Jamna Auto Industries (JAI), a leading manufacturer of commercial vehicle leaf springs and parabolic springs, has announced that it has inked a technical assistance pact with the US-based Ridewell Corporation for manufacturing and/or improving suspension systems and components on the basis of technology provided by Ridewell.
Ridewell is a major manufacturer and supplier of air suspension systems for buses, trucks and trailers. Ridewell’s truck and trailer suspensions are targeted at the heavy duty applications of Class 6, 7, and 8 vehicles. The company is also expanding into the light duty market with new products such as the “Featheride” trailer air suspension and light duty offerings for the bus industry.
Ridewell supplies truck suspension systems to Peterbilt, Mack, Navistar, Kenworth, Mercedes, Hyundai, MAN, etc., and R.V. air suspensions to OEMs like Blue Bird, El Dorado National, Optima, Thomas Built, Krystal Enterprises, Encava and Country Coach for vehicles ranging from low-floor shuttles and heavy duty transits to high-end motorcoaches.
Started as a partnership firm in 1955, JAI is one of the top seven suppliers of commercial vehicle leaf & parabolic springs in the world. With a share of 60 per cent in the domestic market, it is a leading supplier of springs to a lot of OEMs like Eicher Motors. With its current capacity of 114,000 mtp per annum, it is going ahead with its 60,000 mtp greenfield plant at Jamshedpur to cater to Tata Motors’ needs.
Jamna Auto’s customers include Ashok Leyland, Eicher Motors, Volvo, Swaraj Mazda, Ford India, General Motors, Suzuki and Toyota. Its products have been approved by reputed OEMs worldwide like Daimler, Volvo, General Motors and Ford.
There is growing demand for air suspension systems in India, with a market size of close to 4,000 units. Currently there are a few companies in this segment like Wheels India, Madras SAF Holland and Hendrickson. Wheels India continues to dominate the market with over 90 per cent market share.
Madras SAF Holland, a JV between Madras Suspension and SAF Holland, has set up a manufacturing facility in Madurai. Hendrickson has a JV with the TACO Group and has established a manufacturing facility in Pune. Both the companies are in the process of developing products for OEMs.
For Jamna Auto, its a natural step forward. The company is the market leader in leaf springs and parabolic springs, with very strong relationship with most of the domestic OEMs. The tie-up with Ridewell will help Jamna Auto enter this fast growing segment.
