Milestones July Sept(Aug) 12 Final

8/12/2019 Milestones July Sept(Aug) 12 Final

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I N T R O D U C I N GLeyparts Shoppe - The onestop spare parts shop

New state-of-the-artfacility at Ennore, Chennai

A network that makes sure weare never too far

Dhoni bats f

Ashok Leylan

A MaXposure Media Group Pu

Customer Journal August 2012


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Message from The Managing Director

Ashok LeylandAlok SaraogiSamarth Airon

MaXposure Media Group India Pvt. Ltd.Head Office: Unit No. F2B, Second Floor,MIRA Corporate Suites, Plot No. 1&2, Ishwar Nagar,Mathura Road, New Delhi - 110065Tel: +91.11.43011111, Fax: +91.11.43011233

Publisher & COOVikas Johari

CEO & Managing DirectorPrakash Johari

CFOKuldip Singh

[email protected]

Milestones is the quarterly magazine of Ashok Leyland(AL). Milestones magazine is printed and published byVikas Johari on behalf of MaXposure Media Group India

Pvt. Ltd. (MMGIPL) for Ashok Leyland and published atMMGIPL, Unit No. F2B, Second Floor, MIRA CorporateSuites, Plot No. 1&2, Ishwar Nagar, Mathura Road, NewDelhi - 110065, India. All rights reserved. The writing,artwork and/or photography contained herein may not beused or reproduced without the express written permission

of MMGIPL and AL. The views expressed in the magazineare not necessarily those of MMGIPL or AL. All effortshave been made while compiling the content of thismagazine, but we assume no responsibility for the effectsarising there from.

FOR INQUIRIES | MMGIPLTel: +91.11.43011111, Fax: +91.11.43011233www.maxposure.in

No.1, Sardar Patel Road, Guindy, Chennai - 600 032.Tel: +91-44-2220 6000 F: +91-44-2220 6001www.ashokleyland.com; www.utruck.in

Dear Friends,

It is indeed a pleasure to communicate with you once again through our latest issue

of Milestones.

2011-12 was a very busy year for us and I am happy to state that we ended the

financial year on a high note we have set a new benchmark in highest overall sales

volume ever. It was another splendid year for our International Operations with new

peaks both in volumes and new markets entered. The several orders from Sri Lanka,

Bangladesh and Ghana in Q1 of this financial year augur well for the year ahead. We

have been able to effectively carry that momentum into the first quarter of 2012-13

and we couldnt have done any of it without your unflinching support thank you to

each and every one of you.

In a move without precedent, we signed on Mahendra Singh Dhoni as our Brand

Ambassador to represent our company and to lead the charge as we foray into new

segments and markets. Of course he is the captain of the Indian cricket team butmore importantly he epitomises values that truly reflect our own beliefs and his

coming on board will lend traction to many of our marketing initiatives.

You will be happy to note that we have done some excellent work in building our

network which now stands at 400+ service centres across the country. We now have

one service centre every 75 kms on every major highway so we are never more than

4 hours from you at any given point. We are really going the extra mile to deliver on

our TatkaAL promise!

With increased presence in airports in the form of our Tarmac coaches, easy

availability of our Leyparts at strategically located Leyparts Shoppes and new

financial tie-ups to facilitate smooth financing of vehicles, we are gearing up to

service you even better.

It is also my pleasure to welcome My Auto World, Antony Commercial Vehicles, Anil

Motors, Bachhav Motors, Jagdish Motors, Kunal Automotives, Pagariya Auto, Visha

Auto and Vinayaka Motors into our family as a new channel partner.

It is going to be a challenging yet exciting future and together we will face it boldly

and successfully.

Vinod K. DasariManaging Director


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Bachhav Motors, Jalgaon, Maharashtra a 3S facility on AH46 (left); Inauguration of Anthony Motors (right)

up. Over the past two years we have added

over 100 touch-points to our network - an

average of one new outlet every week quiteunprecedented by industry standards. In fact

50% of our network is less than 5 years old,

a testimony to our growing strength as we

keep adding to the spread of our network.

Our aim is simple ensure that our

customers and their goods have a safe &unhindered journey, no matter where they

are in India and that they receive required

assistance within the least possible distance

and in the quickest possible time. This is

possible only when we have a strong and

robust network across the country.

Vinod K. Dasari, Managing Director, Ashok

Leyland underscores the importance of

customer satisfaction when he says, A

sale is the beginning of a relationship and

not a means in itself. Every sale is a markof customers putting their faith in Ashok

Leyland and it is imperative that we live

up to that trust. One important aspect of

which is to have a strong and robust service

and spares network. If our customers ever

The landscape of our countryis marked by long winding roads as they

merge from modern highways and flyoversto narrow, unpaved suburban roads. Our

vehicles traverse this vast expanse through

tough conditions, bad weather, long hours

and traffic jams, all so they can reach

goods to their destinations on-time, every-

time. Our understanding of this vast

network has driven us to make sure thisjourney stays uninterrupted.

The abiding principle of our Network

Planning team is To be there when and

where our customer needs us. It is this

vision that keeps us all motivated as we goabout our task of dotting the map of India

with increased customer touch points

after all keeping vehicles on-road is vital to

the profitability of our customers.

418 and still counting:Indias road networkis over 43.2 lakh kms, the third largest in the

world, of which national and state highways

together measure close to 2 lakh kms.

To cover this vast expanse, our sales and

services network has seen a drastic ramp-

4 | August 2012

Endeavours


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face a problem, it is our responsibility to

resolve it in the shortest possible time.

Thats why we have a service centre every75 kms on every major highway in thecountry and are never further than 4 hours

at any given time, he elaborates.

With our understanding of customer

requirements, we have ensured that

customers across the country have service

support whenever and wherever they need

it. We are spreading our reach across India,

adding more touch points in northern and

western parts of the country. Similarly, we

are also focused on developing network

strength along the Golden Quadrilateraland NS and EW (North-South-East-West)

corridor frequented by our customers. This

is another example of our commitment

towards reaching out to customers and

supporting them whenever required.

