Articulated buses which are popular in Europe and other parts of the world for public transportation are yet to get a foothold in India. The Indian Government intends introducing more of these buses, in addition to the few that already ply, in metro cities to attract people to shift to public transport which would help reduce traffic congestion significantly. Hübner of Germany, worldwide leader in articulation systems for buses, is setting up a new facility in Bangalore after being present in India for over a decade. The new plant is expected to be up and running during Q1 FY15.
Says Mr. Makarand Shahane, Director, Hübner Interface Systems India Pvt. Ltd.: “We have shifted our base to Bangalore. The general response for articulated buses is good and people appreciate this, especially in cities like Bangalore and Chennai where these buses have now operated for more than 10 years. We are already in a position to start production within a couple of months.” With the new facility, Hübner India will go full stream by June 2014, and will have adequate production capacity to meet the near and mid-term demands of the Indian market. Hübner is now offering bellows made of PVC fabric with an aluminium frame, which are light weight, easy to install and need very less maintenance.
“We already have very encouraging response in the Indian market. Hübner wants to provide a local product with German quality at affordable pricing to our customers. We now have new articulations for puller and pusher applications which are cost effective. We have noticed that there is an active encouragement from the Indian government to the STUs to introduce more and more articulated buses on the road. This is certainly a welcome move because world-over articulated buses have proven to be very cost-effective mode of public transportation. We will provide effective support and contribution from Hübner India to make products of German quality in India and help to popularize the use of articulated buses more and more”, he adds.
In the past decade, the company has supplied articulations and folding bellows to Ashok Leyland and has already supplied a prototype unit to Tata Motors’ Starbus Urban Articulated Bus which was showcased at the Auto Expo. “We hope to serve other OEMs as well in future, with our world-class products. When we start the production at our new plant, we shall cater to the bus segment and eventually also to the railway segment (gangways for metro rail, mono rail and high-speed trains). The Hübner Group has already made substantial investments in the upcoming facility. We will be augmenting this investment as and when the need arises to meet the additional demands of the Indian market”, states Mr. Shahane.
Sharing details on Hübner’s global markets, Mr. Markus Mazur, Head of Sales, Hübner GmbH, says: “We have a good market for our products in South America, Middle East, Far east and also in Europe. The market volume for articulated buses is on the rise globally. Last year we started our business in South Africa which is an interesting market for us. In India too, there is a lot of growth and with the huge population in the country, there is a necessity to bring in such buses for sustainable transportation.” a