected] Website: www.bhardwajeotcranes.com

Auto electrical parts

SHALIMAR Precision Enterprises off ers a wide range of auto elect rical parts that are made to serve the automobile indust ry. Th ese elect rical parts are made employing premium quality raw materials. Th e auto elect rical parts are of interna-tional st andards. Th ey are appreciated by a large number of clients. Th e product s are available in the market at most eco-nomical rates (claims the company).

Shalimar Precision Enterprises Pvt Ltd, New Delhi 110 028Tel: 011-4500 3000, Fax: 011-2589 2131 Mob: 09810131949Email: [email protected], Website: www.shalimarexport.com

Automotive springs

PUNJAB Ball Bearing & Machinery Corpn off ers supe-rior quality automotive springs that are manufact ured from good quality raw materials. Durability and high performance are the chief charact erist ics of these springs that make them broadly demanded by cust omers.

Punjab Ball Bearing & Machinery Corporation New Delhi 110 005Tel: 011-2875 0836 Fax: 011-2875 0836 Mob: 09810005773Email: [email protected], Website: www.ykobearings.com


PRODUCTS

Tractor componentsJAIN Indust rial Product s manufact ures compo-nents for tract or indust ry in India, which includes lock nuts, ring nuts, spe-cial screws, screws, pin lever dist control, sleeve shaft driving wheel, valve cover cap, washers, thrust washers, retention plates, spacers, bushing front wheel spindles, pins, dowel pins, etc.

Jain Industrial Products, Rohtak 124 001Tel: 01262-249490, Fax: 01262-249489 Mob: 09896349490Email: jainindust rialproduct [email protected] Website: www.jipr.co.in

Automotive batteriesBHATIA Battery House off ers a wide range of automotive batteries. Th e range of these automotive bat-teries consist s of Tata green batteries, Exide green batteries and Amaron green batteries. Th ese batteries are widely used in automobiles, such as cars, jeeps, tract ors, two-wheelers,

etc. Th e automotive batteries are available in diff erent sizes and shapes as per diverse requirements of clients.

Bhatia Battery House , Ghaziabad 201 010Tel: 0120-4337837, Mob: 09212430899Email: [email protected]

Rubber auto partsGENEXT Auto Indust ries off ers a wide range of spe-cially fabricated automotive parts that are manufact ured in compliance with quality st andards. Th ese automotive parts are specially manufact ured using quality materials. Also off ered are automotive components, rubber auto components, auto mould parts, automotive rub-ber parts, automotive parts & components, etc.

Genext Auto Industries443 201Mob: 09822271701, Email: genext_2007@rediff mail.com

Car seat coversORCHIS manufact ures genuine and com-posite leather car seat covers. Materials used by are of thickness ranging from 0.9 mm to 1.2 mm, with a printed grain st ruct ure made on imported sophist icated machines. Th e materials are naturally fl exible enabling them to be draped around diff erent shapes and st ruct ures. Besides being hard-wearing tough and durable, these are soft and supple.

Th e seat covers come with the inside having bonded foam of 8 mm to 15 mm thickness with 28 density. Stitching is done on imported machines with special imported nylon threads. A range of 20 colours and 19 patterns are available for cus-tomers to select from. Both the options in the seat covers (loose & fi xed type) are off ered.

Orchis, Mumbai 400 079Tel: 022-6539 5042, Mob: 09870203580Email: [email protected], Website: www.orchis.in

Brake � uidsLEO Lubricants manufact ures and off ers DOT-3 high-grade and heavy-duty brake fl u-ids. High in performance, these brake fl uids are fully synthetic and contain anti-oxidants & corrosion inhibitor, which ensure long service life. Th e brake fl uids have a high boiling point, which eliminates any possibilities of vapor lock problem under severe working conditions. Th ey have low pour point charact erist ics and can be easily used for vehicles running at low temperature. Some of the important properties of the brake fl uids are: density @ 15°C: 1.050; viscosity CST @ 100°C: 1.5; dry ERBP min 205°C; wet ERBP 140°C; and fl ash point PMCC 120°C.