We are engaged not just with ensuring a

widespread reach but also with the quality

of service. At Ashok Leyland we conduct

Customer Satisfaction Index studies (CSI)

across the country to collect feedback

from end customers on their satisfactionlevel with our channel partners, based on

which there are on-going improvementmeasures. Additionally, we also measure the

performance of every outlet with an overall

objective of continuous improvement and

better customer experience.

Channel Improveventure is an initiativeto facilitate increased cross-business

participation where our channel partners

are given opportunities and encouraged to

take part in Cross Functional Team (CFT)

projects. These projects allow different

departments to learn more about each

other and these have immense scope forcross-lateral learning and team-building.

The best teams, based on results of the

CFT, are suitably rewarded to acknowledge

their efforts and increase motivation levels.

The thought behind introducing these

initiatives is to constantly improve our

services with hands-on participation from

our dealers, customers and other partners

to deliver a World Class Experience to all

our customers. n

We haveestablishedcontact pointsat every 75kms on everymajor highwayacross India

WELCOME

Aditya Agency, Nanded

AKC Alliance, Bareilly Anil Motors, Jabalpur

Antony Motors, Bhiwandi

Antony Motors, Taloja

Automotive Private Limited,Guntur

Bachhav Motors, Jalgaon

Bachhav Motors, Nasik

Goel Cargo Pvt. Ltd., Rewa

Himgiri Automobiles,Moradabad

Jagdish Auto, Koderma

Kunal Automotives,Chhindwara

Mohan Tractors, Rewari

My Auto World, Pune

Pagariya Auto, Aurangabad

Sagar Motors, Omerga

T.R. Enterprises, Amb

TVS- Madurai

TVS- Salem

Vinayaka Motors, Dehradun

Visha Auto, Akola

Visit our dealer locator onwww.ashokleyland.com to getcomplete details of our network.

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All systems goWith presence in over 23 airports across the country and with the 100th coach wellwithin sight, our tarmac coach business is literally taking wings.textAkshat Upadhyay

Innovate

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I f you have boarded a flightfrom any of the top 10 airports in

India over the past two years, theres astrong possibility you travelled from theboarding gate to the aircraft in an Ashok

Leyland bus. Especially designed for

airport operations, the business of tarmac

coaches is highly competitive with many

players offering sophisticated designs and

specialised capabilities.

Tarmac coaches are a key focus area in the

highly competitive aviation business, directly

linked as they are with passenger comfort.

Till about 5 years ago (as early as 2008)

airport buses were nothing but standardbuses modified for airport operations by

rearranging seats to create more room

for standing and for luggage. Neither

comfortable nor good-looking, these buses

were no different than travelling by ordinary

buses. With increased overseas travel,

Indians are getting exposed to international

standards and there was a strong need

for airlines in India to improve quality of

infrastructure and offer comfort through the

entire journeyfrom the boarding gate to the

point of departure.

Domestic airlines began looking forpartners who could provide safe,

comfortable and affordable coaches

built to international standards and we

were quick to spot the opportunity. Our

first break came with the Bird Group ofCompanies that operated and managed

the Globe Ground India brand of airport

services at the Bangalore airport. They

were looking for quality buses for their

international passengers and despite havingan operational fleet of imported buses, they

were open to the idea of introducing India-

made buses to their fleet. But they were

very particular about what they wanted and

were looking for partners who would not

compromise on safety and quality.

We provided them with six Avion coaches

front engine, front wheel driven, ultra-low

floor buses with auto transmission designed

exclusively for tarmac operations. With more

room for standing, passengers could step-into the saloon instead of having to climb two

or more steps, and could simply wheel their

luggage comfortably in to the coach.

Buoyed by the success of this maiden order

and sensing a bigger opportunity, Jayakumar

Subramaniam (Assistant General Manager,

Bus Division) and his team approached

other airlines and ground handling

companies to further explore the market.They tasted success with Indigo Airlines,

who were looking for a fleet of tarmac buse

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With 94 buses on duty in 23

airports across the country, we aremarket leaders in this segment bya wide margin

that were good-looking, well-designed,

reasonably priced, easy-to-maintain and

passenger-friendly. Our rear engine semi-

low floor (RESLF) platform that had just

been introduced in Jaipur was the ideal

choice as it could be easily adapted for

tarmac operations.

The first move

The team from Indigo Airlines worked

alongside our marketing team, providing key

inputs on interiors, amenities and fixtures.

Internal and external fitments, including the

floor, seat and stanchions were customised

to reflect the airlines colour scheme. There

was however, a tight delivery schedule,

a customer with high standards and the

additional pressure of a new business.

The strategic sourcing team for Fully-Built

(FBU) vehicles, led by P Parthasarathy,got into the act and the first two buses

were assigned to a reputed external body-

builder. Things went a bit off-track when

we discovered that the first prototype

vehicles, though competent, did not meet

our exacting standards. While we were

determined to deliver buses that met

our own standards, the challenge was

that existing body-builders did not seem

equipped to build on a new platform and

produce a top-class vehicle.

As we were looking for an alternate body-building solution, attention shifted to our

own Alwar manufacturing plant. Designers

at the plant were doing a very good job of

building FBU buses for state transport.

The plant was confident they could do a

far superior job of developing and building

bodies for our new tarmac coaches and

Indigo Airlines agreed to commission the

work with the team. A K Chopra, Plant

Head Alwar, and his team ensured that

they exceeded every expectation and withinthree weeks we had two prototypes that

passed with flying colours. Indigo Airlineswent on to place an order for 18 tarmac

coaches over the next one year the tarmac

RESLF had arrived.

Spiced up

At about the same time, Spicejet was also

looking for buses for a quicker roll-out with a

proven platform. After a pitch by the Ashok

Leyland team, Spicejet decided to go with

buses built on the FESLF (Front EngineSemi-Low floor) platform. The FESLF

platform had proven itself in many cities, was

easier to build-on and could be ready much

faster. Interiors and exteriors were done in

the airlines signature colour palette. We were

of course happy to fulfil the airlines request

for display boards, seats etc. The first four

vehicles were built by a body-builder as percustomer requirements. Our sales team inDelhi was also playing an active role liaising

with senior executives from the airline based

out of Delhi. As Arindam Das from our

regional office in Delhi said: It is probably

the first time that so much customisation has

gone in to our vehicles and thats what really

delighted the customers. They said no one

else was as responsive as Ashok Leyland.

