Gibraltar, the only home-grown air spring manufacturer without global technology backing, displayed its made-in-India air springs at the show. The company had established a new plant in West Bengal last year, equipped with state-of-the-art designing, manufacturing, testing and R&D facility for air springs for a wide range of applications, including buses, trucks, trailers, LCVs, trains and the industrial segment.
Gibraltar’s locally made products have received overwhelming response from both OEMs and in the aftermarket that it is already working on expansion plans. Mr. Arpan Basu, Director – Marketing & Product Development, Gibraltar Airsprings Pvt. Ltd., shares: “This is the first time for us at Busworld after our new enhanced manufacturing plant went on stream. Our plant was initially designed to cater to both domestic OEM and aftermarket requirements but the market has grown so much in recent times that we have expanded in a big way and now it’s more of multiples of growth rather than percentage growth.”
A professionally-run family-owned company, Gibraltar has proven technology as its main strength and is growing leaps and bounds in the country. The company has opened its doors for potential joint venture or strategic partners to help fuel its growth further. “We have learnt, understood and most importantly applied our knowledge about the air springs business in an indigenous format. Our technology is proven and appreciated all over India and abroad and now is the time to take things to the next level. We are looking for JV/strategic partners or mergers who can support us with some good investment for growth”, says Mr. Basu.
Adding his views, Mr. Arnob Guha, Director (Operations), Gibraltar Airsprings Pvt. Ltd., says: “Our business model is kind of a focused specialization, so wherever there is need for air springs – trucks, buses, railways, etc., we are ready with the technology. We are now looking for partners wherein it will be a synergy which works for the purpose which in itself is market driven. Once we have that backing from the right people, we will take our company to a whole new level.”
In addition to catering to the needs of the domestic market, Gibraltar is also actively eyeing exports to markets like Middle East and Africa, as reflected from its participation in the upcoming Automechanika Dubai exhibition in June, apart from few other shows in other parts of the globe.