It was in February 2016 that Mr. Ranjan Pahadsingh, the current CEO, A.A. Trailers, bought the company from Mr. Subhash Dutta Bhaumik, its founder. Since then the company keeps growing, as the CEO said: “Thanks to the product expansion and quality enhancement, we were able to achieve our production target and accelerated our manufacturing output from around 35 to 45 trailers to nearly 120 trailers of different varieties per month. We are growing strong and are eyeing a turnover of Rs. 80 crores by next fiscal.”
While Mr. Pahadsingh had the vision to start a company during his working days, it only became a reality after he quit his job at a leading trailer building company in Pune and acquired A.A. Trailers which has been supplying trailers in Maharashtra. Reminiscing his decision, this mechanical engineer observed: “A lot of industry people advised me to start something on my own in the trailer industry, given my all-round experience at my previous company. There I was instrumental in bringing out different trailer models and was involved in sales and marketing. However, I felt it would be better if I could acquire somebody’s company and build it up rather than beginning from the scratch. It was destiny that I came across the proposal to acquire the A.A Trailers business. I took over the design rights, product rights, company name & logo rights and the entire company rights. All the legal documents pertaining to the ownership was changed and that’s how I acquired the business of A.A Trailers.”
Product expansion
As soon as Mr. Pahadsingh acquired the company, he went ahead and got all the required ISO certificates as well as the ARAI approval for 46 different types of trailer units. He later went on to not only retain the staff at former A.A. Trailers, but also built a new team that can deliver the task of quality products and expansion.
“The erstwhile A.A. Trailers had some very good products like flat-bed trailers, skeletal trailers, side-wall trailers, bomb cart trailers for port applications and hydraulic steerable multi-axle trailers. We didn’t disturb the former company’s design and technology but added our expertise to it. They were quite successful in Maharashtra and manufactured their own king-pins, fabricated beams & in-house designed suspensions which have established a distinguished identity in the market. We developed new product varieties of tip trailers, skeletal trailers, running gears, semi low bed trailers and spill containers. In the last one year after the acquisition, we sold over 800 trailers, despite demonetization and GST. It was possible because of our supplies to clients even outside Maharashtra. We supplied from the Panvel plant to Gujarat, Punjab, Jammu, Haryana, UP, Bengal and Assam,” beamed Mr. Pahadsingh.
Speaking about the product enhancements undertaken, the CEO explained: “For the main beam we are using Jindal or SAIL steel. Our brake system is completely from WABCO, designed as per our specifications. Our complete circuit is tested by WABCO, and then we take the complete kit as a box, including the air tank receivers, the hoses, connectors and tubes. Even the paint we use is PU (polyurethane) which is free from lead and chrome and offers excellent weather resistance compared to the enamel paint used by others in the industry.”
The company can, from the current plant, produce around 160 trailers per month. It expects to clock 500 trailers per month post development of its two new plants. Certainly, Mr. Pahadsingh is eyeing expansion. “We are trying to have a setup in Faridabad as a manufacturing plant that can supply to the demands from Rajasthan. We are also looking at expanding to a second facility in Mumbai, Maharashtra, to further accommodate clients’ requirement of quality products,” he disclosed.
A.A. Trailer has also acquired a lot of new clients. Some of them are big fleet operators. “In the last one year, we have acquired clients like Agarwal Packers, India Vehicles Carrier, RK Batra, Pankaj Transport, Chetak Logistics, etc. We have added around 60-70 small and large customers since February 2016,” Mr. Pahadsingh added.
There is a lot that goes behind acquiring customers. The company analyses each customer’s application and their travelling conditions and then recommend design. They also go on to recommend tyres. “Our motto is to give quality products that can stand the test of time and application that they are subjected to. Each product that we develop is going to add value to the customer and is a national asset. So, we do not compromise on quality even for a single order, but the final decision must be made by the customer. If we give JK Tyres we give JK Jet R Miles top brand in nylone tyre. In CEAT we give Mile XL RIB PRO, In, continental we offer Conti R extra mile in the front tyre or Conti HL the rear axle tyre. In Apollo, we give Amar Gold. Even the wheel discs we give are from Wheels India, which are mostly given by OEMs in in Prime Movers. They are high quality light weight, double rims system for better protection for nylon tyres,” claimed Mr. Pahadsingh.
Apart from the tyres, the axle and suspensions are from the top players like Jost, BPW and York. He averred: “We never mix up the axle with different suspensions. We are offering a Jost axle with Jost suspension, a BPW axle with BPW suspension, etc. This is to leverage the benefit of complete service warranty. We are the only trailer company chasing customers for service after we hand over the trailer. We remind them about the service after 5000 km.”
Value engineering – Today & tomorrow
Having tasted success in the conventional market, A.A. Trailers is now planning to be a part of make-in-India concept by introducing air-suspensions to its products. “We are seeing a trend where air suspensions will be fitted in trailers, in place of the commonly-used mechanical suspensions. We are planning to develop indigenous solutions for the same so that even a single trailer owner can afford it. We are working on a prototype and expect to run product trials in the next 4 to 5 months’ time,” said Mr. Pahadsingh.
The company is also pondering over the development of hydraulic systems related to trailers and trailer mounted cranes. “We have highly experienced people, design capabilities and are hence thinking about products that can solve problems and add value such as tail lifts, hydraulic ramps and sliding platforms which will be in-built as part of the trailer system. We are working on these solutions in order to ease the difficulty in loading and unloading as it is commonly observed that the loading site may have a ramp but the unloading point may not,” shared the CEO.
A.A. Trailers has a top-notch affinity to design calculation, analysis and engineering. Each new design goes through a static load test comprising multiple measurements and analysis of the deflection detected by putting weight which is 1.5 times the designed weight. He disclosed: “If the capacity is of 30 tonnes we will at least put 45 tonnes followed by a road test at 40 – 50 km per hour. Every 10-12 km the trailer is checked. While doing so the trailer is in intermediate primer condition, before the final paint, so if there is any crack it is visible.”
Mr. Pahadsingh also revealed that a new brand name Xion Automotive Pvt. Ltd. has been formed. This will offer design and engineering solutions. “The new company will provide service not only to A.A. Trailers but undertake other engineering and manufacturing assignments. Once it grows, may be A.A. Trailers will be part of the Xion Automotive Group, which I plan to turn into a public limited company 2021 aiming at a turnover of at least Rs. 500 crores,” concluded the CEO.