Autoform India, a leading producer and supplier of automobile seat covers, is test-marketing its products in the commercial vehicle space. The 30-year-old firm, which provides car and bike seat covers to a number of leading OEMs in India, has already supplied some CV-specific covers to Ashok Leyland and is keen to do the same with other players like Tata Motors, MAN Trucks India, AMW, Scania, Volvo-Eicher and Bharat Benz.
In his first interview to MOTORINDIA, Mr. Siddharth Gandhi, Head- Sales and Business Development, said: “We are nearly a 30-year old firm and are the largest supplier of PU/PVC accessory seat covers to major car-makers like GM India, Honda, Hyundai, M&M, Fiat, Nissan, VW, Skoda, etc. Last year, we forayed into the two-wheeler segment by serving Yamaha and HMSI. So diversifying into the CV space would be a logical extension for us. 
Moreover, we keep on experimenting with new products. We have also developed a couple of products for Ashok Leyland. If any further opportunity arises (to cater to other CV players), we will never ignore it. Having said that, catering to CVs would be a different ballgame as it is not a single user. We do have some products for such customers in the aftermarket.”
It may be recalled that Autoform India was started by Mr. Siddharth’s father, Mr. Rajan Gandhi, and his partner in 1985-86. They got into the upholstery business, starting with fabrics. In the late 1990s, the company realised that artificial seat covers PU accessories would also be a much-in-demand product. This is how it diversified and floated Autoform in 1999-2000. This has now become the mainstream business rather than fabrics. Autoform India also exports to the GCC countries like the UAE, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.
Mr. Siddharth Gandhi, who did his graduation in BSC in Marketing and Operations Management from Manchester University, stepped in as a second-generation entrepreneur in 2009. He was instrumental in developing robust sales and marketing departments in the company and was also the brain behind developing entry-level products to tackle competition. He also played a key role in establishing a distribution network across the country.
Apart from the OEM business, the company has a strong network of 50 distributors in the Indian aftermarket to take care of the “Autoform” brand at over 500 retail points spread across the length and breadth of the country. A chain of company-owned outlets is also in the pipeline.
Asked whether the company is keen to set up a separate assembly line for commercial vehicles, Mr. Gandhi said: “We already have a readymade infrastructure in the form of a state-of-the-art facility spread over an area of 100,000 sq. ft. in the Special Economic Zone in the green valley of Selaqui near Dehradun (Uttarakhand). We have been able to augment ourselves and add flexible assembly lines within the premises of the facility. So if there is an unprecedented demand from CV customers, we are geared for it.”
Currently, Autoform India has a an installed capacity of 25,000 full sets per month, out of which it is rolling out 18,000-20,000 seat covers every month. As an ISO 9001:2008 and ISO/TS 16949 certified company, the facility is equipped with the latest CAD/CAM cutting and stitching solutions such as the CNC cutting machines from Australia and computerised heavy duty stitching machines from Germany and Japan for quality production and high uniformity.
Despite the ongoing market turbulence, Autoform India is expecting to notch up Rs. 85-90 crores this financial year and is confident of achieving a Rs. 100-crore turnover by 2015-16.