Spreading wings

All dedicated tarmac coaches in India till

this point were of European make and very

expensive with additional complicationsof spares and maintenance and Indian

manufacturers were simply providing

regular buses with modified seating. But

getting in and out of a regular three-step

entry (technically called an E+3 ) is slow

and uncomfortable, especially with baggage

and children.

Ashok Leyland buses, on the other

hand, with the comfort of rear-engine

configurations, air suspension, wider doors,

one-step entry and air conditioning, were

top-of-the-line, best-in-class buses withthe assurance of service and spares on-call

from a company that was running millions

of buses all over the country. In a high-

pressure environment like an airport there

Innovate

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Ashok Leyland tarmac coach ready for service

theyre scratch-proof and satisfy the needs

of demanding customers and ensure that the

passenger are happy and comfortable.

Moving ahead

With the aviation industry maturing, thenumber of airports slated for modernisation

and expansion is also increasing. Not just

foreign, even domestic airlines and ground

handlers from India will demand the

highest standards in products and services.With 94 buses on duty across 23 domestic

airports, we are market leaders in this

segment by a wide margin and committed

to introduce new technologies, features

and design innovations to achieve better

availability and servicing standards. n

CUSTOMER-SPEAK

Indigo and Spicejet have expanded their fleet

of Ashok Leyland buses. C.R.Lakshman who

has been with the bus vertical for over 4 years

said, We ensure our customers do not face

any difficulties. From customising the vehicle,

facilitating customer inspections, ensuringlogistics, arranging for vehicle registration

and all other formalities right upto delivering

the coach at the airport we take full

responsibility and ensure complete and

comprehensive service. With standardisedprocesses for loading the bus, securing and

wrapping the bus and reversing the process at

destination, the Ashok Leyland team ensures

that coaches get delivered at destination

in mint condition. In fact, all newly-built

coaches are transported on flat-bed trucks so

is no room for error, delay or malfunctions.With the additional advantage of providing

driver and maintenance training, we

provided a complete and a comprehensive

offering which evoked keen interest from

various potential customers. The team nowaggressively reached-out to all major airlines

and ground handlers and received a very

positive response.

There has been no looking back since then.

Today Aarya Transport runs a fleet of our

buses with tarmac configuration for shuttlingpassengers between airport terminals and

key pick-up points. Bhadra Aviation runs

our ULF (Ultra - Low Floor) coaches for

international airlines at key airports. Both

We are very happy withthe product, openness forincorporating new ideas andtimely delivery commitment from

Ashok Leyland team.

Our decision to partner with

Ashok Leyland was guidedby their engineering know-how, understanding of aviationbusiness requirements, state-of-art manufacturing facilities andcapability to provide end-to-endsolutions quickly.

With Ashok Leyland we wereassured of quality product,

brand name, quick response andcordial marketing strategies.Their after-sales service is veryefficient and prompt.

Indo Thai airport managementservices Pvt. Ltd.

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WinningPartnershipsIn a first-ever celebrity endorsement for us in over 60years, weve roped in Mahendra Singh Dhoni as ourbrand ambassador.textSwetha Kannan

Lead Story

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Three peoplea fleet owner,driver and a mechanicare seated at a

Dhabaon a dusty highway, arguing over

who gets the full glass of lassibecause eachbelieves that he plays a more important role

in the transport business.

In walks a smart, handsome Mahendra

Singh Dhoni, our new brand ambassador, inhis company uniform and deftly distributes

the lassi equally amongst everyone

acknowledging how the transport business

is incomplete without all participants fleet

owners, drivers, mechanics and of course

the Original Equipment Manufacturer.

Our new film reflects our firm belief

in creating winning partnerships and

meaningful and lasting relationships.

We have always believed that we can

be successful only if our customers are

successful and our prime objective isto help them be profitable through our

products and services. Incidentally, this is

the first time in our 60-year journey

that Ashok Leyland has roped in a

celebrity endorser.

The Launch

The high-decibel campaign began during

the IPL 2012 and we have aired over

15,000 ad spots across 70 channels in five

languagesHindi, Marathi, Kannada, Tamil

and Telugu. A high-impact campaign, it

features a clean shaven Captain Cool

with hair slicked down, sporting an Ashok

Leyland shirtsaluting the team that runs

the show behind the scenes.

The television campaign was supported

by a large scale rollout across the Ashok

Leyland network to communicate our focuson creating winning partnerships for our

clients and customers.

The high visibility campaign was rolled out

across our corporate office, manufacturing

plants, regional and area offices, ALASCs

(Ashok Leyland Authorised Service

Centres) and dealer outlets. This was

supported by robust and quick turnaround

on ground events and activations across

200 locations throughout the country.

A changing mindset

Long considered to be a reticent player,

we have now turned the mute button off

and our new campaign is an expression of

our desire to be more public-facing and to

actively engage with our stake-holders. The

campaign celebrates the unsung heroes

of the transportation world many of who

spend months on the road, miles away

from home.

Dhoni fits in well with our ambition of

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being a serious national player, given his

pan-India appeal and personality. And

thanks to Chennai Super Kings, he is a

well-known face down South too, saysVinod K. Dasari, our young and dynamicManaging Director.

Mr. Vinod K. Dasari, who took over the

reins a year ago, is keen to give marketing

and branding a big thrust. While our

marketing activities were limited to

marketing collaterals earlier, we will now

aggressively engage with our community

through on ground activities and meet-and-

greet programmes with Dhoni.

We have been shy for too long. It is timefor us to break the shackles of silence

and be more market-facing as we look to

scale new markets and segments, says

Alok Saraogi, Head-Brand and Marketing

Communications, Ashok Leyland.