Leo Lubricants Pvt Ltd, Mumbai 400 004Tel: 022-2364 1588, Fax: 022-2364 1590, Mob: 09892531235Email: [email protected], Website: www.leolubricants.com, Certifi cation: An ISO 9001:2008 Certifi ed Company

Engine oilsMAHATHOL 2T Super from Mahatha Petroleum is a two-st roke engine oil developed with suitable base oil and select additives to minimise spark plug fouling and pre-igni-tion. Th ese oils prevent rust ing, minimise deposit formation and provides protect ion against seizure, scuffi ng and wear. Th e oils also have advantage of lower oil consumption and contain diluents for easy mixing with petrol. Th ese oils are recommended for all types of two st roke engines of mopeds, scooters, motorcycles and three wheelers. Th e recommended dosage of Mahathol 2T Super is 20 ml per litre of petrol.

Mahatha Petroleum Pvt Ltd, Chennai 600 117Tel: 044-2247 1542, Fax: 044-2247 3800, Mob: 09444065754Email: [email protected], Website: www.mahathapetroleum.com, Certifi cation: An ISO 9001:2000 Certifi ed Company


PRODUCTS

Automotive silicone hosesWESTERN Rubbers & Seals manufact ures and off ers automotive sili-cone hoses. Th e st andard const ruct ion hoses have a 70 Sh natural translu-cent silicone rubber inner hose, a braided polyest er multi-fi lament yarn or fi b-erglass reinforced a 70 Sh A silicone rubber coating (natural translucent). Th ese hoses are suitable for continuous operation at temperature from –60°C to 150°C and for inter-mittent exposure up to 180°C. Th ey have no harmful toxic or physiological eff ect s. Th e hoses are chemically extremely st able and suitable for use with many acids and alkalis. Th ey are resist ant to ozone and UV to ozone & corona discharge. Th e elast omers used for st andard translucent hoses comply with FDA 21 CFR 177.2600. Typical applications include: coolant hoses for indust rial machinery & equipments; pipes & connect ing hoses for food & beverage processing; medical equipments; and chemical & adhesive fi lling syst ems.

Western Rubbers India Pvt Ltd, Mumbai 400 104Tel: 022-2676 0203/0274, Fax: 022-2676 0280Email: info@west ernrubbers.com Website: www.west ernrubbers-india.com

Epoxy � oorings & coatingsTAJ Hi-Tech off ers epoxy fl oorings and epoxy coatings, poly-urethane fl oorings/coating that are used on fl oors and wall surfaces. Th ese coatings give higher abrasion-resist ant to the surface. Th e coatings are very easy to clean and wash. Benefi ts include: provide cleaner, healthier & more pleasant place for employees to work in; protect the concrete from wear, making it last longer; control concrete dust ing; protect the subst rate from chemical & physical degradation; cut down on amount of lighting needed in plant; make the plant more appealing to potential cust omers; help keep fi nished parts clean before ship-ping; defi ne certain areas, or designate the presence of hazards; reduce the maintenance & cleaning cost s; uplift in aest het-ics; and easy washability. Application areas are: automobile indust ries, elect ronics indust ries, automobile showrooms & workshops, pharmaceutical indust ries, food processing indust ries, health care centers, chemical indust ries, fertilizer indust ries, IT indust ries, engineering indust ries, etc.

