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MOTORINDIA
l
August 2012
4% compared to 15-20% growth in
the last 2 years. As far as passenger
cars and utility vehicles, Brakes In-
dia expects the growth to be around
10% for the current year including
exports. However, small commer-
cial vehicles have been a big success
and is likely to growth by 20%.
Says Mr Viji: “We are maintain-
ing our market share in the com-
mercial vehicle segment and have
succeeded in getting business from
all the three new players apart from
maintaining our share in Tata Mo-
tors and Ashok Leyland.”
In the passenger car segment,
Brakes India manufactures the en-
tire foundation brakes including
Calipers, Actuation, Drum Brakes,
Hoses, Valves, Brake Fluid and in
future ABS. The company is very
dominant in Calipers and brake hos-
es with a majority share of business.
The company along with its JV part-
ner TRW Automo-
tive has access to a
wide range of tech-
nology in addition
to having strategic
technical alliances
with Japanese brake
manufacturers to
increase customer
reach especially for follow source
customers.
In the tractor segment, Brakes In-
dia is the largest supplier of brake
systems In India, supplying to all the
major tractor manufacturers includ-
ing Mahindra, John Deere, Escorts
& TAFE. Brakes India pioneered
the introduction of Oil Immersed
Brakes in India and has already de-
veloped a new range of products
suitable for high horse power trac-
tors with hydraulic actuation.
Brakes India is
very dependent on
their OEM busi-
ness with the heavy,
medium and light
commercial vehicles
along with tractors
contributing around
40% of Brakes In-
dia’s business while
another 40% comes
from passenger cars
and utility vehicles with the remain-
ing 20% coming from the aftermar-
ket and exports.
Manufacturing facilities
Headquartered in Chennai, the
main plant situated in Padi manu-
factures Master Cylinder Boosters,
Brake Hoses and Drum Brake as-
semblies while the Polambakkam
facility makes Calipers and lined
shoes and the third plant in Sholin-
ghur makes Commercial Vehicles
brakes ‘S’ cam and hydraulic drum
brakes including friction material
for cars and utility vehicles. A fourth
major manufacturing facility is be-
ing set up in
Gujarat
50
km
away
from Baroda.
In
addi-
tion to the
mother plant,
the company
also has sup-
porting plants
such as their
Foundry in Sholinghur and the Seal
facility near Mysore. A good por-
tion of BI’s castings are supplied by
this foundry which has not only won
the Deming Prize but has also been
declared as a Green Zero Discharge
component zone
The entry of new players including
multinationals in the heavy commer-
cial vehicle space is an opportunity for
the company as well as the industry.
With the likes of Daimler, MAN and
Mahindra Navistar preparing to roll
out a new breed of vehicles in the com-
ing years, Brakes India is confident of
increasing their growth by partnering
these new entrants.