The way we have used Dhoni in the

campaign as a representative of the

corporate world will cut through clutter

and get into the mind space of our

audience. Dhoni stands for someone who

leads from the front he is the son of thesoil with an element of groundedness and

all this ties in well with our company,he continues.

In line with the our MDs focus on

Quality, People and Brand, we have

made significant investments in our brand;

the results of which are being seen in

the short-term and will yield even higher

returns in the long run.

From being inward-looking, the needle hasshifted to an outward-looking perspective.

The latest ad is not a campaign to showcase

our trucks or buses, but it builds on thegood work we have done in the community.

For instance, for driver welfare in the form

of driver training schools which not only

teach safe driving but also life skills, says

Saraogi. If we keep our fraternity happy, it

reflects on our profitability too.

A few words from the experts

Viswanath of Vertebrand says thecommunication strategy of co-creating

success is refreshingly different from many

We see the campaignas a celebration of thehard-working heroesof transportation andDhoni promises to bein the trenches with us

Lead Story

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DID YOU KNOW?

He holds the record for thehighest score by a wicket-keeperbatsman (183, not out) againstSri Lanka in Jaipur surpassingthe record by Adam Gilchrist.

He is not just an Arjuna Awardeebut also a recipient of the Rajiv

Gandhi Khel Ratna award.

The bat used by Dhoni in thefinal match of World Cup 2012that got the winning six was soldat an auction in London for 72lacs. The amount was used tohelp under privileged children.

The Territorial Army conferredthe honorary rank of LieutenantColonel to Dhoni on 1November 2011. He is the

second Indian cricketer afterKapil Dev to receive this honour.

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The Ashok Leyland building was a part of the massive advertising exercise for the campaign; A cut-out of MS Dhoni at a dealership

THE INAUGURATION

The advertisement campaignwith Dhoni was launched inChennai. The TVC and newtheme song were played fordealers from across India. Thenew brand tagline expressesthe brands customer-centricphilosophyAapki Jeet, Hamari

Jeet. With this powerfulstatement, we seek to senda message to our existingand potential customers thattheir success is what drivesus. The TVC is being airedon general entertainmentchannels (Sony, SAB), newschannels (ZEE News, CNNIBN), movie channels (Star

Gold, UTV Movies) and musicchannels (9XM, B4U Music).In addition to Hindi, the TVCis also available in Marathi,Kannada, Tamil and Telugulanguages. The new Leylandanthem and the TVC are alsobeing played extensively atall their events and activitiesacross the country.

Segment-Wise Market Share Growth Awards For 11-12

MDV Passenger Automotive Manufacturers Pvt Ltd, Nagpur Amco Automobiles Pvt. Ltd, J & K

4 X 2 Haulage Rajesh Motors (Mah.) Pvt. Ltd, MaharashtraGautam Automobiles Pvt Ltd, Haryana

Tippers Rajesh Motors (Agencies) Pvt. Ltd., RajasthanTVS& Sons Ltd., Madhya Pradesh

MAV Sagar Motors, Latur TVS & Sons Ltd., Karnataka

Tractors TVS & Sons Ltd., Chennai

ICV Goods Automotive Manufacturers Pvt. Ltd, Nagpur Automotive Manufacturers Pvt. Ltd, Andhra Pradesh

ICV Passenger Amco Automobiles Pvt. Ltd., J & KGrover Motors Pvt. Ltd., Punjab

Spare Parts- Awards Rajesh Motor (Agencies) Pvt Ltd, RajasthanT V Sundaram Iyengar & Sons Ltd, TamilnaduAutomotive Manufacturers Pvt Ltd, Andhra PradeshAutomotive Manufacturers Pvt Ltd, Maharashtra

Balanced Score Card Awards

Debutants - Direct en try to BSC club TVS & Sons Limited, Karur

Debutants - Direct entry to BSC club Goel Cargo, Satna

Highest improvement in BSC TVS & Sons Limited, Krishnagiri

BSC - North region Best Grover Motors Pvt Ltd, Ludhiana

BSC - East region Best GNB Motors Ltd, Kharagpur

BSC - West region Best Nanavati Automobiles Pvt. Ltd, Kamrej

BSC - Central region Best Gulf Ashley Motor Ltd., Bilaspur

BSC - South region best & All India highest Automotive Manufacturers Pvt. Ltd, Kodad

BSC - South region best & All India highest TVS & Sons Limited, Villupuram

other commercial vehicle campaigns which

focus on product benefits.

Rohit Srivatsava, National Head of

Planning, Contract Advertising, which has

conceived the ad, says the primary target

audience are the hard-working people fromthe world of transportation. The ad is acelebration of their victory, and our brand

ambassador Dhoni promises to be in the

trenches with the real heroes.

For 60 years we have silently acted like the

backbone of the transport sector and now

Aapki Jeet. Hamari Jeet.is a clarion call

for a more customer focused organisation

system, one that calls for a shift in mindset

to get ready for a more competitive

landscape. n

Courtesy The Hindu Business Line, BrandLine

Lead Story

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Crafting the

Driver of the FutureFor us, caring for the driver doesnt end at engineeringmachines with better equipped cabsit begins there.textBilal Zaidi

It is said that if trucks stop makingdeliveries to Delhi, it would run out of food

and raw materials in three days. Whether

it is exaggerated or not, it shows just how

much modern life depends on the trucking

industry. People might not think about

it, but almost everything they will use on

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We are developing a cab thatis based on the feedback andrecommendations of morethan 300 drivers

any given day was at one point or another

on a truck. Even then we cant help and

wonder if the man who spends his life onthe road often for weeks on end, trappedinside a truck with nothing but a cleaner for

company, who lives away from his family,

missing birthdays just so delivery schedules

are met has got his due.

Thats why we have made a very

conscious attempt to focus as much on

the driver as on new vehicle concepts,

emission norms, customer profitability

and containerisation. That was the

thinking when we set up Indias first

Driver Training Institute at Namakkal.Our mandate was clear to break the

distorted and inaccurate perception about

the commercial vehicle driver and churn

out a driver on whose shoulders the

progress of the industry and the nation

could safely rest on. Our second Driver

Training Institute is running full steam

at Burari, three more are set to go live

across India in the next couple of months

and yet another is scheduled to go live in

2013. These institutes have already trained

5,00,000 drivers on courses built with allconceivable configurations and facilities.