Taj Hi-Tech, New Delhi 110 024Tel: 011-6515 1780, Fax: 011-2621 4016Email: [email protected], Website: www.tajhitech.com

Automobile battery chargersTANTRA International off ers automobile bat-tery chargers that are available in capacities covering a wide range of voltage from 0 V DC to 300 volts DC and cur-rent ranging from 10 A to 200 A. Th e bat-tery chargers eff ect ively control the variation in the fl ow of current. Available in diff erent technical specifi cations, the range is widely used in automobile indust ry. Salient features include: maintain const ant current at the load; no eff ect of voltage variation on output current; maintain the quality of plates & saves time period; controls overloading of elect rical supply syst em; reduct ion in failure rate of elect rical equipments up to 80 per cent; energy saving up to 10 to 15 per cent possible; and uniform quality of end product s. An automotive battery is a type of rechargeable battery that supplies elect ric energy to an automobile. Battery recycling of automotive batteries reduces resources required for manufact ure of new batteries and diverts toxic lead from landfi lls or improper disposal.

Tantra International, Mumbai 400 064Tel: 022-2808 2384 Mob: 09967571636Email: [email protected] Website: www.tantrainter.com

Automotive wiring harnessesBALAJI Cable manufac-turers and exports superior wiring harness for automo-bile, elect ronic & elect rical, telecommunications, railways and several other indust ries. High-grade automotive wir-ing harnesses are available that fi nd application for multiple purposes. Th ese automotive wir-ing harnesses are fabricated by using fi nest grade of materials and st ringently test ed on each st age of fabrication to ensure that they are free from any kind of defect . Th ey are used for ignition syst em, battery cables.

Balaji Cable & Auto Components, Hosur 635 109Tel: 04344-225417, Fax: 04344-225417, Mob: 09865166841Email: balajicable@rediff mail.com


PRODUCTS

Painting boothsAMI Indust ries off ers side draft, non-pressurised painting booths that are totally compact and suitable for small and medium size component painting. Th ese painting booths are suitable for conven-tional or elect rost atic hand guns with no addition or modifi cation. Adequate exhaust results in eff ect ive removal of overspray paint particles and thus elimi-nates its setting on wet painted surface. Th ey also provide clean air to the opera-tor. Washing act ion minimises escape of paint along with exhaust air and thus eliminates surrounding pollution and also the risk of fi re. Th e air fl ows have been so designed so as to off er total comfort to operator and in accordance with safe-ty st andards applicable. Th ey fi nd applications in automobile parts, control panels, pumps, valves, cycle parts, cast ings, fans, non-st ick cookware, ball pens, air pins, refrigerators, etc.

Ami Industries, Mumbai 400 063.Tel: 022-2686 3120, Fax: 022-2873 4753Email: [email protected] Website: www.amiindust ries.com

Pneumatic impact wrenchesCHICAGO Pneumatic off ers CP7749 ½-inch pneumatic impact wrench to feature side-to-side (S2S®) forward/reverse funct ionality. Th is wrench is well-balanced, light-weight at only 1.98 kg (4.37 pounds), and packs a punch with 980 Nm (725 ft lbs) of torque. Th is is a tool that reduces the st rain on wrist and forearm common with the use of typical impact wrenches when changing direct ion of rotation. Th e exclusive S2S tech-nology allows user to eff ortlessly change between forward and reverse with one hand in any position. Th e three-posi-tion power regulator in forward provides control and helps to prevent over-tightening, while full power remains const ant in reverse to ensure technicians have maximum power to remove fast eners without changing the setting in the forward position. Th e CP7749 is also available with a two-inch anvil (CP7749-2) for tyre removal applications when accessibility is an issue or the use of ‘fl ip’ sockets. In continuation to S2S series, Chicago Pneumatic plans to launch more variants in 3/8”, ½”, ¾” and 1” square drive categories.

