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MOTORINDIA
l
January 2012
Rane taking new
avatar
on
75
th
anniversary
Rane Holdings Ltd., the so-called
conservative, low-profile Rane
Group company, has taken a new
avatar
on the occasion of its 75th
anniversary celebrated recently.
Known for its quality and customer-
centric approach, the company prod-
ucts such as engine valves, brakelin-
ings, steering gears, power steering
systems, etc., enjoy a clear market
leadership. Since, of late, there is a
sea-change in the Indian automo-
tive industry, the company has taken
fresh initiatives like increasing the
R&D spend, going in for acquisi-
tions and special focus on IPR in
order to ensure a most vigorous and
vibrant role for the company in the
auto component sector. All this has
resulted in doubling the turnover in
the quickest possible time.
Addressing a press conference in
Chennai on the occasion of its Plati-
num Jubilee celebrations, Mr. L.
Lakshman, Chairman, Rane Hold-
ings Ltd., said that the company re-
lied on ‘the customer first’ principle.
This mostly accounted for it receiv-
ing the Deming and JQM medals.
He said the company’s first foray
into manufacturing, particularly in
the 1950s, would have called for
enormous courage because of the
associated risks involved. The com-
pany has many achievements to its
credit. The industry has changed
dramatically in the last 15 years, and
the customers’ requirements have
also undergone a sea-change, he
added.
According to Mr. L. Ganesh,
Chairman, Rane Group, based on
products & components
‘the customer first’ approach, the
group has witnessed major chang-
es over the decades. As for Rane
Holdings, its strong foundation has
become a brand image among the
shareholders. Particularly the period
2001-10 marked a decade of excel-
lence for its growth, and the com-
pany’s focus would be more on em-
ployees’ innovative approach.
For the current year, the group has
set a sales target of around Rs. 2,300
crores, of which exports would ac-
count for 15 per cent. In order to
become a globally innovative com-
pany in the next few years, it has en-
hanced its R&D spend from 0.5 per
cent to 1.7 per cent of the turnover.
Mr. Harish Lakshman, Direc-
tor on the Board of Rane Holdings
Ltd., observed that 40 per cent of the
overall sales of the group companies
comes from the commercial vehi-
cle segment, which would remain
a thrust area in the future as well.
Since there is significant growth in
sales of commercial vehicles as well
as the number of players in the field,
the company remains bullish on the
growth prospects.
w
By R. Natarajan, Managing Editor & Publisher
The winning trio – From left, Mr. Harish Lakshman, Director on the Board of Rane Hold-
ings Ltd., Mr. L. Lakshman, Chairman, Rane Holdings Ltd., and Mr. L. Ganesh, Chairman,
Rane Group, at the press meet in Chennai to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee
Even during the recessionary phase,
the company maintained a moder-
ate growth of 10-12 per cent, con-
firming the high quality of its prod-
ucts and the customer acceptance.