But the curriculum doesnt just end attraining; drivers are also trained in safe

driving techniques, physical fitness, yoga,

managing finances, clean living habits and

a lot more to make sure the drivers of the

future becomes a vital pillar of his society.

The driver of the future

The question was how do we produce a

driver of distinction, get him a license and

position him at a higher level than thosethat are available in the market so, we can

charge the customer a premium? You might

get a Tom, Dick and Harry for Rs 5,000,but an Ashok Leyland certified driver

will cost you Rs 10,000. And customers

are willing to pay, because they know he

is driving a vehicle that costs Rs 20 lakh,

hauling expensive goods but even more

importantly, the entire business depends

on him, Mr Vinod K. Dasari, MD, Ashok

Leyland said in a recent interview to

Autocar Professional magazine. Accordingto him, fuel efficiency, uptime and

adherence to delivery schedules all depend

on how well the driver drives and this is

where there is a vacuum in the industry for

such skilled drivers.

I have sounded out some customers and

all said theyd be very happy if we could

give them our trucks with drivers. I dont

want to set it up as a profit centre but

what if we created a pool of 1,000 certified

drivers? You as a customer will have the

right to hire from this pool, but I will also

Inspire

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keep 800 of these drivers with me. You

want your vehicle to go from Chennai to

Delhi and back? You give me a contract

and pay a fixed price per kilometre. On the

way, how many drivers I use is my business;I will guarantee that your vehicle gets from

here to there, Mr Dasari wonders. You

think of Chennai to Delhi as one leg, but

I could see it as eight legs. I will have your

trucks going from Chennai to Delhi and

another set of trucks returning to Delhi to

Chennai. And I will have one driver do theleg from Chennai to Hyderabad, where he

hands over to another driver and comes

back so that he can be at home in four

days with his family.

Beyond training

Going beyond just training, we successfully

run the All The Best scheme along with

our dealers in Tamil Nadu and Kerala

to identify deserving children of drivers

and award them scholarships to continue

their studies, which might have otherwisebeen aborted. We recognise that access to

healthcare is an area of concern, which is

why drivers can avail free-medical check-

ups and medicines at Arogya our health

centre in Hosur. Driver Muquablas

are regularly conducted to boost driver

morale, give them a chance to perform and

be rewarded.

Our long term perspective is to strive tomake commercial vehicle drivers acceptable

to society, give their job the mark of

respectability so that more people are

attracted to join. Today, unfortunately, not

only are there very few new recruits but

existing drivers are proving to be deterrents

to those even considering taking up this

profession. It is our endeavour to evolve a

system whereby new recruits are inducted,

paid better, given uniforms, follow betterwork schedules, are not away from their

homes for too long and thereby create a

new generation of truck drivers, Mr Dasarsums up.

What does it mean for the customer?

Complete peace of mind. Sure, it would

cost you a little more, but youd soon

discover that the efficiency, safety and on-

time delivery will more than make up for it.

More importantly, this is a viable solution

to battle the acute driver crunch that ourindustry is facing today. At Ashok Leyland,

we call it the perfect win-win. n

Drivers being instructed in safe driving at the Namakkal Institute; Sr Trainer S Sundara Rajan explaining theoperations of an inter-axle differential lock

DID YOU KNOW?

Other than Namakkal - Indiasfirst Driver Training Institute,

we also operate an institute atBurari and will be launchingthree more this year.

We have already trained5,00,000 drivers on tracksbuilt with all conceivableconfigurations and facilities.

Drivers are also trainedin physical fitness, yoga,managing finances, clean livinghabits and a lot more.

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20/36

Ennore gets a state-of-

the-art assembly lineTo meet the growing demands from the commercialvehicle segment, we have added a highly advancedassembly line at our Ennore manufacturing facility.

text Sunny Sharma

The Hub

18 | August 2012


21/36

On a sunny Chennai day,a crowd of people comprising a mixof suits and uniforms gathered in the

manufacturing facility at Ennore to witness

history being re-written. Fifty-seven years

after the first chassis rolled out from the

plant at Ennore, our Chairman Dheeraj

G. Hinduja, Executive Vice-Chairman

R. Seshasayee and Managing DirectorVinod K. Dasari, inaugurated a new state-

of-the-art assembly line at our Ennore

unit, to meet the growing demand of the

commercial vehicle industry.

This line is a culmination of two years ofplanning and is a unique step where the

organisation, factory associates and the

union collaborated to ensure the new line

went live nine months ahead of schedule.

Every process and facility was designed

and implemented with the involvementof associates and management and

suggestions were implemented on a real

time basis. Even the faade of the new line

was selected by the factory force from a few

short-listed designs.

Every process that takes place in thenew assembly line has been designed to

improve productivity and ensure uniformquality build of every chassis

Quality, efficiency of movement andconvenience of the workforce were

paramount in the design and layout of the

conveyor line.

All processes have been designed to

improve productivity and to ensure a

uniform quality of build of every chassis.An underground pit facilitates underbody

inspection of each chassis before it is off-

tracked for a road test. Manipulators for

material handling ensure that components

remain scratch-free during handling. Severalquality gates ensure all quality requirements

are met at the point of fitment itself. This

will ensure that customers receive scratch-

free and superior quality vehicles. Material

handling and line-side material supply

were re-designed to match world-class

manufacturing levels where the line-side

holds a lean inventory of components (to be

fitted). A single vehicle kit of componentsis supplied at each stage which helps reduce

line-side clutter as well as serves as a poke-

yoke for incorrect fitment.