Chicago Pneumatic, Thane (W) 400 610Tel: 022-3998 2731, Fax: 022-3998 2725, Mob: 09833489164Email: [email protected] Website: www.chicagopneumatic.co.in

Nuts & boltsFRIENDS Engineering Works manufact ures and off ers nuts and bolts in all sizes suitable for a varied number of equipments and tools, primarily elect rical, elect ronic, auto-mobile and hardware. Speciality has been achieved in fi ne threading. Quality control is at its best . Each and every piece undergoes st ringent quality control checking before dispatch. Nuts and bolts of all sizes and specifi cations and for usage in all type of equipment, gadgets, switches and tools are available. Nuts and bolts of following specifi ca-tions are being manufact ured, such as nuts 3 to 16 mm, 1/8” to 5/16”, 6 to 2 BA; and bolts –6 mm to 5/16” in all sizes. Also manufact ured are nuts and bolts as per cus-tomised requirements virtually for each and every kind of indust ry elect rical gadgets, switches, telecommunication equipment, elect ronic equipment, machinery, automobiles and hardware.

Friends Engineering Works, Ludhiana 141 010Tel: 0161-2673622, Fax: 0161-2673623, Mob: 09872464194Email: [email protected], Website: www.fewnuts.com Certifi cation: An ISO 9001:2000 Certifi ed Company

Bolts & set screwsABC Indust rial Fast eners manufact ures and off ers bolts and set screws, such as square head, T-head,

taper head, rect angular head, T-bolts, square head set screws, fl ash point, plain cup point, half, full and extra dog point, fl anged or collar head, square T-bolts (6 mm to 48 mm, ¼” to 2” diameter), rect angular T-head bolts and also with square neck T-bolts. Th ese fast eners are made as per IS, BIS, JIS, GOST, ASTM, ISO and BSW, BSF, UNC, UNF threads. Materials of const ruct ion include: MS 4.6 grade, EN-8, 6.6, 8.8 grade, EN-19, 10.9 grade or 10K, EN-24, 12.9 grade or 12K, brass, SS304/316, R, S, T, V grades, etc. Th ese are also supplied with sursulf, liquid nitriding and nitrocar bruising process. Applications are in machine tools, light and heavy indust ries, textile, automobile, tract or, cement, chemical and sugar plants and other service indust ries.

ABC Industrial Fasteners, Mumbai 400 072Tel: 022-2847 0806 Fax: 022-2847 0705Email: response@abcfast eners.com Website: www.abcfast eners.com


PRODUCTS

Automotive cablesQ-FLX Wires & Cables (a div of Cybele Indust ries Ltd) off ers a wide range of qual-ity automotive cables to wiring harness manufact urers for their supplies to heavy-duty vehicles, like buses, trucks, tract ors, earthmovers, etc; and all four-wheelers and two-wheelers for the purpose of lighting, igniting, wiping, battery charging, st arter, st eering column, horn, signaling, motor antenna, motorised outside rear view mirror, power windows, st ereo syst ems, communication, etc. Automotive cables are manufact ured to reference st andards BS:6862, JIS:3406 and IS:2465 with bright annealed high conduct ive elect rolytic copper conduct or conforming to the requirements of IS:8130/BS:6360 and insulated with specially designed dielect ric grade Q-Flx brand PVC compound as per IS:5831/BS:6746, which is impervious to water, oil, petrol, acid and greases. Th e automotive cables are also manufact ured as per conventional sizes prevailing in the market where the copper and the PVC insulation meets the above st andards requirements and impervious to water, oil, petrol, acid and greases.

Q-Flx Wires & Cables, Chennai 600 098Tel: 044-2625 0549, Fax: 044-2625 7580, Mob: 09884522777Email: invest or@qfl excable.com , Website: www.qfl excable.com, Certifi cation: An ISO 9001:2000 Certifi ed Company

