Indigenously developed Jumbo 9000 meets world standard
Manatec Electronics is one of Asia’s leading original equipment manufacturers of automotive garage equipments. Located in Pondicherry, the company manufactures wheel aligners, wheel balancers, two-post lifts (TPLs), gas analysers, smoke meters, head lamp aligners and digital tire inflators. Known for its expertise in the manufacture of garage equipment, the company is sharpening its focus on the commercial vehicle segment which has enormous growth potential.
Established in 1987 by Mr. R. Mananathan, Manatec first started with manufacturing shaft alignment computers for industrial applications, for rotating equipment like pumps, compressors and high speed turbines. It diversified into garage equipment in 1990. The company, through its in-house R&D, indigenously designed and developed optical wheel alignment systems. In 1991, it became the first company to design a wheel aligner in the whole of Asia. Its R&D department, with 50 highly qualified and trained technicians, designed and developed new products to meet the challenges arising from competitors in the market.
With 25 years of experience in this field, Manatec has designed and developed different kinds of garage equipment and advanced versions of wheel aligners of international standard.
In 2010, with increasing export orders and a significant growth in domestic business, Manatec opened a new greenfield manufacturing facility spread across an area of 1,30,000 sq.ft. near Pondicherry. The new state-of-the-art facility ensures that export and domestic demand are met by producing garage equipment on a mass scale. The production capacity of the new facility is 250 units per month, for all its products like wheel aligners, wheel balancers, TPL, gas analysers and smoke meters.
Latest products
The company’s indigenously developed Fox 3D ‘Auto Boom’ wheel aligner caters to the premium segment of the market. The Auto Boom 3D aligner features vision-based advanced digital imaging technology and intelligent software for automatic camera movement synchronized with the movement of the lift with the vehicle. The new system has been very successful in the export market and is likely to evoke good response in the domestic market as well.
Manatec’s heavy vehicle wheel aligner ‘Jumbo 9000’ caters to the need of multi-axle vehicles and all kinds of trucks, buses and trailers. With the ‘Jumbo 9000’ series, the company provides a cost-effective solution with technology and features to match the world leaders in HCV wheel alignment. The new series of HCV wheel aligner comes with RF technology and can align multi-axle vehicles with ease. The sensor arms are specially designed to suit modern low body vehicles and cover up to 24” rim diameter.
Manatec launched its TQM initiative in 2011 to underscore its commitment to quality systems to ensure quality products. The entire organization of 350 employees is driven by a fully-integrated ERP system that was introduced in 2007. Production techniques such as cellular manufacturing, Kanban and 5S are practised to ensure quality output. The infrastructure includes CNC machines, machine shop, tool room, electronics assembling and testing bays, sub-assembly bays and final-assembly lines.
Stringent quality measures are followed to control various stages of production, from raw material, sub-assembly to final product. With its focus on world-class quality across different levels, the company is aiming for the Deming Prize by 2015.
Manatec, a truly global player in the after-market, quality competitive to European and Chinese products, exports its equipment to more than 50 countries across the globe through its well-developed distributor network. The company is betting on its new products to make a huge impact on both the export and domestic markets, and with greater focus on the CV segment, it aims to increase its market share across different segments in the country.
Manatec has been the only Indian garage equipment manufacturer to compete in the same league of global manufacturers. Its efforts are a matter of pride for the nation as it continues to showcase its growing strength and potential on a global scale.