All these processes will improveproductivity and quality of products built

on this chassis line and also ensure that

every vehicle is driven directly to road

test. This smart assembly line is a true

bench mark in the manufacturing of heavy

commercial vehicles. This new world-

class manufacturing facility will roll outall variants of products from goods to

passenger, from cowl to fully built cabs, low

floor passenger vehicles and vehicles with

air-suspension.n

Dheeraj G. Hinduja, Chairman Ashok Leyland drives the first vehicle off the new assembly line

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23/36

The Super DriverChallenge aimsto find the bestdriver from everystate in India

The prize distribution ceremony at the different venues of Super Driver Challenge in Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan

excitement and generate goodwill, they also

helped make a meaningful difference in the

lives of our driver friends. The title of SuperDriver recognises their core skill and is a

source of great pride for them. The prize

money and the motorcycles also help create

a better future for them and their families.

These events once again underlined

the superiority of our vehicles and

demonstrated the unmatched value of

our 3116il.

The response to the Super DriverChallenge has been so encouraging that we

will translate this in to a national program

with challenges being conducted across

various states to allow the best drivers in

the country to be evaluated, ranked and

rewarded appropriately. n

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24/36

Network strength has been akey area of focus for us and we have been

expanding our reach and signing-up new

partners in every region of the country.

Finding the right partner who shares our

vision of providing superior service to

customers at every point is of paramountimportance to us. Since the beginning of

this year we have been growing at a clip

pace and have added 32 channel partners

a growth of over 50% and have added 100

more touch-points.

Meet Mr. Motilal Goel, one of our new

dealers in Madhya Pradesh with outlets in

Satna and Rewa districts. A veteran with

over two decades of experience, he handles

the business with his son Mr. Sunny

Our partners Our strength

It is a matter of great pride to have esteemed memberslike Motilal Goel as part of our ever-growing family

textMohit Sharma

Goel while Mrs. Rajbala Goel is a key

stakeholder in various businesses operated

by the family.

Mr. Goel, left his hometown in Haryana

in 1980 with the dream of starting his

own business. His dream took him toSatna where he started his business

trading coal and minerals under the

banner of Goel Coal Co. and Kalyani

Minerals Pvt. Ltd. In 1986 he ventured

into the transportation business withGoel Roadways and Goel Transport.

Over the past 10 years he has created

a strong foothold in the transport

industry and today is a top transporter

in the Vindhya region with a fleet of

over 200 trucks.

Friends of Leyland

22 | August 2012


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In 2000, Mr. Goel acquired the dealership of

Indian Oil Corporation (IOC). The fuel station

went on to achieve the highest petrol and diesel

sale in Rewa and recently earned him an A

category dealer certificate. His fuel dealership

has also been recently awarded a Gold medal

for the highest sales in the Jabalpur region.

In 2003, Mr. Goel decided to diversify

his business and became a distributor

for Mahindra & Mahindra tractors under

the banner of Supreme Tractors Pvt. Ltd.which has also received various awards for

record-breaking performances. Today, the

Goel group, under the able leadership of

Mr. Motilal Goel, is a renowned business

house in the region with a turnover of over

`100 crores. n

Growth Graph

Name of Concern Year ofEstablishment

Key Business Key Personnel

Goel Coal Co. 1982 Coal Trading Motilal Goel

Goel Roadways 1985 Transportation & Truck Plying Motilal Goel

Lord Dwarkadhish Estate Pvt. Ltd 1992 Real Estate Motilal Goel

Goel Transport Co. 1996 Transportation Motilal Goel

Shubham Dharamkanta 1996 Weighing Bridge Smt. Rajbala Goel

Supreme Cement Pvt. Ltd. 1997 Proposed Cement Plant Motilal Goel

Geeta Roadways Pvt. Ltd. 2003 C & F Agent of B.K. Birla Group S.C. Bansal

Goel Filling Station 2003 Dealer: Indian Oil Corp. Motilal Goel

Supreme Tractors Pvt. Ltd. 2005 Distributors of Mahindra TractorsAnd C & F Agent For Apollo Tyres

Motilal Goel

Absolute Polymers Pvt. Ltd. 2006 Proposed Polybag Plant Motilal Goel

Goel Cargo Pvt. Ltd. 2006 Transportation & Truck Plying Motilal Goel

Goel Movers Pvt. Ltd. 2006 Truck Plying Motilal Goel

Mr. Motilal Goel not only has multiple business interests but he is also a multifaceted personality:

He is presently Vice-President of The Akhil Bharatiya Vaishya Samaj, MP state.

He is National Secretary of The Indian National Lokdal.

He is Vice President of The Madhya Pradesh Federation of Chamber of Commerce & Industries and former

President of The Vindhya Chamber of Commerce and Industries, Satna.

Motilal Goel moved to Satna with adream of starting his own businessin 1980. Three decades later, hisgrowth has been staggering

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Updates from the world of

Ashok Leyland

AL Insider

24 | August 2012


27/36

T he last financial year,2011-12 saw our highestoverall sales volume of 1,01,990

vehicles with internationaloperations recording a riseof 25% in volume at 12,852

vehicles. Our efforts to protect

the bottomline through focus

of non-cyclical or support

businesses yielded rich

dividends with Leyparts, the

spare parts business, growing

aggressively by 20% and

both the Defence and Power

Solutions businesses able to

hold their own. We gained

precious market in the Centralregion for the first time and in

the Tipper and ICV segments.

Vinod K. Dasari, Managing

Director, Ashok Leyland says,

The financial year of 2011-12

saw quite a few triumphs for

us. Our sales and production

numbers reached an all-time

high in terms of volumes and

new markets. The ramp-up of

the Pantnagar plant was robust

and complete. To top it all,we also sharpened focus on

our customers by significantlyincreasing our network.

On the prospects for next

financial year of 2012-13, Mr.

Dasari said, We feel the full

Financial results New achievements

year volumes would grow as

there are signs of robust growth

in some segments. We also

have a number of innovative

products ready to roll out likethe Jan Bus and 10x2. With

a new thrust to our brand

building efforts with our new

brand ambassador, Mahendra

Singh Dhoni, the coming year

should be very interesting, heconcluded.