Tyre in� atorsDIGITAL automatic tyre infl ators (model SetAir-201S) off ered by Inst rument Research Associates are fully automatic, safe, elect ronically controlled closed loop syst ems to infl ate tyres accurately to a preset pressure level by adjust ing the fi lling rate automati-cally after sensing the size and type of the tyre. Th ese equipments automatically decide to infl ate or defl ate a tyre depending on the under-/over-pressure of the tyre. A single equipment can infl ate and defl ate tyres of all types of vehicles including mopeds, scooters, mobikes, cars, vans, buses, trucks and tract ors. Th e equipments off er utmost ease of operation to users who are not well versed in English. Features include: exhaust ive facility for fast infl ation of fl at tyres; convert funct ion to show the desired and act ual tyre pressure in kg/cm³ and PSI; confi rm/backlight funct ions combined in one switch; LCD specially designed with icons to indicate the select units of pressure reading kg/cm, PSI, etc; and waterproof integrated keypad with positions of inc, dec, fl at tyre, convert and confi rm/backlight funct ions.

Instrument Research Associates Pvt Ltd, Bengaluru 560 100Tel: 080-2852 0590/2/4, Fax: 080-2852 1525Email: [email protected] Website: www.irainst rumentation.com

Torque screwdriversSUMMIT Engineering off ers torque screwdrivers with interchangeable tips to overcome such problems. Th e torque screwdrivers are available in two-piece const ruct ion, an ergo-nomically refi ned handle with exchangeable blades (insert) for greatest fl exibility in all areas of use. Present ranges avail-able are 0.6 to 1.5 Nm, 1.5 to 3.0 Nm, 3.0 to 5.4 Nm. Torque can be very easily adjust ed with the help of Allen key. Set torque achieved is indicated by acoust ic and mechanic signal. No over-torquing is possible as after achieving set torque it st arts to slip. Various screwdriver blades suitable for slotted heads, PH, PZ, TORX and TORX Plus (IP) are available. Th ese exchangeable blades are manufact ured from chrome-molybdenum-vanadium st eel with superior hardness, which exceeds DIN and ISO requirements by up to 100 per cent and have black tips for precise fi tment.

Summit Engineering Technology Pvt Ltd, Navi Mumbai 400 708Tel: 022-2764 2776, 2769 9667 Fax: 022-2760 0819, Mob: 9821150858Email: [email protected] Website: www.summitengg.com

Nuts/bolts & industrial fastenersZENITH Indust rial Product s off ers nuts, bolts and indust rial fast eners by cold forging, hot forg-ing, turned & machined process, etc, as per IS, BS, DIN, ISO st andards and also non-st andard items as per drawings & samples provided by cust omers. Th reads are of METRIC MM, BSW, BSF, UNC, UNF, BSP, BSPT, NPT, 4-12 NC/NF, self-tapping 2-14 types. Material & grades include: mild st eel, 4.6 grade, HTS, EN 8, 8.8 grade, EN 19, 10.9 grade, EN 24, 12.9 grade, spring st eel & sheet metal, SS410, 303, 304, 316, 304L & 316L, brass, copper, aluminium, titanium, PB, etc. Finishes availa-ble are: natural fi nish, self colour, phosphating, blackodising, zinc platting, blue/yellow/olive green/copper/black passiva-tion, nickel & nickel chrome platting, trivalent zinc platting and heat-treatment on request . Th e nuts, bolts and indust rial fast eners are used in various indust ries, like machine tools, textile, elect rical & elect ronics, automobiles and other engi-neering indust ries.

Zenith Industrial Products, Mumbai 400 072Tel: 022 2847 8806, Fax: 022-2856 0705Email: [email protected], Website: www.zip-india.com


ADVERTISERS’ LIST

Pg No. Advertiser ...........................................Tel .................................E-mail ............................................Website

B2 ......ADEA Awards ........................................+91-22-30034650 [email protected] ...... www.adea.in

FIC ......Anand Automotive Ltd .........................+91-11-26564542 [email protected] .. [email protected]

17 .......Bosch Limited ......................................+91-80-22999269 [email protected] www.boschindia.com

51 .......Confederation Of Indian Industry .......+91-124-4013871 ........... [email protected] ..................... www.autoexpo.in

4 .........Engineering Expo .................................+91-9819552270 [email protected] .............. www.engg-expo.com

