Gibraltar has been participating in Busworld, Mumbai for quite some time. This is the first participation of the company in Busworld after it has started its new air spring manufacturing plant.
Gibraltar was established in 1993 in association with Firestone, USA, for assembling, testing and distribution of air springs in India by its founder member and CMD, Mr. Pronob Kumar Guha who is associated with air springs since 1970 in USA and Canada. The company has been a pioneer in introducing air springs in India in the early 1990s. Based on its 15 years’ experience of selling air springs in the Indian market, “Gibraltar” brand air springs were introduced independently in the year 2008 and the same was launched in shows like Busworld Mumbai. The company decided to enhance its production capacity with a new plant that was launched in the year 2013.
Gibraltar’s new plant in West Bengal is equipped with state-of-the-art designing, manufacturing, testing and R&D facility for air springs. It is the first 100 per cent Indian company to have started manufacturing air springs in India for both domestic and export market. The plant produces best quality air springs for buses, trucks, trailers, LCVs, trains and industrial applications at competitive price. Having made in India, it substitutes import and also saves the import duty and freight cost, thus making it competitive compared to the imported brands. Gibraltar being a completely Indian company, the profit centers and wealth distribution pyramid essentially remains within the nation rather than getting redistributed in foreign lands.
The rock solid foundation of Gibraltar guides the Indian team to adopt new technologies which have no adverse effects on the environment. The new state of the art air spring plant is an almost nil effluent generating plant. The plant has been designed to ensure that it is 100 per cent eco-friendly and green. Machine cooling water is recycled and reused. Rain-water harvesting is practiced. More than 60 per cent of the plant area is open for greenery. It has plans to install solar illumination systems in the near future. Use of hazardous raw materials which are prohibited due to their environmental ill effects is not encouraged or allowed at the plant.
Busworld, Mumbai 2015 is an important show for Gibraltar since it expects a good footfall from all regional transport authorities and OEMs who have already expressed their interest in meeting the company’s team at the show and see its air springs made from its new facility in West Bengal. The company is also looking forward to meet potential strategic partners in business, who can enrich its team and ride this growth in the air spring industry in India and abroad.
As of now India has been in the receiving end as regards to air springs. The component has been imported from various countries for last two decades, since the technology was not available in India. Importers from various industries have taken interest in importing air springs from various countries without understanding the quality or effect of the same on the Indian vehicles and Indian economy. Gibraltar has been looking forward to start exports of air springs from India in a big way. Though it has already started exporting in a small way, with its global launch shortly it is expected to rise substantially.