Jost, the world’s leading manufacturer of connection components for trucks and trailers, has set up a manufacturing facility in India to cater to the growing domestic market.
Jost India Auto Component Private Ltd., the Indian entity, was established in August 2006. Headed by Mr. Amarjeet Singh, CEO of the Indian operations, the company has its manufacturing facility at Jamshedpur for fifth wheel couplings. It also markets in India an extensive product portfolio divided into three fields under the family brand of JOST.
Jost India Auto Component Private Ltd., the Indian entity, was established in August 2006. Headed by Mr. Amarjeet Singh, CEO of the Indian operations, the company has its manufacturing facility at Jamshedpur for fifth wheel couplings. It also markets in India an extensive product portfolio divided into three fields under the family brand of JOST.
Apart from fifth wheel couplings, the brand name JOST encompasses landing gears and accessories for trailers, ball bearing turntables, king pins as well as container locks and components for intermodal transport.
The company produces towing hitches and towing eyes for trucks as well as for use in the agricultural operations under the traditional brand name Rockinger. In addition, Rockinger offers model-specific cross members for towing hitches.
Jost has furthermore expanded its product range with drawbars for both road and agricultural use under the name of Regensburger Zuggabel.
The Indian commercial vehicle market has recently gone through a period of rapid growth and all indications point to a further continuation of the current trend. The expansion in road infrastructure has changed the transport dynamics. High capacity trucks with semi-trailers are in demand. Experts predict that the number of registrations of tractors will increase markedly by 2012 to over 200,000 units annually. As a safe connection between the tow vehicle and the trailer, the fifth wheel coupling is a crucial component in this development.
Jost has been in the Indian market since 2005. The company first started supplying fifth wheel couplings to Tata Motors. With increase in volumes, Jost decided to set up a manufacturing facility in India, to optimise the cost, and also to cater to other truck manufacturers. Jost is investing Euro 6 million on this new facility with a capacity to manufacture 50,000 units of fifth wheel couplings per annum. Jost has already concluded a long-term agreement for the delivery of fifth wheel couplings with Tata Motors. Many of Jost’s global customers have also established presence in India, like Volvo, Mercedes, MAN and Scania. Jost will initially manufacture fifth wheel couplings and is also looking at other products like landing gears for trailers and towing hitches.
The new state-of-the-art facility is being constructed on a 60,000 square metre premises. Jost India has made significant investments on the painting and finishing of the product as also in work security and environmental protection. Jost India is building a new facility for e-coating (KTL) in the new plant. This method, ensure that the products are protected from corrosion and is absolutely solvent-free, therefore health and environment friendly. The products manufactured in Jamshedpur are intended for the Indian market.
Here is a technical brief of the product offerings from Jost:
Fifth wheel couplings
The company has designed the JSK 36 DV and JSK 38 DV, especially for use in challenging conditions. The JSK 36 DV is a pressed version fifth wheel coupling with a locking bar. It is configured for 2″ kingpins and an imposed load of up to 20 tonnes.
The JSK 38 DV is also a pressed version fifth wheel coupling and is designed for imposed loads of up to 28 tonnes. Besides mounting for the sturdier 3.5″ kingpins, it also offers a specially designed integrated shock absorbing pedestal unit made of pressure-absorbent rubber. The JSK 38 DV50 is thus particularly well suited for use with heavy loads in challenging road conditions.
Landing gears for trailers
With the type A400 and D200T telescopic trailer landing gears, Jost proves that robustness and durability go hand in hand with convenience and safety. Both distinguish themselves through their robust design and their switchable two-speed gearing. The landing gears can thus be easily raised even while under load. The transmission can be changed by simply pushing or pulling on the crank. The gearing then enables them to be retracted or extended quickly, especially when turning the crank without a load.
In addition, the A400 also features a winch gear integrated into the telescopic landing gear. This allows the moving components to be lastingly, reliably protected against dirt and damage. The D200T telescopic landing gear particularly stands out due to its compact construction, with a mounting height of only 835 millimetres and a lift of up to 480 millimetres. Courtesy of the mounting plates running across the entire length of its rear, the D200T is well-suited for a wide variety of connections and types of assembly.
Safety-towing hitches
In addition to the Jost brand fifth wheel couplings, telescopic landing gears and king pins, Jost India also presented towing hitches from its Rockinger brand at Auto Expo. With the RO*56 and the RO*50 flex, Rockinger is offering two towing hitches that by the nature of their construction, are particularly well suited for Indian use. Both are configured for towing eyes with a 50 millimetre diameter and feature a safe, easily manageable automatic bolt locking. The RO*56 heavy duty hitch is suited to use under heavy loads and features a vertical pivot which permits the big up and down swivel angle which is common on uneven road conditions. The RO*50 flex is a towing hitch with an integrated shock absorber unit; this hitch lends itself particularly well to off-road use.
In India, the tractor trailer (TT) segment has seen exponential growth in the last few years. The market size for TT is expected to be anywhere around 25,000 units and is growing at an average annual rate of 40 per cent. Even the quality of products offered in this segment has improved considerably with the entry of many global trailer manufacturers. This offers tremendous opportunity for products manufactured by Jost.