13 .......KYB Asia Co Ltd ....................................+91-9871687888 [email protected] ........................... www.kyba.co.th

BIC ..... Lubrizol Advanced Materials India Pvt. Ltd. .+91-22-66027800 [email protected] .............. www.lubrizol.com/engineeredpolymers

BC ......Madhus Garage Eqpts ..........................+91-80-26660656 [email protected] .......... www.madhusindia.com

� Our consistent advertisers


PRODUCT INDEX

A/C service equipment .......................................................... BC

ADEA - Automotive Dealership Excellence Awards ............... 2

Alternatives........................................................................... 17

Auto bearings ....................................................................... 54

Auto car scan tools ............................................................... 52

Auto electrical parts ............................................................. 55

AutoExpo-2012 exhibition .................................................... 51

Automobile battery chargers ................................................ 57

Automobile fuses .................................................................. 52

Automobile gears ................................................................. 50

Automobile tyres .................................................................. 50

Automotive batteries ............................................................ 56

Automotive cables ................................................................ 59

Automotive engine oils ......................................................... 52

Automotive parts .................................................................. 54

Automotive products ............................................................ FIC

Automotive relays ................................................................. 54

Automotive silicone hoses .................................................... 57

Automotive springs ............................................................... 55

Automotive sprockets ........................................................... 52

Automotive wiring harnesses ............................................... 57

Batteries ............................................................................... 17

Bolts & set screws ................................................................. 58

Brake fl uids .......................................................................... 56

Brake pads ............................................................................ 17

Brake testing equipment ...................................................... BC

Car seat covers ...................................................................... 56

Clutch plates & cover assemblies .......................................... 17

Collision repair systems ........................................................ BC

Engine oils ............................................................................ 56

Engineering Expo exhibitions ............................................... 4

Epoxy fl oorings & coatings ................................................... 57

Exhibitions ............................................................................ 4, 51

Filters .................................................................................... 17

Four-wheel alignment machines .......................................... 53

Gas analysers ........................................................................ BC

Gasoline systems .................................................................. 17

Gear pumps .......................................................................... 17

Horns .................................................................................... 17

Hydraulic car lifts ................................................................. 55

Hydraulic dock levellers ....................................................... 54 ...

In-car entertainment systems ............................................... 50

Lighting ................................................................................ 17

Lubricants ............................................................................. 17

Mobile cellular transmission systems ................................... 53

Nuts & bolts .......................................................................... 58

Nuts/bolts & industrial fasteners .......................................... 59

Painting booths .................................................................... 58

Pneumatic impact wrenches ................................................ 58

Relays ................................................................................... 17

Rubber auto parts ................................................................ 56

Shock absorbers ................................................................... 13

Spacers ................................................................................. 50

Spark plugs ........................................................................... 17

Spot welding equipment ...................................................... BC

Starter motors ...................................................................... 17

Thermoplastic polyurethanes ............................................... BIC

Torque screwdrivers ............................................................. 59

Tractor components ............................................................. 56

Tractor parts ......................................................................... 53

Truck weighbridges ............................................................... 53

Tyre changers ....................................................................... BC

Tyre infl ation equipment ...................................................... BC

Tyre infl ators ......................................................................... 59

Vehicle washers .................................................................... 54

Wheel aligners ...................................................................... BC

Wheel balancers ................................................................... BC

Wiper blades ......................................................................... 17

Product ................................................................................Pg No. Product ................................................................................Pg No.

FIC : Front Inside Cover BIC : Back Inside Cover BC: Back cover

DATA


JU

LY 2

011

1360

003

2295

288

1291

07

6176

70

2503

69

1741

12

7294

3 22

758

1767

1 11

2092

1 69

3795

39

8270

4 64

915

1080

2256

JU

LY 2

010

1237

230

2157

151

1301

69

4651

37

2399

04

1509

25

8426

6 19

539

1686

1 10

0375

1 58

1882

37

1844

8 52

290

9857

553

%

Cha

nge

July

11

over

10

%

6%

(-)1

%

33%

4%

15

%

(-)1

3%

16%

5%

12

%

19%

7%

24

%

10%

July

10

(Pro

dn.)

