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MOTORINDIA
l
May 2012
97
tyres, but when front radial fitments
increased, there was a boom in de-
mand for wheel alignment. Majority
of the vehicles we service include
ten-wheelers and multi-axle trucks.
As vehicle population increases,
there is more scope for our growth.
We have constantly been expanding
the centre. Since our current area of
8,500 sq. ft. seems insufficient, a
further expansion is underway”.
The centre seeks to add services
such as oil service, powder work,
etc., to customers in order to expand
the service range offered and im-
prove customer satisfaction.
The average time taken for de-
mounting and mounting of a
ten-wheeler is 90 minutes while
greasing takes 15 to 20 minutes.
Wheel-alignment takes 30 to 75
minutes depending on the degree of
misalignment.
Apart from Michelin, other lead-
ing tyre brands like Apollo, Miche-
lin and Bridgestone are also sold at
the centre. The garage equipment
are supplied by Madhus with com-
pressors from Atlas Copco and au-
tomatic inflators also from Madhus.
Every month, two meetings are
held by the MTSC to improve
awareness about wheel-alignment,
at which presentations are made by
representatives from Michelin who
visit the service centre for regular
inspection. The centre has 14 em-
ployees recruited by TLS Tyres and
trained by Michelin.
TLS Tyres reported a turnover of
Rs. 30 lakhs in 2010-11 and is plan-
ning to expand to another location as
a separate branch. The growth of the
Indian trucking industry, fuelled by
the arrival of global heavy-weights
such as BharatBenz, is sure to spur
the growth of major trucking hubs
such as Namakkal, and it is certain
that more one-stop truck centres like
TLS Tyres will emerge in the com-
ing years.
w
tyres
The services offered at the truck cen-
tre include computerised wheel-align-
ment, automatic tyre-changing, de-
mounting and mounting by machine
and balancing for all vehicles, mainly
trucks. Tyre-fitting, chassis-greasing,
nitrogen-inflation and radial tyre re-
pair are also done. The centre is busy
throughout, servicing 20 trucks and
fitting 60 tyres everyday.