For Q1 this year we registered a

19.7% increase in our turnoverat `3,007 crores for the

quarter ended June 30, 2012

while sale of our vehicles for

the quarter stood at 27,487

numbers with domestic volume

reflecting a rise of 3.6% overthe previous corresponding

quarter. International operations

continued its good showing up

14.4%. The overall improvemenin the sales numbers were

largely a result of the excellent

performance of Dost and the

gradual improvement in the

Southern markets. n

Falcon E3 buses

to be supplied to

Ghanas Metro Mass

Transit Ltd

12,852

1,01,990

25%

The number of Ashok

Leyland vehicles sold

in the InternationalMarket

Total number of

vehicles sold by Ashok

Leyland in 2011-12

Increase in total international

sales, this financial year

100

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After the inauguration of160 waste managementbuses in Ghana last year, wehave now clinched an order

for 100 Falcon E3 buses to be

supplied to Ghanas Metro

Mass Transit Ltd (MMT).

The Vice President of Ghana

presided over the inauguration

of these buses that took place

Flying into Ghana 100 Falcon buses for Ghana Metro

at the Ghana State House

on 17th May 2012. He alsoflagged-off the first of the

buses. Other dignitaries

present at the occasion were

the Deputy Minister for

Transport, Ghana, the Indian

High Commission to Ghana

and the Managing Director

of MMT. n

B angladesh RoadTransport Corporation(BRTC) has placed an order

for 50 vestibule buses withus under the Line of Credit(LOC) scheme to improve

their urban transportation

system. Worth over US$6

million, this is BRTCs first and

one of the largest orders for

such buses from an overseas

manufacturer.

Commenting on the agreement

signed between MM Iqbal,

Chairman of BRTC and

Antony Lobo, Special Director- International Operations,

Ashok Leyland, in the presence

of Abdullahel Karim, Director

- Technical, BRTC, Vinod

K. Dasari, Ashok Leylands

Managing Director said, We

were the first to introduce

vestibule buses in India and

are excited about introducing

them in Bangladesh and

helping improve their urban

transportation system. Weshare a long and mutually

beneficial relationship withBRTC and look forward to a

continued partnership.

Over the years, we have

exported over 9,500 buses

Bangladesh bound Buses worth US$6 million for Dhaka

of different models to

Bangladesh through our

sole distributor Ifad Autos

Ltd. Last year we bagged

the single-largest order for290 double-decker buses

worth US$2.3 million

from Bangladesh, which

contributed significantly to

our export turnover. n

Number of buses

of different models

exported to Bangladesh

over the years50Vestibule buses orderedby Bangladesh RoadTransport Corporation 9,500

Anthony Lobo, Special Director - International Operations, Ashok Leyland and MM Iqbal, Chairman of BRTC at the contract signing ceremony.

AL Insider

26 | August 2012


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We have signed upwith 18 banks acrossthe country to facilitate thefinancing of our vehicles.

Our existing relationship

with Indian Overseas Bank

and Federal Bank has been

further strengthened with in-

branch standees announcing

this tie-up. These standees

Pocket-friendlyFinancial Tie-ups make purchasing easier

have been placed in over 50

branches of Indian Overseas

Bank and a similar number isplanned across Federal Bank

branches. We have also been

creating alliances with other

banks across the country,

this will give us increased

visibility among walk-in

customers. n

Assembled from a CKD(Completely KnockedDown) kit of components, the

first lot of 190 Optare SoloSR buses destined for feederservices in Cape Town, rolled-

out of Optares South African

partner Busmarks plant in

June this year. The new fleet

of advanced, low-floor buses

will play a key role in the new

integrated bus transit system

being introduced in the city of

Cape Town Council, a part of

its MyCiTi initiative.

The innovative Solo SR, thatincorporates doors on both

sides for quick boarding and

exit, will collect passengers

from outlying townships and

take them to transfer points,

where they can board 12 or

18-metre buses for high-speed

transfer to various destinations

in the city.

The 9.5 metre version of the

Solo SR integral midibus,features full air-conditioning

and is fitted with a real-timemonitoring and tracking

system, CCTV and telematics.

Busmark has started a new

factory in Cape Town to

produce these buses while

Solo show First Optare Solo rolls out of the Cape Town plant

its labour force has beentrained by Optareboth

in Leeds and on-ground.

At the handover ceremony,

Glenn Saint, Optares Chief

Technical Officer in CapeTown, said, Not only is this

Optares largest ever export

order, it is also the first time

that Solo has been delivered

in a CKD form. n

Solo SRfeaturesdoors onboth sidesfor quickboardingand exit

The Solo getting set to be delivered to the Cape Town Council

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30/36

Some brands make trial offers.

Some others offer test drives. But at

Ashok Leyland we reach out directly to

our customers through customer events.

These are platforms for us to share the

latest industry trends and developments;

for customers to know more about

our vehicles; for us to share important

information on vehicle maintenance andefficiency and most importantly, for them

to experience our vehicles. Organized and

conducted at various strategic locations

across the country, these events provide anopportunity for customers to interact with

our sales and marketing personnel.

Ecomet Mega Melas

The ICV (Intermediate Commercial

Vehicle) segment has been witnessing

robust growth with monthly sales touching

close to 5,000 vehicles.

Ecomet is the widest and longest vehicle in

its segment and offers the twin advantages

of a long vehicle in a smaller vehicle category.

With higher engine power and torque, theEcomet Strong offers higher payloads and

increased profits while the Ecomet Smart

offers faster turn around time.

In fact, the tyres of the Ecomet tipper are

the same as used in the MDV category:

8.25x20 PR. It offers the largest capacity inits segment 6 cubic metres (210 cft) and

also boasts air brakes with S Cam, power

steering, under-body tipping mechanism

and drop-side deck load-body.

Reaching out to youFrom innovative mega melas to driver meets, Ashok Leylands robust customer reach outprogramme go a long way in making it a brand of choicetextSunny Sharma

AL tippers at the Tipper Mela

To gain a larger share of this growing

market, we conceived the Ecomet Mega

Mela an ideal platform for customers to

understand the Ecomet and to get a first-hand experience of the vehicle.