A

vg. M

thly

. Prd

n.

1360

935

2258

337

1217

16

5763

19

2533

37

1689

25

8592

6 24

186

1680

3 11

2228

1 68

9173

38

7543

1 54

022

1060

7391

(4

Mon

ths)

in F

.Y.

2010

-11

Apr

.-Jul

y

A

vg. M

thly

. Prd

n.

1249

955

2039

815

1269

66

4670

54

2358

57

1543

02

8077

6 20

827

1490

6 91

6985

53

5171

34

5404

8 46

450

9343

112

(4 M

onth

s) in

F.Y

.

2010

-11

Apr

.-Jul

y

%

Cha

nge

Apr

.-Jul

y (1

1-12

) 9%

11

%

(-)4

%

23%

7%

9%

6%

16

%

13%

22

%

29%

12

%

16%

14

%O

ver A

pr.-J

uly

(10-

11)

Cat

egor

y Tr

uck/

Bus

P

asse

nger

Je

ep

L.C

.V.

Tr

acto

r

Adv

O

tr

Sco

oter

S

coot

er

Mot

or C

ycle

In

dust

rial

To

tal

C

ar

Fron

t R

ear

Trai

ler

(2 W

heel

er/M

oped

) (3

Whe

eler

)

CA

TE

GO

RY

WIS

E T

YR

E P

RO

DU

CT

ION

JU

LY

20

11

AN

D C

OM

PA

RIS

ON

S

DATA


JU

LY 2

011

1762

65

1513

90

7792

13

7730

11

45

2183

30

7 12

313

2085

3 69

149

7925

2 10

794

7588

67

6761

JU

LY 2

010

1352

80

8980

8 10

738

1067

52

954

3168

0

1422

6 10

0 49

754

7247

0 79

32

4870

49

6052

%

Cha

nge

July

11

over

30

%

69%

(-

)27%

29

%

20%

(-

)31%

10

0%

(-)1

3%

2075

3%

39%

9%

36

%

56%

36

%Ju

ly 1

0 (E

xpor

ts)

A

vg. M

thly

. Exp

ort

1767

08

1263

26

5408

13

1942

13

11

2061

77

19

519

9724

56

792

7645

9 10

127

8135

62

4589

(4

Mon

ths)

in F

.Y.

2010

-11

Apr

.-Ju

ly

A

vg. M

thly

. Prd

n.

1424

82

7765

4 85

22

1105

06

508

2550

21

2 12

122

1091

42

257

6216

6 71

45

6136

47

3351

(4 M

onth

s) in

F.Y

.

2010

-11

Apr

.-Jul

y

%

Cha

nge

Apr

.-Jul

y (1

1-12

) 24

%

63%

(-

)37%

19

%

158%

(-

) 19%

(-

) 64%

61

%

791%

34

%

23%

42

%

33%

32

%O

ver A

pr.-J

uly

(10-

11)

CA

TE

GO

RY

WIS

E T

YR

E E

XP

OR

TS

JU

LY

20

11

AN

D C

OM

PA

RIS

ON

S

Cat

egor

y Tr

uck/

Bus

P

asse

nger

Je

ep

LCV

Trac

tor

O

tr

Sco

oter

S

coot

er

Mot

or C

ycle

Im

plem

ent

Indu

stri

al

Tota

l

Car

Fr

ont

Rea

r Tr

aile

r

(2 W

heel

er

(3 W

heel

er)

/Mop

ed)


Why Aftermarket?

