I met Mr. Gautam Khandhuja, the flamboyant CEO of the Mansons Group, and he says, “Mansons is making a big push on trailer suspension. We are working closely with all major OEMs on their FBV (fully built vehicle) programs”.
The Mansons Group consists of three major verticals – suspension, rubber to metal components and the truck and trailer component business which is primarily for the international market. Mr. Gautam has prepared a road map for each of these three verticals.
For the Suspension Division which is primarily for trailers, the company is targeting to put 4,000 units on road in 2010-11 compared to 2,400 units last year. Another interesting product offering is the suspension for lift axles. This is catching up very fast, and most of the truck manufacturers are offering lift axle on their 8X2 and 8X4 models. Mansons is working with a few OEMs for this product. For lift axle suspension and air suspension for trucks and trailers, Mansons is working with the globally renowned brand of Watson and Chalin.
Mr. Gautam says: “Air suspension on trailer is catching up and we are installing 20 units every month. Our order books are full till next April for air suspensions. The market size for trailers in India is around 25,000 units out of which even a 2 to 3% starts using air suspension, we are then talking of big numbers and going forward we expect these numbers to increase”.
Air suspension as a technology is both road and cargo-friendly, with reduced vibrations and minimal wear and tear on the trailer and axles. We want to be a key player in the trailer industry,” says Gautam. The next major verticals, which is Mansons’ forte, is rubber-metal components for trucks and trailers. The company manufactures rubber related suspension, steering, damping, drive and vibrational isolation components for trucks, trailers, tractor and general engineering industry.
Mansons International is the division which has given global recognition for the Mansons Group. The International Division, which is primarily a trading division for heavy duty truck and trailer parts for the aftermarket, is further expanding its global distribution network.
Mr. Gautam says: “The key to our success in the international market has been the stock availability. We carry very large inventories and we continue to expand on this which allows better leads times.
Mansons started off as an after market company and even today more than 70 per cent of the turnover comes from the aftermarket. The company is focused on servicing our distributors and its commitment to the aftermarket remains strong.
Mansons has six manufacturing facilities. All the units are TS certified. The company is in the process of setting up a plant for machined component. The new unit will start commercial production in the next six months and will initially cater to the captive requirement and later to other OEM requirements as well.
