Foray into manufacturing underway
Loyalty, dedication, strong vision and clear values often prove the very basis for a highly successful family business. The Bangalore Automobiles of Salem is one such group which was started in 1948 by K.V. Padmanabha Chettiar to sell genuine auto parts procured from Bangalore.
MOTORINDIA Managing Editor & Publisher, R. Natarajan recently happened to meet Mr. P. Sukumar and his younger brother, Mr. V.P. Subrahmaniyam, both partners of the Bangalore Automobiles, in Salem and discuss their career journey so far.
Mr. Sukumar said: “Salem was a place where aftermarket was doing very well those days. Vehicles from all over Tamil Nadu came here for service and repairs. We had the facility to put back a vehicle on road within 24 hours. Bosch wanted to have a service facility in Salem, considering its close vicinity to trucking centres like Namakkal and Tiruchengode. Since we were well established in this area, and with positive feedback from our customers, we were appointed service agents for Bosch in 1962.”
Since any business must diversify in order to survive competition in its respective field, Chettiar started Salem Auto Parts in 1965 to sell spares for trucks and cars. Later, in 1979, it was offered TVS Motor Company dealership for its vehicles.
“Money is not the criterion. What matters most is respect for customers and customer satisfaction. The awards we got from our principals stand testimony to the service we are offering. In the 1980s, our father was also taken into the Advisory Committee of Bosch, then called as MICO, for the aftermarket division. We then started Bangalore Auto Diesel Works with branches in Namakkal, Sankagiri and Krishnagiri for Bosch products. We have almost 200 people working with us in all our divisions put together”, boasts Mr. Sukumar.
The business tradition and values of the Bangalore Automobiles Group is carried forward by the technically qualified third generation, Mr. Shyam Sundar and Mr. Rajagopal, sons of Mr. Sukumar, and Mr. Sudharsanem and Mr. Sreekumar, sons of Mr. Subrahmaniyam. The group recently received approval for servicing VECV’s common rail fuel injection systems for all its vehicles.
“We have invested almost Rs. 2 crores for the common rail service equipment in the past three years. We do not plan to stop with distribution and servicing. We also aim to get into manufacturing of auto components in the near future”, added Mr. Subrahmaniyam.