To be part of this growing market, Gorba AG of Switzerland and the Gujarat-based Integra Hindustan Control Ltd. have established a joint venture for manufacturing passenger information system products to cater to the bus and Metro rail market in India and other Asian markets.
Gorba AG has for the last 25 years been an active producer of illuminated display products, GPS clocks, TFT flat screens (since 2000 nearly 3000 TFT systems have been installed) as well as passengers information products for vehicles and buildings (internal, external), exclusively for the public transport market. Today, the range of products covers all the common technologies as well as the most modern ones for mobile and stationary applications. Gorba AG is acknowledged as one of the most important world leaders of communication systems for public transport.
Integra Hindustan Control Ltd., an associate of Integra Holding AG of Switzerland, was established in 1987 for manufacturing and supplying relays along with functional relay groups (Pre Wired Base Plate), Audio Frequency Track circuits (AFTC) and operating-cum-indication panel (Domino type) meant for Railway Signalling systems of world class quality.
The 51:49 JV between Gorba and Integra was set up in 2008 and commercial production started in December. Mr. Shashank Mehta has been appointed the CEO of the company. The new JV company, Gorba Intergra Systems, will mainly cater to the Indian domestic and will also use the production base for exports to other Asian and Middle-East markets. In fact, the company has received the first major export order for supplying to Kuwait.
In India, Gorba Integra is currently working on future projects with all major OEMs and has made trial supplies. In fact, the product has been indigenised to the extent of 95 per cent and small critical parts are being imported. The idea is to manufacture European standard products to suit Indian market and customers without compromising on quality and standards.
The JV is mainly targeting LED-based passenger information systems for mobile transportation like buses, metro rail coaches and also stationary applications like bus stations with real time information.
Regarding the products, whereas monochromic LED displays offer the best quality-price performance at the purchase, however with high energy consumption, ABD displays offer a new technology developed by Gorba, allowing considerable energy savings. LED or LCD colour displays facilitate recognition of line numbers and destinations while enhancing visual advantages for the travellers.
Gorba and Integra are both based in Switzerland and hence it was easy for the companies to come together. Gorba is $50 million company with presence in 83 countries worldwide. Currently, 80 per cent of its business comes from the bus segment. Globally Gorba has its main manufacturing facility in Switzerland.
Currently, Gorba AG also offers one of the most reliable TFT technologies on the market. The equipment does not have mechanical elements such as a ventilator or hard drive. Thus, throughout their service life, the equipment is not affected by the vibrations of the vehicle or the accumulation of dust in the electronics components.
The Gorba TFT technology allows a large variety of applications; the equipment has been designed and built over many years especially for an employment under hard and demanding industrial working conditions. The TFT equipment is composed of elements produced in series: screen, industrial computer, lighting, etc. Lifespan of these elements can at times be very short. This aspect is a challenge that Gorba must address. Gorba continuously evaluates new components for reliability and functionality.
Mr. Daniel Faeh, Chairman of the Board, says: “In Gorba we believe in equal partnership. If you are looking for longterm success in the Indian market, then you need a production facility. The idea behind setting up a manufacturing facility in India is not because of low cost labor. In fact, the labor cost is only 8% of the total product cost. We want to offer the Indian market, products manufactured as per European standards and quality”.
Gorba AG has now entered into strategic cooperation with Precimation AG, a specialist for stationary passenger information. This merger creates a new global player for passenger information systems for the public transportation sector having the complete solutions for Mobile, stationary & on board applications with real time information.
Precimation AG has joined Gorba AG by bringing its expertise and customers from the public transport sector as well as its stationary passenger information systems under the umbrella of the Gorba brand name. In addition to Gorba’s current product portfolio, the well-known brand of stationary passenger information systems, iqube, will continue its production and expansion.
The Indian JV partner Integra Hindustan has previous experience and skilled labor force. This comes as a huge advantage for the JV. “In fact, we are happy to say that we have been able to achieve the same global quality in India right from day one”, adds Mr. Faeh.
