Edscha Trailer Systems, part of the VBG Group and the inventor of the sliding roof technology for trucks globally, is working on developing a locally-made product for the Indian market. The move comes in the wake of the company finding huge potential for its products in India and in neighboring countries as well.
Edscha has been present in India for nearly five years now with its sales and marketing operations being handled by Ringfeder Power Transmission (India) Private Ltd., another VBG Group company. Ringfeder India is responsible for the sales and service of Edscha Trailer roofing systems and Ringfeder Trailer couplings in India.
Talking exclusively to MOTORINDIA, Mr. Per Ericson, Managing Director & CEO, Edscha Trailer Systems GmbH, says: “We have developed a special product for the Indian market which can be locally produced, suitable for both the existing trucks and new vehicles – flat beds and tippers. India has a huge potential in the transport industry, and we find that the products we offer in Europe also have a market in India. We will sell our original Edscha product with German technology, produced in India, thus combining the benefits of both worlds, which is why we are investing in the country through our Indian company.”
Most of the components, mainly the bulky ones, for Edscha’s Indian product will be sourced from local suppliers after careful quality checks, while the more advanced parts will continue to be imported from Europe. The product, a full tarpaulin curtain sider solution, has a sliding roof on the top and the sides and offers customers a key advantage of quicker loading and unloading, which leads to better efficiency and faster turnaround time for operators. Another key benefit for users being the increased payload on offer, Edscha expects the concept to catch up faster as more customers start experiencing its products and their advantages.
Says Mr. Roger Remmel, Area Sales & Brand Manager, Edscha Trailer Systems GmbH: “We have been working with a small set-up in India till now, trying to make customers understand our products and the advantages they offer. We need to convince the potential customers, those involved in transporting steel, automobiles, crane-loaded equipment, etc., as they would have huge advantages by using our solutions. Our products are also easier to use for vehicle body builders as they do not have to modify their design. Once we have successfully executed the first few orders, we are confident that more customers will follow.”
Edscha has been trying to penetrate the market through regular discussions with vehicle manufacturers, trailer builders and also transporters, highlighting the operational and cost benefits offered by its solutions. The new local product will prove a shot in the arm for the company, giving it a much better chance of sales volumes due to the reduced cost when compared to the imported products. “We have had talks with some vehicle OEMs regarding partnering them for their fully-built vehicle (FBV) platforms. They are global players keen on selling FBVs, and we will approach them again once our local product is ready. We are also targeting beverage companies who can be potential customers for our kind of solutions. Also, companies and corporates can use our curtain sider and full tarpaulin solutions for extensive branding”, states Mr. Sabareesh Jayaraman, Area Manager – Sales, Edscha Trailer Systems.
Long-term focus
Edscha is currently focusing on building a strong supply chain for local production so that it strikes the right balance between the quality and price to suit the Indian market. The company has long-term plans for India as it proposes to export its India-made products to nearby markets in future. “We are trying to find the right partners for sourcing parts and are talking to many companies in India. On the one hand, we need to develop the market by talking to potential customers and, on the other, we have to build the supply chain because both are equally important. It will be quite challenging for us to find the right quality and availability of components locally, but we will ensure it happens because we will not sell our India-made products only in the domestic market, but will also use India as a stepping stone for other potential neighboring markets”, adds Mr. Ericson.
The global market leader in curtain siders is also keen on tapping another extremely potential segment – the existing truck market – wherein its tarpaulin solution could be added as a retrofit. Over the medium to long-term, Edscha aims to become the most preferred solution provider when it comes to sliding roofs in the Indian market, like its position in other markets around the world. “Another segment we are targeting is the existing trucks market in India which offers huge potential for our products. As for the future, in two to three years’ time we would like to establish our brand to an extent that if any customer wants a sliding roof solution, he should think of Edscha, as is the case in many parts of the world”, he sums up.