India has been scripting success stories in the auto industry for some time now. Vehicle production has doubled in the last six years and still growing strong. And this momentum is expected to continue for the next few years as the density of passenger

cars in India is just 12 per 1,000 population, which is abysmally low even when compared with our Asean peers. Healthy economy, increasing disposable incomes, expanding urban centres, creation of new townships and growth in infrastructure will only catalyse the growth of automobiles further.

The used car market, which is still in its nascent stage, is predominantly in the unorganised sector. However, the business is set to boom due to infl ow of vehicles on account of shrinking life cycle of passenger cars—from about 15 years a decade ago to about fi ve years now, at least in the cities and towns. Today, the cream for dealers lies in the after sales service, which is why multi-brand third party service stations are mushrooming. Most of the players in this space offer quick repair service, which is a money-spinner. And this is the stimulant for more players to get in to the organised multi-brand service centres and used car retail outlets.

It is a well known practice in the country that the owners of older vehicles migrate to independent service networks for various reasons including proximity, convenience, affordability and faster service. Besides, the trust that the neighbourhood garages offer outweighs the authorised service centres due to personal attention etc. Moreover, with the vehicle manufacturers focusing more on the warranty period, catering to service requirements of older cars are being taken up or shared by independent players. However, with the vehicles getting feature rich, the probabilities of the conventional garages offering repair services is getting reduced. To address the issue, some of the branded third-party multi-brand car service companies have conceptualised methods to help these garages move up in the value chain both in terms of technical capability and profi tability.

These factors made the Indian automotive aftermarket grow at a steady pace. With the vehicle parc increasing, it is expected to expand rapidly over the next fi ve years. The total size of the Indian aftermarket is currently estimated at `33,000 crore, while the global market is worth `2,700,000 crore. These mind-boggling fi gures only reemphasise further the potential for growth.

Automotive aftermarket offers tremendous opportunities for the players across the value chain and we at Infomedia 18 believe that these esteemed people should be informed of the developments periodically. And this is the impetus for launching a new magazine—Aftermarket.

The monthly magazine will keep you posted of the developments in this segment in terms of news, views, trends, technology, analysis and features on best dealerships and review of service centres.

Aftermarket will initially have eight sections—News, Rearview, Cover Story, Interview, Cutting Edge, Focus, Viewpoint and Extra Mile. Besides, it will have snippets on new products that come in to the aftermarket space. The News section will update you on the recent happenings while Rearview will look back some of the best service centres and their best practices. Each issue will have a cover story, which will be topical in nature. You will have the opportunity to listen to celebrity CEOs of companies operating in the aftermarket, in every issue under the Interview section. Cutting Edge will have stories on technology, Focus on some issues concerning the segment and Viewpoint, as it denotes, will have the viewpoint of industry representatives. The last section, Extra Mile, is all about the art of selling automobiles—you will have stories on the best dealerships and can be a stimulant for you to emulate best practices.

- T Murrali

POST SCRIPT

From boats to planes to passenger

cars, Estane TPUs will offer you

solutions to keep your business moving.

In the transportation industry, Estane®

Thermoplastic Polyurethanes are widely used

for their excellent properties such as flexibility

over a wide temperature range, optical clarity,

flame retardancy, adhesion to various substrates,

superior abrasion resistance and extreme durability.

Applications

ABS Sensor Cable/Grommet

Shift Lever Skin

Fuel Bowl

Paint Protection Film

Dust Cover/Driveshaft Boot

Co-extruded Interior Parts

Sealing Material

Rail Pad

Estane® TPUs provide:

Abrasion Resistance

Elongation

Superior Tear Strength

Excellent Tensile Strength

Ease of Processing

© The Lubrizol Corporation 2011, all rights reserved.® Estane is a registered trademark of The Lubrizol Corporation.

Purchase it locally from our newly opened warehouse in

Mumbai!

Dust C

Co-e

Estan

For more information email us at

[email protected] or visit our web site.

www.lubrizol.com/engineeredpolymers

Documents

Aftermarket October 2011