With a customised float travelling across

important hubs, at these Tipper Melas

customers can play exciting games, win

attractive prizes, learn more about the

product, test drive the vehicles and

also get on-the-spot offers. The activity

is conducted by a trained team that

manages these standardised modules

across the country.

Santosh Kumar, a fleet owner who had

attended one of the Ecomet Mela says, I

have two Ecomet 1212s and before the

end of this year, I plan to have two more of

these thanks to the good promotional offers

that the Company announced at the Mela.

Events & More

28 | August 2012


31/36

to interact with our sales teams and

understand the various features of

our tippers.

Tipper Melas showcase the entire range of

our tippers with special offers and spot-

offers by leading financiers. Not only do

they allow us to reach-out to customers,

they also provide great visibility for brandAshok Leyland.

Rajive Saharia, Executive Director,

Marketing, Ashok Leyland said, The

primary objective of these events is for

existing and prospective customers to get

to know our vehicles and for them to first-

hand appreciate their superior featuresand performance potential. The response

and the outcome from such events has

been extremely encouraging and we will be

pushing these activations into a higher gear

going forward.

Sabse Bada Sikandar Kaun?

A highly competitive space, where minor

differences can come at the cost of a

sale, the MAV activity, called Sabse BadaSikandar Kaun?is designed to establish

2516il, 3116il and 3118il as the most

competitive models (in terms of mileage,

load-carrying capacity and serviceability)

in their segment. The objective of the

programme is to provide a touch-and-

These eventshave beenconceived toreach out to ourend customersand give them areal world feel

of AL vehicles

feel experience to customers, so they can

see and feel the difference first-hand.

Launched in Kolkata, it covered over 23

locations, generating walk-ins and leads.The event highlighted the working of the

inline fuel injection pump and its benefits.

A live model of an engine was displayed to

demonstrate the working of the inline fuel

injection pump. This created an excitingplatform to engage with the audience, and

to help them understand the superiority

of our vehicles in a very practical and

scientific way.

These events, like all others, are

managed by professional activation

agencies who help spread awarenessand create excitement about the event.

An emcee helps to engage the audience

and demonstrates the superiority of

the product. Along with a demo of the

inline FIP engine, interactive gameslike arm wrestling & jigsaw puzzles are

used to establish key product benefits.

Prospective customers are offered test-

drives and attractive finance offers are

also made available.

The whole process creates a lot of goodwilland connect on-ground with the target

group, and we are confident that sustained

efforts will have a positive spin-off for us in

the long run. n

Over the last one year, we have conducted

over 500 such Melas and these have been

very well received by the transport industry.

Tipper Melas

Tipper Melas help us understand

changing customer needs and

expectations in the mining and

construction industry. It also provides

an opportunity for customers in remote

locations and smaller satellite towns

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Authentic

30 | August 2012


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With the Leyparts Shoppe extending their network across the country,procuring genuine spare parts for your trucks is no longer a concerntextSachin Kumar

M

any times, I have had to

compromise on the quality of spare parts formy truck, laments Dalbir Cheema, a driver

with an established transport company,

leaning against his 3116il long haul truck

that is stuck on the Ahmedabad-Mumbaihighway with a broken axle. He wonders

whether the local mechanic who is fixing it

will put in authentic Leyparts.

Soon, however, the spare part woes of

Cheema and many others owning or driving

Ashok Leyland vehicles are set to end.

The answer lies in a new venture called

the Leyparts Shoppe. These exclusivespare part stores will stock a whole range

of genuine Leyparts (official and genuine

Ashok Leyland spare parts) which includes

market- oriented repair kits. Not only will

these Shoppes ensure easier availability of

genuine spares and increased productivityfrom better-maintained vehicles, they are

also great news for dealers. Dealers will

be assured of a regular supply of spares,

can keep smaller inventories and

eliminate redundancy.

A key feature is priority service given to

Leyparts Shoppe . This has a direct impacton customer satisfaction, increased loyalty

and greater profitability.

Every Leypart Shoppe outlet will stock,

promote and sell only Leyparts sourced

directly from our dealers or distributors in

that region.

As we increase the width and depth of our

presence and aggressively ramp-up our

dealer network, Leyparts Shoppe presents u

Leyparts Shoppesbring genuine relief

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34/36

stockist of truck and bus parts in Western

U.P., is extremely excited about the concept

of Leyparts Shoppe.Ashok Leyland has good

quality trucks and the only worry that we hadin this part of the country is the availability

of genuine spares. By setting up a Leyparts

Shoppe, I can now assure my customers

about the authenticity of the parts that go

into their vehicles , he says as he looks atopening his Leyparts Shoppe soon.

Each site location will be standardised per

specific criteria to maintain uniformity

with a road-facing area between 700-1000

sq.ft. with sufficient area for parking of

vehicles. Ideal locations will be in the

vicinity of automobile markets and other

commercial automobile retailers, owners

and mechanics. A basic IT infrastructure

including a computer with internet-

connectivity and a Dot Matrix printer are

essential to run the operations smoothly.Way Forward DMS will provide the Tally

accounting software so everyone can share

one common operating system.

Soon, the Leyparts Shoppe will

become an integral part of your Ashok

Leyland experience.

Our association does not end when you

buy an Ashok Leyland vehicle, its just

the beginning. n

DID YOU KNOW?

Dealers, distributors andauthorised service centersare being offered the firstopportunity to own aLeyparts Shoppe

Leyparts Shoppes willcater to parts requirementsnot just for trucks but forLCVs as well

yet another opportunity to get closer to andimprove service levels to our customers.

Own a Shoppe

Dealers, distributors and authorised servicecenters (ALASCs) are being offered the

first opportunity to own a Leyparts Shoppe

but we are also keen to invite interested

retailers and venture capitalists outside the

existing channel.

Bhim Prakash, currently a multi-brand

The inside view of a Leypart Shoppe (left); Genuine Leyparts (right)

Every LeypartShoppe outlet

will stock,promote and sell

only Leypartssourced directlyfrom our dealersor distributors inthat region

Authentic

32 | August 2012


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Documents

Milestones July Sept(Aug) 12 Final